,"Malaysia’s National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) has announced an immediate prohibition on the use of Mucuna pruriens as an ingredient in natural products and health supplements, citing safety and regulatory concerns related to its natural levodopa content.
Regulatory Background
The directive was issued on 17 December 2025 by the Director of Pharmaceutical Services.
Mucuna pruriens naturally contains levodopa, a substance regulated under Malaysia’s Poisons Act 1952.
Due to this classification, NPRA has determined that the ingredient is not suitable for inclusion in regulated natural products and health supplements.
Scope of the Ban-The prohibition applies to all forms of Mucuna pruriens, including:Extracts Powders,Raw botanical materials
This includes materials claimed to have levodopa levels below the detection limit, as NPRA has stated that batch-to-batch consistency cannot guarantee the complete absence of levodopa.
Impact on Existing Registered Products
Companies holding existing product registrations containing Mucuna pruriens are required to take corrective action.
Affected companies must, by 30 June 2026, either:
Reformulate the product to remove Mucuna pruriens and obtain new product registration approval, or
Withdraw the product from the market.
Enforcement
Failure to comply with the directive by the specified deadline may result in:
Cancellation of product registration
Further regulatory action under applicable Malaysian laws
Regulatory Significance
This action reflects NPRA’s stricter oversight of botanical ingredients containing pharmacologically active substances and reinforces the agency’s position that naturally occurring compounds regulated under poison control legislation cannot be used in health supplements, regardless of claimed concentration levels."
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