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Dietary supplement

Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg Ingredients & Drug Interactions

by Absorb Health

Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg label
See full label image
Capsule Category: Botanical
Most serious interaction: Major
Clinical methodology reviewed by · Updated Sep 9, 2026 · Label data from the NIH DSLD
What is this page for?

First and foremost: checking Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg against your medications. The heart of this page is the interaction checker and the full interaction report — how this product’s ingredients may interact with prescription and over-the-counter medicines you may be taking.

Around that, we add a pharmacist’s high-level view of the product as a whole — what’s inside, the evidence for its stated use, how transparent the label is, and what safety data exists — so you can see the full picture in one place. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases and the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist — not medical advice — and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

The interaction bottom line Most serious interaction: Major

Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg is a dietary supplement by Absorb Health with 1 active ingredient. Its ingredients are commonly taken for parkinson's disease symptoms, male fertility and libido, mood and stress support.Based on those ingredients, 193 medications have a known interaction with it, the most serious rated major. The ingredients most likely to interact are Mucuna pruriens. Use the checker below to test your specific medication, or read the full HelloPharmacist Interaction Report.

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Check Your Meds Against Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg by Absorb Health

Ask about any prescription or over-the-counter medication and we check it for interactions with Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg by Absorb Health — and tell you which ingredient is responsible.

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HelloPharmacist Scorecard of Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg by Absorb Health

Our pharmacy team’s full take, with four database checks built into the cards below — a summary of what is known, not a grade of the product itself.

From our pharmacy team — supplement deep dive

Generated from HelloPharmacist’s pharmacist-curated databases and editorial rules · Last generated Aug 20, 2026

What’s inside

Full disclosure
Ingredient Transparency · database check
Full

Every active ingredient lists its own amount on the label.

Why this rating?
  • The label discloses an exact amount for 1 of its 1 active ingredient.
  • No proprietary blends here — you can verify the dose of every single component.

This single-ingredient product contains 500 mg of Mucuna pruriens, a tropical plant also called cowhage. The supplement's active compound is levodopa (L-dopa), a naturally occurring amino acid that your body converts to dopamine, a brain chemical involved in movement, mood, and other functions.

The capsule itself is made of gelatin, with maltodextrin and silica as inactive ingredients.

Does it work?

Couldn't assess
Evidence for Intended Use · database check
By FDA rules, dietary supplements can’t claim to treat, cure, or prevent disease — so labels speak in careful marketing language. We discern each product’s intended use from its name, label claims, and label statements, then grade the clinical evidence for that use. How these ratings are computed
Not assessable

We hold no graded evidence for this product's ingredients for its stated purpose.

Why this rating?
  • The label markets this product for: Cognitive support.
  • We looked for evidence on: Memory, Brain function, Mental clarity.
  • Our graded evidence for these ingredients doesn't cover that particular purpose.

The evidence we hold doesn't establish that this product works for any of the conditions it's marketed for — anxiety, certain skin conditions, high prolactin levels, muscle pain, Parkinson disease, or rheumatoid arthritis. All six of these conditions are rated insufficient reliable evidence to rate, meaning the data isn't solid enough to say whether it helps or not.

The evidence, ingredient by ingredient Cowhage

How safe is it?

Well-documented data
Safety Information · database check
Well characterized

Adverse-effect, pregnancy, and general safety data are on file for most of these ingredients.

Why this rating?
  • We hold adverse-effect (side-effect) data for 1 of the 1 matched ingredient.
  • Pregnancy & breastfeeding safety ratings cover 1 of 1.
  • General safety write-ups exist for 1 of 1.
  • Remember: this measures how much safety information exists. Thin data is not the same as being safe.

Oral adverse effects are generally rare, though some people report diarrhea, flatulence, dry mouth, headaches, and in small numbers of trial participants taking higher doses, nausea, abdominal bloating, or vomiting. About 3% of people in clinical research experienced insomnia.

Because this product contains L-dopa — a real drug-like compound — it needs professional guidance. The safety data advises against use during pregnancy due to insufficient safety information and its dopamine effects.

L-dopa can lower prolactin levels and reduce milk supply, so the safety data advises against it while breastfeeding.

Side effects, ingredient by ingredient Cowhage

Meds to double-check

Major interaction found
Known Interaction Concern · database check
Major identified

At least one ingredient has a documented Major-severity interaction. Check your medications for a personalized result.

