Mucuna pruriens

Mucuna pruriens
Mucuna pruriens inflorescence
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Fabales
Family: Fabaceae
Subfamily: Faboideae
Genus: Mucuna
Species:
M. pruriens
Binomial name
Mucuna pruriens
Synonyms[1]
  • Carpogon capitatus Roxb.
  • Carpogon niveus Roxb.
  • Carpopogon capitatus Roxb.
  • Carpopogon niveum Roxb.
  • Carpopogon pruriens (L.) Roxb.
  • Dolichos pruriens L.
  • Macranthus cochinchinensis Lour.
  • Marcanthus cochinchinense Lour.
  • Mucuna aterrima (Piper & Tracy) Holland
  • Mucuna atrocarpa F.P.Metcalf
  • Mucuna axillaris Baker
  • Mucuna bernieriana Baill.
  • Mucuna capitata Wight & Arn.
  • Mucuna cochinchinense (Lour.) A.Chev.
  • Mucuna cochinchinensis (Lour.) A.Chev.
  • Mucuna deeringiana (Bort) Merr.
  • Mucuna esquirolii H. Lév.
  • Mucuna esquirolii H.Lev.
  • Mucuna hassjoo (Piper & Tracy) Mansf.
  • Mucuna hirsuta Wight & Arn.
  • Mucuna luzoniensis Merr.
  • Mucuna lyonii Merr.
  • Mucuna martinii H.Lev. & Vaniot
  • Mucuna minima Haines
  • Mucuna nivea (Roxb.) DC.
  • Mucuna nivea (Roxb.) Wight & Arn.
  • Mucuna prurita (L.) Hook.
  • Mucuna prurita Wight
  • Mucuna sericophylla Perkins
  • Mucuna utilis Wight
  • Mucuna velutina Hassk.
  • Negretia mitis Blanco
  • Stizolobium aterrimum Piper & Tracy
  • Stizolobium capitatum (Roxb.) Kuntze
  • Stizolobium cochinchinense (Lour.) Burk
  • Stizolobium deeringianum Bort
  • Stizolobium hassjoo Piper & Tracy
  • Stizolobium hirsutum (Wight & Arn.) Kuntze
  • Stizolobium niveum (Roxb.) Kuntze
  • Stizolobium pruriens (L.) Medik.
  • Stizolobium pruritum (Wight) Piper
  • Stizolobium utile (Wall. ex Wight) Ditmer
  • Stizolobium velutinum (Hassk.) Piper & Tracy

Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume native to Africa and tropical Asia and widely naturalized and cultivated.[2] Its English common names include monkey tamarind, velvet bean, Bengal velvet bean, Florida velvet bean, Mauritius velvet bean, Yokohama velvet bean, cowage, cowitch, lacuna bean, and Lyon bean.[2] The Tshivenda/Venda language name is Vhulada.

The plant is notorious for the extreme itchiness it produces on contact,[3] particularly with the young foliage and the seed pods. It also produces many medium-sized red swollen bumps along with the itching. It has agricultural and horticultural value and is used in herbalism.

  1. ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Mucuna pruriens". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  3. ^ Andersen HH, Elberling J, Arendt-Nielsen L (September 2015). "Human surrogate models of histaminergic and non-histaminergic itch" (PDF). Acta Dermato-Venereologica. 95 (7): 771–7. doi:10.2340/00015555-2146. PMID 26015312.