MP, also referred to as the velvet bean, is a legume that grows in tropical and subtropical areas across the world including Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific Islands. Although the beans can be used as a source of food after they are boiled, MP is also a medicinal plant, used for millennia in traditional Ayurvedic Indian medicine, for a variety of conditions. MP has been investigated for its anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-epileptic, and anti-depressant properties, to name a few.

One of its main medicinal uses is to counteract parkinsonian symptoms. It is important however to understand more about this potential remedy – including its shortcomings – before jumping on the MP bandwagon.