Why this rating?
  • 1 of the 1 matched ingredient can interact with medications — Cowhage.
  • The most serious interaction on file is rated Major.
  • Some involve high-stakes drug classes: diabetes medications; Parkinson's medications.
  • For scale: 193 individual medications appear in the full list. A big number alone doesn't make a product dangerous — what matters is whether YOUR medication is on it, so run yours through the interaction checker on this page.

Major concerns: blood pressure medications (methyldopa, guanethidine), MAOIs, and levodopa itself. Moderate caution needed with antidiabetes drugs, antipsychotics, tricyclic antidepressants, and certain surgical anesthetics.

Check your exact medications with the tool on this page before you start.

Check your own medication Run your meds through the checker above

The bottom line

Scorecard at a glanceFully disclosed formula with no assessable stated purpose. Major medication interactions have been identified, and safety information is well characterized.

Mucuna Pruriens is a high-risk supplement if you take blood pressure medications, antidepressants, diabetes drugs, antipsychotics, or MAOIs. The evidence for what it claims to treat isn't established in the data we hold.

If you're considering it — especially if you have Parkinson disease or take any prescription medication — talk it over with your doctor or pharmacist first.

Educational only — not medical advice; always confirm with your pharmacist. Our editorial policy · How we use AI

Assessment coverage: 1 of 1 active ingredient matched to our full ingredient reviews (monographs). Based on the product label dated Mar 24, 2020.

This Scorecard evaluates available label information, ingredient evidence, and known medication-safety considerations. It does not independently verify product identity, purity, potency, contamination, or manufacturing quality. How these ratings are computed

At a glance

General information

Key facts about Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg, straight from the product label.

Brand Absorb Health
Barcode (UPC) 755563364037
Net contents 100 Capsule(s)
Market status On market
Date entered into DSLD Mar 24, 2020
DSLD ID 216058
Product type Botanical
Supplement form Capsule
Dietary claims / uses All Other, Structure/Function
Intended target group(s) Adult (18 - 50 Years)
From the label
Everything in this section is reproduced from the manufacturer’s own product label — it’s the label speaking, not HelloPharmacist. We show it so you can see exactly what the maker states; we don’t verify or endorse those statements.

Supplement Facts

The label details for Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg by Absorb Health, sourced from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database.

Supplement Facts

Daily Value (DV) Target Group(s):
Adults and children 4 or more years of age
Minimum serving Sizes:
1 Capsule(s)
Maximum serving Sizes:
1 Capsule(s)
Servings per container
100
UPC/BARCODE
755563364037
IngredientAmount% DV
Mucuna pruriens500 mg--

Other ingredients: Gelatin, Maltodextrin, Silica

Tap any ingredient to jump to its full detail below.

Label statements
These statements are the manufacturer’s wording, reproduced from the product label — the label is saying it, not HelloPharmacist. We don’t verify or endorse them.
FDA Disclaimer Statement

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Precautions

Warning: If you are pregnant, nursing, taking any medications or have any medical condition, consult your doctor before use.

Discontinue use and consult your doctor if any adverse reactions occur.

Keep out of the reach of children.

Do not use if seal under cap is broken or missing.

Storage

Store at room temperature with lid tightly closed.

Formulation

Cognitive support

No cutting agents

General Statements

Shop at www.absorbyourhealth.com for all your mind, body, and spirit needs.

Is this label outdated? Report a formula or label change and our pharmacy team will review it.

See for yourself

Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg by Absorb Health label

The label scan from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database. Tap to enlarge.

Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg label

Label images are published by the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database for the version of this product on file. Always read your actual product label.

View the full label (PDF)
What’s inside

The Ingredients in Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg by Absorb Health

This is the 1 active ingredient this product is made of. Select it to open its full monograph.

Serving size1 Capsule(s) Dosage formCapsule Servings per container100 Amounts shown are per serving.

Mucuna pruriens

Interacts with
193 drugs
500 mg per serving

Cowhage (Mucuna pruriens) is a tropical legume best known as a natural source of L-dopa, the compound the body turns into dopamine. It is most studied...

Mucuna pruriens monograph & interactions

Other (inactive) ingredients: Gelatin, Maltodextrin, Silica. These complete the product’s ingredient list but are not active constituents.

