The plant is notorious for the extreme itchiness it produces on contact,[3] particularly with the young foliage and the seed pods.

Mucuna pruriens is an annual climbing shrub with long vines that can reach over 15 metres (50 feet) in length.

There is a ridge along its length and the husk is covered in loose, orange hairs that cause a severe itch if they contact skin.

An average of 52.11% degradation of l-DOPA into damaging quinones and reactive oxygen species was found in seeds of M. pruriens varieties.

[3][7][11] The calyx below the flowers is also a source of itchy spicules and the stinging hairs on the outside of the seed pods are used in some brands of itching powder.

[14] In many parts of the world, M. pruriens is used as an important forage, fallow and green manure crop.

It also has use in the countries of Benin and Vietnam as a biological control for problematic Imperata cylindrica grass.

[15] However, the plant is invasive within conservation areas of South Florida, where it frequently invades disturbed land and rockland hammock edge habitats.

The plant contains relatively high (3–7% dry weight) levels of l-DOPA,[16] which some people are sensitive to; it can cause nausea, vomiting, cramping, arrhythmias, and hypotension.

[citation needed] It has been investigated as a treatment for Parkinson's disease[19] due to its high l-DOPA content,[20][16] while the seeds have been recognized for their ability to significantly alleviate neurotoxicity associated with the condition.