Mucuna pruriens is a tropical legume native to Africa and tropical Asia and widely naturalized and cultivated. Its English common names include monkey tamarind, velvet bean, Bengal velvet bean, Florida velvet bean, Mauritius velvet bean, Yokohama velvet bean, cowage, cowitch, lacuna bean, and Lyon bean.

Mucuna pruriens, also known by its Sanskrit name kapikacchu, is a nutritive tonic and adaptogen commonly used to nourish the nervous system, support healthy sexual energy, and strengthen and tone the reproductive organs.