Interaction report

Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg by Absorb Health Drug Interactions

Want to check YOUR meds against Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg?

Ask about interactions with your drugs in plain English — “Can I take it with lisinopril?” — and we find you the answer in seconds, ingredient by ingredient.

 Go to the checker
193Drugs
17 Major 176 Moderate

Ingredients driving the most interactions

Mucuna pruriens 193

Individual Drug Interactions

The ingredients in Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg interact with 193 drugs. Click any drug to see the details.

1 of the 1 ingredient in Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg interact with drugs. Each result below shows which ingredient is responsible. Mucuna pruriens

Each ingredient & the kinds of drugs it affects

For each ingredient in Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg with known interactions, here are the types of medications it can affect. Open any type for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

Mucuna pruriens8 drug types · 193 drugs

Levodopa

Concomitant use can increase the risk of levodopa-related adverse effects.
Cowhage contains levodopa. Some cowhage products have been standardized to contain 75-400 mg of levodopa per dose.

Likelihood Likely Evidence D
Methyldopa (Aldomet)

Theoretically, concomitant use of cowhage and methyldopa might increase the risk of hypotension.
Cowhage contains levodopa. Use of levodopa with methyldopa might cause additive hypotension. In addition, methyldopa may inhibit peripheral decarboxylation of levodopa and increase levodopa levels in the central nervous system; avoid using.

Likelihood Probable Evidence D
Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (Maois)

Theoretically, concomitant use of cowhage and non-selective MAOIs might increase the risk of hypertensive crisis.
Cowhage contains levodopa. Use of levodopa with non-selective MAOIs might cause hypertensive crisis. However, this interaction has not been reported with MAO-B selective inhibitors such as selegiline.

Likelihood Probable Evidence D
Anesthesia

Theoretically, concomitant use of cowhage and anesthesia might increase the risk of arrhythmias.
Cowhage contains levodopa. Use of levodopa with cyclopropane or halogenated hydrocarbon anesthesia has led to arrhythmias. Other anesthetics have not been implicated. Use other anesthetics in patients taking cowhage or tell patients to stop taking cowhage at least 2 weeks before surgery.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D
Antidiabetes Drugs

Theoretically, concomitant use of cowhage and antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
Animal research shows that cowhage might have hypoglycemic effects.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D
Antipsychotic Drugs

Theoretically, use of cowhage might decrease the clinical effects of antipsychotic drugs.
Cowhage contains levodopa. Use of levodopa might counteract the antidopaminergic effects of antipsychotic medications.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D
Guanethidine (Ismelin)

Theoretically, concomitant use of cowhage and guanethidine might increase the risk of hypotension.
Cowhage contains levodopa. Use of levodopa with guanethidine might cause additive hypotension; avoid using.

Likelihood Probable Evidence D
Tricyclic Antidepressants (Tcas)

Theoretically, use of TCAs might reduce the levels and clinical effects of cowhage.
Cowhage contains levodopa. Use of TCAs might reduce the absorption of levodopa. Some case reports describe patients that developed hypertension and dyskinesia when taking both levodopa and TCAs.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D
Mucuna pruriens full monograph & interactions
The maker

Brand information

Manufacturer and brand details for Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg, from the product label.

Absorb Health

See all Absorb Health products
Name
Absorb Health
Street Address
4705 Southport-Supply Rd., #202
City
Southport
State
NC
ZipCode
28461
Web Address
www.absorbyourhealth.com
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg by Absorb Health: Common Questions

