LabelProduct information
Mucuna Pruriens in HoneyBoost: 9.8 mg of L-DOPA per Gummy
HoneyBoost lists mucuna seed extract at 10 mg per gummy, standardized to 98% L-DOPA (9.8 mg). L-DOPA is the same compound as the drug levodopa. Studies are of Parkinson disease and male fertility, not this gummy. MAO inhibitor users must ask a pharmacist first.
Written by the HoneyBoost label deskUpdated
What does HoneyBoost say about Mucuna pruriens?
The label line, the studied amount and the caution, in one place.
| Name on the label | Mucuna (Mucuna pruriens) Seed Extract, standardized to 98% L-DOPA (9.8 mg) |
|---|---|
| What it is | Mucuna pruriens, a tropical bean whose seed is a natural source of L-DOPA (levodopa) |
| Place on the panel | Line 5 of the six extract and amino acid lines |
| Amount per gummy | 10 mg per gummy, 9.8 mg of it printed as L-DOPA, printed on the label |
| Amount used in research | Seed preparations in small studies of male fertility and Parkinson disease; the abstracts we read give no dose that can be set beside 10 mg |
| Strength of evidence | Limited: small, unblinded fertility data; the seed's levodopa content is real |
| Marketed or traditional use | Traditionally used as a tonic and aphrodisiac; the seed is studied as a levodopa source in Parkinson disease |
| Main caution | L-DOPA is the drug levodopa: do not combine with MAO inhibitors, Parkinson, psychiatric or blood pressure medicines without a pharmacist's advice; 7 of 14 people stopped the seed powder early in one study |
Mucuna pruriens, the velvet bean, is a tropical legume. Its seeds are a natural source of L-DOPA, the amino acid the body turns into dopamine and the same molecule as the Parkinson drug levodopa. It is sold as a tonic and aphrodisiac. This is the one line on the HoneyBoost panel that is also a prescription drug ingredient, so it needs more care than the others.
The panel lists "Mucuna (Mucuna pruriens) Seed Extract" at 10 mg per gummy, "standardized to 98% L-DOPA (9.8 mg)." That means nearly all of the 10 mg is L-DOPA. It is the only line on the panel with a stated purity, and it is a drug-strength compound rather than a flavor-level herb.
What does the research say?
What exists, at what dose, and how it compares with the gummy.
The studies are about other things. In a 2009 study of 75 men being screened for infertility, treatment with Mucuna pruriens was followed by higher testosterone, LH and dopamine and better sperm count and motility, but it was not a placebo-controlled trial (Shukla et al. 2009). In a 2018 crossover pilot study of 14 people with advanced Parkinson disease, 7 stopped daily mucuna seed powder early, 4 for stomach side effects and 3 for worse motor performance (Cilia et al. 2018). We found no trial of a 10 mg extract for sexual function.
The abstracts we read give no dose that can be set beside 10 mg, so we do not compare. We can say what the Parkinson study shows: the seed is a real levodopa source, and levodopa is a drug whose dose a doctor sets.
Maca extract
the studied amount is 240 times the label amountLabel: 10 mg per gummy. Studied: Dry extract, 2,400 mg a day for 12 weeks in men with mild ED. (Zenico et al. 2009)
Tongkat ali extract
the studied amount is 4 times the label amountLabel: 25 mg per gummy. Studied: Standardized root extract, 100 to 600 mg a day, mostly one branded extract. (Leisegang et al. 2022)
L-arginine
the studied amount is 500 times the label amountLabel: 10 mg per gummy. Studied: 5,000 mg (5 g) a day for 6 weeks in men with organic ED. (Chen et al. 1999)
Zinc
the studied amount is 4.4 times the label amountLabel: 2.5 mg per gummy. Studied: The adult male RDA and label Daily Value is 11 mg a day (not a study dose). (NIH ODS, Zinc)
Label amount, per gummyAmount used in the study (or the daily need, for zinc)
Log scale: each step to the right is ten times more. The label does not say how many gummies make a day, so one gummy is shown. A studied dose says what was tested, not what works for you, and no study tested HoneyBoost. Horny goat weed, damiana and mucuna are left out because we found no human dose that can be set beside the label.
