Mucuna pruriens
Also known as Velvet Bean. Mucuna pruriens is used in Ayurvedic medicine as an aphrodisiac and treatment for nervous disorders. Velvet bean is used as an alternative treatment in Parkinson’s Disease, as it’s high in l-dopa, the precursor to the neurotransmitter dopamine.
Mucuna pruriens allegedly increases growth hormone output, although this claim (which appears in a patent) needs to be substantiated.
Rhaponticum carthamoides
Also known as Leuzea carthamoides and maral root. A medicinal plant used in Russian and Eastern Europe as an adaptogen. Rhaponticum is an herbal source of 20-beta-hydroxyecdysterone.
Sophora japonica
Also known as the Japanese Scholar Tree or Japanese Pagoda Tree. Sophora japonica is a source of a number of bioactive compounds, including the phytoestrogens genistein and genistin, as well as the flavonoids rutin, kaempferol and quercetin. Kaempferol has shown anti-obesity activity in animal and in-vitro experiments, but human data is lacking.
