Erowid Mucuna pruriens Vault : Bits & Pieces

Mucuna pruriens

Bits & Pieces

by Erowid

The "Bits & Pieces" section is intended for random snippets of information which don't fit
easily elsewhere and/or which have been newly added, but not yet carefully categorized.

Coffee Substitute
Mucuna pruriens beans have been roasted and used as a coffee substitute in Central and South America for decades, going by the name Nescafé...not to be confused with the popular brand of coffee by the same name.
History of Ayurvedic Use
Over two thousand years ago the Ayurvedic physician Sushruta wrote in the Sushruta Samhita (one of the two key texts of Ayurvedic medicine) that Mucuna combined with Tribulus terrestris is a powerful aphrodisiac and tonic. Mucuna contains DMT, 5-MeO-DMT, and Bufotenin (amongst other alkaloids) and Tribulus terrestris contains harmine, an MAOI.
Smoking M. pruriens leaves
It has been reported that smoking the leaves of M. pruriens in a joint leads to a tryptamine buzz [Ayahuasca Analogues 2000] and that ingestion of 3 g of P. harmala prior to the smoking may produce colorful geometric patterns.
Why "Cow-Itch"?
The common name "Cow-Itch" (or "Cowitch") is a bastardization of the Hindi name "Kiwach" meaning "bad rubbing".