Can a locally grown plant reshape early Parkinson’s care in sub-Saharan Africa?

A recently published randomised trial in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease compared Mucuna pruriens (MP) powder to standard levodopa plus a dopa decarboxylase inhibitor (LD + DDCI) in newly diagnosed, untreated patients across sub-Saharan Africa.

The findings are promising:

Comparable effectiveness: Mucuna delivered similar improvements in motor and non-motor symptoms, as well as quality of life, over 12 months.

Manageable side effects: Mild GI issues were slightly more common in MP use, but most participants tolerated treatment well. Adverse events were mild, with only 12.5% leading to discontinuation.

A realistic alternative: In regions where access to commercial levodopa is unreliable, Mucuna could help fill a critical treatment gap.

The study was small (n=32), but signals a positive step forward in building sustainable, locally sourced treatment options. To fully establish long-term safety and efficacy, future research should include large, ethnically diverse, multi-centre double-blind trials with extended follow-up of 24–36 months.

Read the full paper here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1877718X251383721 

Last modified: Wed, 26 Nov 2025 10:48:31 GMT