elvet bean is a botanical used in Ayurveda, the Indian system of traditional medicine. Velvet bean is a source of dopa, which the brain converts into the neurotransmitter dopamine.

Modern Ayurvedic medicine has employed velvet bean seed to treat Parkinson’s disease. The brains of Parkinson’s patients are low in the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine can be elevated by administering the drug L-dopa. Research has shown that velvet bean seed grown in culture contains a very high concentration of naturally occurring L-dopa. A Parkinson’s Study Group study reported that Parkinson’s tremor and rigidity were better controlled with a twelve week supplementation of natural L-dopa from velvet bean than by synthetic L-dopa.

As velvet bean is a good source of natural L-dopa it may promote sleep. A number of studies have found that its key chemical constituent, L-dopa, is a natural clock setter. Specifically, L-dopa has been shown to advance the circadian rhythm of sleep. Additionally, some scientists speculate that restless legs syndrome and periodic limb movement disorder—a frequent cause of insomnia in older people—is due deficiency of dopamine. This suggests a possible use of velvet bean in these sleep disorders. In addition, Rajyalakshmi and Geervani found that velvet bean has a very high protein content. High-protein food promotes the release of serotonin, which is a critical neurotransmitter necessary for the onset of sleep.