Fava L-Dopa Tincture
Well, I have good news for all of you…..I finished the experiment of using the fava bean seeds and sprouting them for three whole days..then steaming them for 6 minutes, mashing them and adding brandy to cover them in a jar….shaking it for a month each day. Then, straining off the brandy into a clean jar and letting it set for a day to have the sediment fall to the bottom,…carefully taking the clear liquid into another clean container from which it is put into dropper bottles.
It works for me also!!!! This means that if you can obtain organic, sproutable fava beans (that can be used for cooking or planting (UNTREATED!!) you can make this fava l-dopa tincture. You do NOT have to grow a garden..which is impossible for most people because of their location and physical condition.
This to me is a tremendous find because I may not always be able to do the amount of work I do now, and it was a concern to me that I would not always be able to make my own l-dopa because of this. It doesn’t exist on the market….you have to make it yourself ! This new tincture has not been tested yet for it’s l-dopa content (which was done for the fava tops tincture .@..2 drops approx = 1mg l-dopa).
Hopefully I will find someone soon who can test it……BUT – I actually think it works better than the tincture made from fava tops…which is much harder to do with all the labor and fighting aphids for tops…the aphids like them best, too!!! As soon as it is tested I will report back. I don’t know why it is so hard to find people willing to test things when PD is so widespread…they want grant money for a few minutes of time spent doing a simple test. Somehow, that is hard for me to grasp.
Please to have a G6pd test done if you have thoughts of trying fava beans as a source of l-dopa to make sure you don’t have the enzyme deficiency which could make them quite harmful to you. Also. if you are on MAOI drugs or other PD meds that may need to be cut out or adjusted with adding fava…please talk to your doctor…don’t experiment on your own. I can experiment on myself because I am on no PD drugs…the only prescription med I take is Armour Thyroid (a natural thyroid supplement).
So, for now….Keep Exercising!! Eat Lots of good organic fruits & vegies …Check out the book Natural Therapies for Parkinsons by Laurie Mischley (Hope that is spelled right) It is a wonderfully informative book on what you can do to improve your health)
God Bless You
Love,
Sandra
December 3rd, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Dear Aunt Bean,
I think it’s great that you grow your own Macuna pruriens, or the velvet
bean, and I’d like to find out how you do it!.
But first, a couple of questions:
1. Can you grow Macuna p. in Zone 4-5? I live in Maine. How long a
growing season does it need?
2. Does eating the beans, alone, relieve PD symptoms? If so, raw or cooked?
How much do you consume?
3. Do you sell the macuna beans? If so, do they come in fresh, dried or
powdered form?
4. Do you have PD? If so, are you on any PD meds like Sinemet? Or, do you
rely solely on fava and macuna p.?
My son has been coping with early onset PD for 10 years. I grow a
patch of fava beans in my home garden, in limited amounts, every summer, but
my son does not seem to respond to fava, such as showing reduced symptoms or needing to reduce meds.
Thank you so much for your help! – Lynn
December 9th, 2011 at 4:17 am
I have just received the new Baker’s Creek seed catalog. They have listed a new Fava bean named Ianto’s Fava. It states, “The bright yellow seeds are reputed to contain elevated leves of dopamine, and may have benefits for those at risk for alzheimer’s disease.”
They are also on the web at http://www.rareseeds.com
Jeannie
December 27th, 2011 at 5:03 pm
Lynn…sorry it has taken me so long to answer your questions. My dad has been sick, leaving no time to get to the library to check emails,etc….
Question 1 Ken Allan grows mucuuna beans in Canada…starts them early in greenhouse…they do have a very long growing season (I do not have to start them early here, just plant thenm with the first corn & let them climb them.
Qustion 2 Mucuna beans are not the same as fava beans…..both require
steaming at least 6 to 8 minutes. Favas have increased l-dopa if sprouted
(soak 16 hrs more or less and then rinse daily several times a day for at least 3 days to increase l-dopa and remove toxins / then peel/ rinse/ steam
you can then put in salad/ use in stir fry with onion & garlic (my favorite way)
or mash and use like flour in no bake cookies (freeze til used)
Beans have to be digested..so it is not like taking a quick pill (some people find eating favas every other day in a meal is supportive. I eat them as a treat……and depend entirely on fava tincture for symptom relief. Eating beans one day means I don’t need as much tincture the next day to function optimally
Question 3 I do not sell favas or mucuna beans…just grow enough for me and 2 other people to use. The best buy I found for favas was thru a local health food store which got me in a 25 pound bag of organic
Question 4 I do have PD…it runs in our family….don’t know what I would do without the fava tincture….would be in diapers/ unable to drive, etc…..
Instead, I take care of an acre garden/ play music/ dance and care for a patient with PD/ do massage therapy and stretching with others with PD
Try buying mucuna capsules Certain health food store have them / Swanson
Catalogue carries them along with the other supplements I take (
I hope this information helps Aunt Bean
January 18th, 2012 at 5:23 pm
Hey Lynn,
You can buy velvet beans in bulk at http://www.velvetbean-mucuna.com I got a 5lb bag for $20 and I am experimenting with sprouting them.
February 9th, 2012 at 9:46 pm
Dear Aunt Bean:
I thought that Mucuna Pruiens powder was derived from fava beans It is from part of the bean and what you are using is from a different part of the bean. Is that correct?. I order Mucuna powder in bulk from Gary Suns and have had some success in that gives me longer periods of time that are symptom free.
I mix it with applesauce or yogurt because it is kind of smelly, and I do not like the texture.
Would I be better off to grow my own fava beans and make a tincture? I grew up on a farm, and know lots about gardening. Would I ever like to be free of Sinemet and Comtan tablets for good! However I am not brave enough to give them up. Have you noticed any increase in Dyskinesia since you have been taking the tincture? And did you taper off your SInemet before you went the Fava Bean route?
Thanks for all you do for Parkis like myself. You are an angel!