Damiana
Introduction
Damiana is a small shrub reaching a height of 4 to 6 feet (1-2 meters),
bearing sweet-smelling, serrated leaves growing 4 to 10 inches (10-25 cm) long.
Small, yellow flowers bloom in summer and are followed by small fruits with a
fig-like taste.
The Mayas used damiana as an aphrodisiac, but more specifically as a remedy for
"giddy" love. The herb was considered more important for focusing
sexual energies than for creating them.
In modern hierberÕas across the Southwestern United States
and Mexico,
damiana is recommended as an aphrodisiac and for asthma, bronchitis, neurosis,
diabetes, dysentery, dyspepsia, headaches, paralysis, nephrosis, spermatorrhea,
stomachache, and syphilis. The current edition of the British Herbal
Pharmacopoeia recommends the herb for "anxiety neurosis with a predominant
sexual factor, depression, nervous dyspepsia, atonic constipation, and coital
inadequacy."
Constituents
The leaves contain up to 1% volatile oil consisting of 1,8-cineole, p-cymene, alpha- and beta-pinene, thymol, alpha-copaene, and calamene among other chemicals. The dry matter of the leaf includes a characteristic brown, bitter substance called damianin as well as tannins, flavonoids, beta-sitosterol, and the glycosides gonzalitosin, arbutin, and tetraphyllin B
Parts Used
Leaf and leaf stems, dried.
Typical Preparations
The encapsulated powder, up to 12,000 milligrams (twenty-four 500-milligram capsules) daily, or equivalent amount of tincture.
Summary
Damiana is a popular aphrodisiac for men. It is also used to enhance orgasm in women, and for asthma, depression, digestive problems, and menstrual disorders. Two US patents list damiana as an ingredient in a "thermogenic" diet aid designed to increase metabolic rate.
Precautions
Teas of damiana may lower blood sugars, but tinctures do not. Since one of the traditional uses of the herb was to induce abortion, it should be avoided in pregnancy.