Common Name:

General Information

Mucuna poggei is a climbing shrub producing twining stems that can be 10 - 30 metres long and up to 20cm in diameter[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use, mainly as a dye and for medicinal purposes, but also sometimes as a food and source of tying material.

Known Hazards

The pounded stems are cast into streams to stupefy fish[].
Mucuna species often possess irritant hairs on the seedpods and sometimes on the flowers and other parts. These hairs consist of 1-2 small basal cells and a large needle-like top cell. The top cell breaks off easily, piercing the skin and injecting chemical compounds that are present in the hairs. The proteolytic enzyme 'Mucunain' is said to be the active agent[].
The hairs can contaminate clothes or other objects, and remain active when dried, though they can be destroyed by heat[, , ]. Intense itching, with reddening of the skin and small papules or urticaria occur a few minutes after contact with the hairy parts of the plant. There is no serious danger, unless the hairs get into the eye, in which case, in extreme situations, they have caused blindness. To remove the hairs from the skin, adhesive tape and washing with water and soap are considered useful. Dermatitis can be treated with corticosteroid ointment. See a doctor immediately if hairs go into the eyes[].

Botanical References

Range

Tropical Africa - Sierra Leone and Mali to southern Sudan, Uganda and Kenya, south to Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Mozambique, avoiding wetter regions

Habitat

Brachystegia-Uapaca woodland; edges of evergreen forest; Phragmites grassland; secondary transitional forest with Harungana madagascariensis; riverine forest; Papyrus swamps, etc, at elevations up to 2,000 metres[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Climber
Height	0.00 m

Cultivation Details

Mucuna species generally grow best in a shady position in a humus-rich, moist but well-drained soil[].
Contact with the sap stains hands and iron implements brown-red[].
This species has a symbiotic relationship with certain soil bacteria; these bacteria form nodules on the roots and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby[].

Edible Uses

Seeds - cooked[].

Medicinal

A decoction of the stem is said to cure spear wounds[].
The crushed bark and leaves are astringent and applied as a poultice to sores, wounds and burns[].
A leaf decoction or the young leaves are applied externally against herpes[].

A root decoction or extract is used to treat dysentery, diarrhoea, malaria, gonorrhoea, hookworm and schistosomiasis. Root shavings are applied as an analgesic against toothache[]. A root decoction is used as a wash to treat paralysis of the legs and yellow fever[].

A flower decoction is used as a treatment for headache[].

The seeds may contain the amino acid L-dopa (levodopa)[].

Other Uses

The stems are used to prepare a black dye[].
A black ink is prepared from the leaf sap[].
The chemical constituents are unknown. Tannins, cyanogenic glycosides and indolic alkaloids have been reported in various other Mucuna species, and may also be present in this species, contributing to the colouring effect of the sap and leaves[].

The ash of the plant is used to chase snakes[].

The thinner branches are used for tying[].

Propagation

Seed -

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