#Magic purple beans free#

M. pruriens silage contains 11–23% crude protein, 35–40% crude fiber, and the dried beans 20–35% crude protein. To that end, the whole plant is fed to animals as silage, dried hay or dried seeds. pruriens is a widespread fodder plant in the tropics. The beans can also be fermented to form a food similar to tempeh and known as Benguk tempe or 'tempe Benguk'.

In Indonesia, particularly Java, the beans are eaten and widely known as 'Benguk'. Since the plant is a legume, it fixes nitrogen and fertilizes soil.

pruriens is used as an important forage, fallow and green manure crop. The seed pods are known as 'Devil Beans' in Nigeria. Once this happens, the subject tends to scratch vigorously and uncontrollably and for this reason the local populace in northern Mozambique refer to the beans as 'mad beans' ( feijões malucos). Scratching the exposed area can spread the itching to other areas touched, which can cause blindness if in the area of the eyes. The calyx below the flowers is also a source of itchy spicules and the stinging hairs on the outside of the seed pods are used in some brands of itching powder. The hairs lining the seed pods contain serotonin and the protein mucunain, which cause severe itching when the pods are touched. ex Wight) L.H.Bailey is the non-stinging variety grown in Honduras. An average of 52.11% degradation of L-DOPA into damaging quinones and reactive oxygen species was found in seeds of M. pruriens varieties. pruriens has the highest content of L-DOPA. The seeds of the plant contain about 3.1–6.1% L-DOPA. The dry weight of the seeds is 55–85 grams (2–3 ounces)/100 seeds.

The hilum, the base of the funiculus (connection between placenta and plant seeds) is a surrounded by a significant arillus (fleshy seed shell). They are flattened uniform ellipsoids, 1–1.9 cm ( 3⁄ 8– 3⁄ 4 in) long. The pods carry up to seven seeds, which are shiny black or brown drift seeds. There is a ridge along its length and the husk is covered in loose, orange hairs that cause a severe itch if they contact skin. In the fruit-ripening stage, a 4–13 cm (2–5 in) long, 1–2 cm ( 3⁄ 8– 3⁄ 4 in) wide, unwinged, leguminous fruit develops. The sepals are longer or of the same length as the shuttles. The accompanying leaves are about 12.5 mm ( 1⁄ 2 in) long the flower stand axes are from 2.5–5 mm ( 1⁄ 8– 3⁄ 16 in). They are 15–32 centimetres (6–13 in) long and have two or three, or many flowers, which can be white, lavender, or purple. The flower heads take the form of axially arrayed panicles. Additional adjacent leaves are present and are about 5 mm ( 1⁄ 4 in) long. The stems of the leaflets are 2–3 millimetres ( 1⁄ 16– 1⁄ 8 inch) long. In young specimens, both sides of the leaves have hairs. The sides of the leaves are often heavily grooved and the tips are pointy. The leaves are tripinnate, ovate, reverse ovate, rhombus-shaped or widely ovate.

#Magic purple beans free#

When the plant is young, it is almost completely covered with fuzzy hairs, but when older, it is almost completely free of hairs. Mucuna pruriens is an annual climbing shrub with long vines that can reach over 15 metres (50 feet) in length. It has agricultural and horticultural value and is used in herbalism. It also produces many medium-sized red swollen bumps along with the itching. The plant is notorious for the extreme itchiness it produces on contact, particularly with the young foliage and the seed pods. 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. Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume native to Africa and tropical Asia and widely naturalized and cultivated.

Stizolobium velutinum (Hassk.) Piper & Tracy.

Stizolobium hirsutum (Wight & Arn.) Kuntze.

Stizolobium cochinchinense (Lour.) Burk.

Mucuna aterrima (Piper & Tracy) Holland.