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Mucuna pruriens and perceived stress: grade C

Limited evidence. Direction: Benefit.

C LimitedSingle research groupShort-term onlySubjective outcome only

Educational guidance, not medical advice

Why this grade

Rubric condition met: Open-label single-arm trial with a prespecified outcome (C); clinical population only, capped at C

One prospective study gave 5 g/day of Mucuna seed powder for 3 months to 60 men undergoing infertility screening who had psychological stress on a questionnaire and raised serum cortisol, and reported that stress improved. There was no placebo or untreated stressed group: the 60 controls were healthy fertile men, so they cannot show the effect of Mucuna on stress. Overlapping authors from Lucknow ran the two related semen and hormone studies, and the stress measure is self-reported. The population is clinical, so the grade cannot rise above C for healthy adults.

How we grade evidence

Studies this grade rests on

EffectMixedNo effectSize shows participants (n)200520102015Prospective contr…Prospective singl…Prospective singl…Shukla 2009, 2009: prospective single-arm trial with an untreated fertile comparison group, n = 150, result not recordedAhmad 2008, 2008: prospective controlled clinical study with an untreated fertile comparison group, n = 120, result not recordedShukla 2010, 2010: prospective single-arm trial with an untreated fertile comparison group, 3 months, n = 120, result not recorded
each study this grade rests on, by publication year and design. Solid: effect versus the comparator; half-filled: mixed; hollow: no effect; dashed: result not recorded yet. Larger marks had more participants.
Show the numbers
StudyYearDesignParticipantsResult
Ahmad 20082008prospective controlled clinical study with an untreated fertile comparison group120result not recorded
Shukla 20092009prospective single-arm trial with an untreated fertile comparison group150result not recorded
Shukla 20102010prospective single-arm trial with an untreated fertile comparison group, 3 months120result not recorded

Effect of Mucuna pruriens on semen profile and biochemical parameters in seminal plasma of infertile men.

Ahmad MK, Mahdi AA, Shukla KK. Effect of Mucuna pruriens on semen profile and biochemical parameters in seminal plasma of infertile men Fertil Steril, 2008. PMID 18001713

Result not recorded
Design
Prospective controlled clinical study with an untreated fertile comparison group
Sample
n = 120
Population
Men undergoing infertility screening (clinical population), plus 60 untreated fertile controls
Funding
not stated in the PubMed or Crossref record; full text not read

Mucuna pruriens improves male fertility by its action on the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis.

Shukla KK, Mahdi AA, Ahmad MK. Mucuna pruriens improves male fertility by its action on the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis Fertil Steril, 2009. PMID 18973898

Result not recorded
Design
Prospective single-arm trial with an untreated fertile comparison group
Sample
n = 150
Population
Men undergoing infertility screening (clinical population), plus 75 untreated fertile controls
Funding
Indian Council of Medical Research (Crossref funder record)

Mucuna pruriens Reduces Stress and Improves the Quality of Semen in Infertile Men.

Shukla KK, Mahdi AA, Ahmad MK. Mucuna pruriens Reduces Stress and Improves the Quality of Semen in Infertile Men Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2010. PMID 18955292

Result not recorded
Design
Prospective single-arm trial with an untreated fertile comparison group, 3 months
Sample
n = 120
Population
Men undergoing infertility screening who had psychological stress (clinical population), plus 60 untreated fertile controls
Funding
Indian Council of Medical Research (Crossref funder record)

Search and history

Search (): mucuna[ti] AND stress[ti]

  • Graded C (proposed): Proposed in the monograph draft
  • C to C (approved): Editor sign-off November 13, 2026: grade matches the editor-approved final page