Why is mucuna studied in Parkinson disease?
Because the seed is a natural source of levodopa, the main Parkinson medicine.
In a 2018 crossover study, 14 people with advanced Parkinson disease took mucuna seed powder, and it behaved like a levodopa source. Seven stopped early because of stomach upset or worse motor control (Cilia et al. 2018). That is a drug-strength result in a drug-strength dose. It does not mean a gummy with 9.8 mg of L-DOPA does anything for sexual function.
It does mean that someone with Parkinson disease or a psychiatric condition has a reason to talk to a doctor before taking it, because levodopa interacts with many medicines (MedlinePlus, Levodopa and Carbidopa).
What about the fertility study?
It was small, open-label and about infertility, not erections.
In a 2009 study of 75 men being screened for infertility, treatment with mucuna was followed by higher testosterone, LH and dopamine and better sperm count and motility (Shukla et al. 2009). There was no placebo group, and the dose and preparation were not those of a gummy. We cite it because it is what exists, and we do not read it as support for the product.
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See packsWhat are the cautions?
Who should ask a clinician or pharmacist first.
Levodopa has a well-known interaction with MAO inhibitors, a class of depression and Parkinson medicines that includes phenelzine, selegiline and tranylcypromine; the MedlinePlus levodopa page tells patients to name any MAO inhibitor they take, including ones stopped in the past two weeks (MedlinePlus, Levodopa and Carbidopa). If you take an MAO inhibitor, a Parkinson, antipsychotic or blood pressure medicine, or you have a psychiatric condition, ask your pharmacist about any product with mucuna before you start. The label's own warning says to avoid it if you take other medications.
A short list of who should ask first: people on nitrates or other heart medicine, on blood pressure medicine, on ED drugs, on MAO inhibitors or Parkinson medicine, on diabetes medicine (damiana may affect blood sugar), on aromatase inhibitors or other hormone or cancer medicine, and on tetracycline or quinolone antibiotics (zinc can lower their absorption). People with heart disease, a hormone-sensitive condition, or a psychiatric condition should ask as well.
Stop and ask a clinician if a rash, swelling, a racing or irregular heartbeat, dizziness, a strong headache, stomach upset that does not pass, mood changes or trouble sleeping show up after you start. These are listed under the ingredients' cautions, and they are the reason the label tells you to speak to a physician. You can report a problem with any supplement to FDA through MedWatch (FDA, MedWatch).
What should you take away?
The label amount is small, no study tested the gummy, and your medicines come first.
A 2023 review of marketed ED supplements scored 25 products and found that 20 (80%) matched the criterion of no expected efficacy, mostly because ingredients were used at a negligible dose or without evidence (Petre et al. 2023). The same review found L-arginine, Panax ginseng and Tribulus terrestris could improve male sexual function in trials. HoneyBoost contains none of the last two and only a trace of the first.
See the other pages on ingredients, claims versus evidence and medicine safety. Order links go to the seller's checkout.
FAQ01
HoneyBoost questions people ask
How much L-DOPA is in HoneyBoost?
9.8 mg per gummy, from 10 mg of mucuna seed extract standardized to 98%.
Is L-DOPA a drug?
Yes, it is levodopa, the main Parkinson medicine.
Who should avoid it?
Anyone on an MAO inhibitor, a Parkinson or psychiatric medicine, unless a clinician agrees.
Does it raise dopamine?
A small infertility study without placebo saw higher dopamine. It does not show an effect from this gummy.
Is it safe to combine with other supplements?
Ask a pharmacist.
What does the label say?
Not to take it with other medications.
Who wrote this02
Written and reviewed by
Pages built from the label images, seller information and linked NIH, FDA, CDC, FTC and peer-reviewed sources.
Last updated . Read our editorial standards and how we check reviews. This website is the information site for a U.S. authorized retailer (a licensed U.S. retail desk) for HoneyBoost. It is not the manufacturer or the distributor named on the label. We earn money when you buy through our order links.
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