Common Name:

General Information

Mucuna bracteata is very variable in habit. Usually a perennial climbing plant with twining stems, it is sometimes more shrubby and at other times can be short-lived as an annual[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine. It is sometimes grown as a cover crop in plantations.
Mucuna bracteata is a widespread species that occurs in a variety of habitats and can tolerate some disturbance. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

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

E. Asia - southern China, northeast India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam

Habitat

Found in a wide variety of habitats, including in hilly evergreen forests and sometimes in secondary vegetation, also in grasslands and beside roads and rivers; at elevations from 600 - 2,000 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial Climber
Height	0.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a well-drained, moist, humus-rich soil and a position in full sun or partial shade[].
This species is extremely similar to Mucuna pruriens, and is only distinguished by the thickly textured robust-veined ovate-rhombic leaflets with indumentum abaxially conspicuously sparser on the veins than on the leaf surface, the lower part of the inflorescence with many flowerless nodes with scars or persistent bracts, and the almost straight legume[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

The seeds are considered by some ethnic groups to have aphrodisiac properties[].

The hairs on the seedpods are used as a medicine to expel intestinal worms[].

Agroforestry Uses:

The plant is used as a cover crop in rubber and palm oil plantations. It is fast growing, has moderate drought resistance and shade tolerance and forms a thick cover which suppresses weeds[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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