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scientific name:- mucuna pruriens shape:-bean shaped category :- tree seeds size:- 1-1.5 cm color: -black usage: – germination (not for oil extraction) age: -fresh(less than a year, good for germination) origin: – india packing: -5, 10,20,25,50 (p/p) availability: – throughout the year details : english : common cowitch, cowhage botanical name : mucuna pruriens hindi name : kawanch, kaunch family : fabaceae propagation : by seed. seeds collected in winter and soaked in water for 24 hours before sowing. germination takes around 4-12 days, 90% seeds germinates. mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume known as velvet bean or cowitch and by other common names (see below), found in africa, india and the caribbean. the plant is notorious for the extreme itchiness it produces on contact, particularly with the young foliage and the seed pods. it has value in agricultural and horticultural use and has a range of medicinal properties. the plant is an annual, climbing shrub with long vines that can reach over 15 m in length. when the plant is young, it is almost completely covered with fuzzy hairs, but when older, it is almost completely free of hairs. the leaves are tripinnate, ovate, reverse ovate, rhombus-shaped or widely ovate. the sides of the leaves are often heavily grooved and the tips are pointy. in young m.pruriens plants, both sides of the leaves have hairs. the stems of the leaflets are two to three millimeters long. additional adjacent leaves are present and are about 5 mm long. m.pruriens bears white, lavender, or purple flowers. its seed pods are about 10 cm long and are covered in loose, orange hairs that cause a severe itch if they come in contact with skin. the chemical compounds responsible for the itch are a protein, mucunain, and serotonin. the seeds are shiny black or brown drift seeds. it is found in tropical africa, india and the caribbean. the dry weight of the seeds is 55 to 85 g/100 seeds uses: in many parts of the world, mucuna pruriens is used as an important forage, fallow and green manure crop. since the plant is a legume, it fixes nitrogen and fertilizes soil. m. pruriens is a widespread fodder plant in the tropics. to that end, the whole plant is fed to animals as silage, dried hay or dried seeds. m. pruriens silage contains 11-23% crude protein, 35-40% crude fiber, and the dried beans 20-35% crude protein. it also has use in the countries of benin and vietnam as a biological control for problematic imperata cylindrica grass. m. pruriens is said to not be invasive outside its cultivated area. however, the plant is known to be invasive within conservation areas of south florida, where it frequently invades disturbed land and rockland hammock edge habitats. the plant and its extracts have been long used in tribal communities as a toxin antagonist for various snakebites. research on its effects against naja spp. (cobra), echis (saw scaled viper), calloselasma (malayan pit viper) and bangarus (krait) have shown it has potential use in the prophylactic treatment of snakebites. dried leaves of m. pruriens are sometimes smoked. the herb contains l-dopa, a precursor to the neurotransmitter dopamine. the l-dopa content increases when extracts are prepared. l-dopa converts into dopamine, an important brain chemical involved in mood, sexuality, and movement. medicinal uses : root : purgative, prescribed as remedy for delirium in fevers fruit : pods anthelmintic seed : aphrodisian, nervine tonic, used in scorpion sting. powdered seed paste applied to body in dropsy. strong infusion mixed with honey is given in cholera. related products 1. teak seeds 2. khamer seeds 3. sandal seeds 4. eucalyptus seeds 5. kinvach seeds