Does Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg by Absorb Health interact with any medications?
Yes. Based on its ingredients, Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg has a known interaction with 193 medications, including 17 rated major. Use the checker to see how it interacts with a specific drug.
How can one product interact with so many drugs?
Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg contains a single active ingredient, and that one ingredient can interact with many different medications on its own. We check it against each medication and show the mechanism responsible.
Where does this information come from?
The product label data comes from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database (DSLD); the interaction data is built on the Natural Medicines database and reviewed by HelloPharmacist pharmacists.
Can I take this with my blood pressure medication?
It depends which one. Some blood pressure drugs — methyldopa and guanethidine specifically — carry major interaction risks with this supplement and can cause dangerously low blood pressure or other serious effects. Others may have moderate risks. Show your doctor or pharmacist the full list of what you take before starting.
Is it safe while I'm pregnant or breastfeeding?
No. The safety data advises against this product during pregnancy because there isn't enough safety information and its dopamine effects are a concern. While breastfeeding, L-dopa can lower prolactin and reduce milk supply, so it's advised against then too.
What are the common side effects?
Most people who take it orally don't report problems, but some experience diarrhea, flatulence, dry mouth, or headaches. A small number in clinical research had insomnia, nausea, or abdominal bloating, especially at higher doses.
Does this actually work for Parkinson disease (or anxiety, muscle pain, etc.)?
The evidence we hold isn't strong enough to say it works for any of those conditions — including Parkinson disease. All of them are rated insufficient reliable evidence to rate in our data.
Can I take this with my antidepressant?
Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) have a moderate interaction risk — the supplement could be less effective, and there's a theoretical risk of high blood pressure or involuntary movements. Check with your doctor or pharmacist about your specific medication.
Why does it have L-dopa? Is that a drug?
Yes, L-dopa is a real drug-like compound your body converts to dopamine. That's why this supplement needs careful use and professional guidance — it's not just a vitamin or mineral.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

Not sure if Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg is safe with your meds?

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Label information is sourced from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database and reflects the product version on file; always read your actual product label. This page is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Confirm with your pharmacist or doctor before combining supplements and medications.

Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg label
Go deeper

The Full Monographs Behind Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg’s Ingredients

Every ingredient we hold a full HelloPharmacist monograph for — uses, evidence, safety, and the complete interaction list.

Herb & supplement monograph

Cowhage

Interacts with 193 drugs

Cowhage (Mucuna pruriens) is a tropical legume best known as a natural source of L-dopa, the compound the body turns into dopamine. It is most studied for Parkinson's disease symptoms and ma...

Read the full Cowhage monograph →
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Mucuna Pruriens 500 mg's label data comes from the NIH Dietary Supplement Label Database; the ingredient interaction data is from the Natural Medicines database, reviewed by our pharmacists.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

The 12 references behind this product’s interaction data

Every citation that drives the interaction findings for this product’s ingredients, from the evidence-graded Natural Medicines (TRC Healthcare) database. Open an ingredient to browse its citations — links open the study on PubMed or the publisher’s site.

Cowhage 12 references
  1. McEvoy GK, ed. AHFS Drug Information. Bethesda, MD: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, 1998.
  2. Gruenwald J, Brendler T, Jaenicke C. PDR for Herbal Medicines. 1st ed. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, Inc., 1998.
  3. Anon. Epidemiological notes and reports: Mucuna pruriens-associated pruritus--New Jersey. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 1985;34:732-3.
  4. HP-200 in Parkinson's Disease study group. An alternative medicine treatment for Parkinson's disease: Results of a multicenter clinical trial. J Alt Comp Med 1995;1:249-55. DOI
  5. Infante ME, Perez AM, Simao MR, et al. Outbreak of acute toxic psychosis attributed to Mucuna pruriens. Lancet 1990;336:1129. PubMed
  6. Vaidya AB, Rajagopalan TG, Mankodi NA, et al. Treatment of Parkinson's disease with the cowhage plant-Mucuna pruriens Bak. Neurol India 1978;26:171-6.
  7. Vadivel V, Janardhanan K. Nutritional and anti-nutritional composition of velvet bean: an under-utilized food legume in south India. Int J Food Sci Nutr 2000;51:279-87. PubMed
  8. Akhtar MS, Qureshi AQ, Iqbal J. Antidiabetic evaluation of Mucuna pruriens, Linn seeds. J Pak Med Assoc 1990;40:147-50.
  9. Prakash, D., Niranjan, A., and Tewari, S. K. Some nutritional properties of the seeds of three Mucuna species. Int.J.Food Sci.Nutr. 2001;52(1):79-82.
  10. Vadivel, V. and Janardhanan, K. Nutritional and antinutritional characteristics of seven South Indian wild legumes. Plant Foods Hum.Nutr 2005;60(2):69-75. PubMed
  11. Creapure (Creatine Monohydrate). Toxicological Datasheet. Degussa BioActives. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/ohrms/DOCKETS/.../95s-0316-rpt0154-54-Ref-50-vol112.pdf.
  12. Pulikkalpura H, Kurup R, Mathew PJ, Baby S. Levodopa in Mucuna pruriens and its degradation. Sci Rep 2015;5:11078. PubMed

See these in context on the Cowhage monograph →

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

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