Damiana, of the Turneraceae plant family, is a small aromatic shrub that reaches a height of 4 to 6 feet with small yellow flowers that bloom in summer and are followed by small fruits with a fig-like taste. It grows on dry, sunny, rocky hillsides in south Texas, Southern California, Mexico, and Central America. The two species used in herbal healing, both of which are referred to as damiana, are Turnera aphrodisiaca and Turnera diffusa. Its pale green leaves, which turn yellow-brown when dried, are 0.5–1 in (15–25 mm) long and quite narrow. They have serrated (jagged) edges. The leaves and sometimes the stems of the plant have traditionally been made into a tea which was used by native people of Central and South America for its reputed aphrodisiac effects. Other names for damiana include old woman's broom, Mexican damiana, pastorata, hierba del venado, oreganello, and the bourrique.
In herbal medicine, damiana is used to treat conditions ranging from coughs, to constipation, to depression. The herbal supplement is reputed to help with energy, emphysema, low estrogen, frigidity, hot flashes, impotence, infertility, menopause, Parkinson's disease, PMS, inflammation of prostate, Lou Gehrig's disease, and more dealing with reproductive organs in both males and females.
As an aphrodisiac the Mayas used it more specifically as a remedy for "giddy" love, as an herbal medecine for focusing sexual energies than for creating them. Damiana seems to have a positive toning effect on both the nervous system and sexual organs, especially when combined in equal parts with saw palmetto berries. Some users of the combination tea (damiana and saw palmetto) report that, when taken an hour or so before sexual activity, it helps produce a more satisfactory experience. The best results seem to be obtained when damiana is taken in moderation over a period of time. Using the tea one cup per day for two weeks seems to have stimulating effects on sexual performance.
Also classified as a nerve tonic, damiana benefits the genitourinary, gastro-intestinal and renal tracts by helping tone the mucous surfaces to provide increased sensitivity in the genitals which helps improve the reproductive activities.
A popular aphrodisiac for men, it has also been used by numerous people for the purpose of enhancing orgasms in women because of the claims that it is more effective in women than in men.
Damiana contains estrogenic substances which can be beneficial to the health of men as well as women. In some scientific studies, it has been shown that regardless of the age of adult men, higher estrogen levels mean protection against heart disease and stroke.
In women, the consumption of phytoestrogens can even result in more sexual appetite. This is thought to happen because phytoestrogens are weaker than the estrogens produced by a woman's ovaries. When phytoestrogens attach themselves to estrogen binding sites, they block, to a certain extent, a woman's own estrogens thus tilting a woman’s estrogen / testosterone balance slightly in favor of testosterone.
It has been known for decades that both sexes produce both so-called sex hormones, estrogens and testosterone (with the main estrogen, estradiol, actually metabolized from testosterone by the enzyme aromatase). However, men's testosterone levels are about ten times as high as those of women.
In both sexes, testosterone is essential for sex drive. Men lacking in testosterone usually are sexually sluggish or impotent, while raising the testosterone levels in women just slightly can make a very, very big difference for sexual appetite.
You should not expect a dramatic reaction when using damiana as an aphrodisiac. Its effects are more subtle and cumulative. Whether taken as a tea or liqueur, damiana is an easy, inexpensive way to spice up your love life.
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