Abstract
Levodopa (L-dopa) is considered the gold standard for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. However, a serious concern is dyskinesia and motor fluctuation that occurs after several years of use. In vitro experiments have shown that in the presence of divalent copper ions, levodopa may induce intense DNA damage. Mucuna pruriens cotyledon powder (MPCP) has shown anti-parkinson and neuroprotective effects in animal models of Parkinson's disease that is superior to synthetic levodopa. In the present study two different doses of MPCP protected both plasmid DNA and genomic DNA against levodopa and divalent copper-induced DNA strand scission and damage. It exhibited chelation of divalent copper ions in a dose-dependent manner. The copper chelating property may be one of the mechanisms by which MPCP exerts its protective effects on DNA.
Phytotherapy Research
Published Online: 11 Jul 2007
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/c...TRY=1&SRETRY=0
I never took it but it looks like it would work. Take a look at the url below
http://www.mucunapruriens.net/