BENEFITS OF DAMIANA
✓ Enhances sexual activity
✓ Supports the nervous system
✓ Lowers blood sugar
✓ Potentially anti-cancer
✓ Enhances physical performance
What is damiana?
Damiana’s scientific name is Turnera diffusa. Native to the Americas, it grows wild in tropical regions of Mexico, the Caribbean and in certain regions of the United States (Texas, California…). It is also found in India and Africa, in areas where the climate is warm and humid.
Damiana is a shrub belonging to the Passifloraceae family, which includes more than 600 different species, all native to tropical regions. The genus Turnera alone contains about one hundred species, including the one that interests us here: Turnera diffusa. The “true” damiana should not be confused with the Caribbean damiana (Turnera ulmifolia), which does not have medicinal properties.
Reaching up to 2 m in height, it has a thick, hairy root. Its long leaves, pale green in color, are very aromatic. From July to October, the shrub is adorned with beautiful yellow flowers that, once faded, give way to small edible fruits. It is during this period, after flowering, that the leaves are harvested.
Indeed, they are the ones that contain the active compounds and are used in herbal medicine. They are particularly rich in essential oils, damianine, flavonoids and tannins.
Once harvested, damiana leaves can be dried to be consumed as an infusion. It is also reported that they were used to prepare a herbal aphrodisiac drink consumed by the indigenous peoples of Mexico, including the Maya. In Mexican popular culture, it is also mixed with tequila to prepare love potions!
In addition to its effects on sexuality, it was traditionally used to strengthen the body, relieve menstrual problems and combat anxiety.
Today, dried damiana leaves are available directly in tea bags or as dietary supplements (tablets, capsules, or mother tinctures). Demand is growing. Growth driven by recent scientific discoveries which, in addition to confirming damiana’s aphrodisiac action, have highlighted other benefits of the plant.
Nutritional composition
- Proteins
- Glucosides : arbutin, tetraphylline
- Flavonoids : damianine, apigenin, echinacin, pinocembrin, acacetin
- Phytosterols
- Saccharides
- Terpenoids : teuhéténone A
- Caffeine
- Resins
- Gums
- Tannins
- Starch
- Essential oils : ettacadiène, thymol, cineole
The benefits of damiana
🔥 Enhances sexual activity
Damiana has long been used in traditional medicines to improve sexual activity. On one hand, it promotes desire, increases energy in men and women, and improves recovery after sexual activity. On the other hand, it addresses sexual disorders such as impotence, erectile problems, premature ejaculation, frigidity…
The aphrodisiac effect of damiana is due to the flavonoids contained in its leaves. Pinocembrin and acacetin are natural substances that inhibit aromatase activity. This enzyme converts testosterone into estrogens. By limiting this conversion, it increases testosterone levels, thereby improving sexual function.
Flavonoids and alkaloids also promote good blood circulation in the genital area. In addition, they reduce stress and anxiety, which are responsible for many sexual disorders.
Other active compounds in damiana help improve sexual function. Caffeine, for example, is a natural tonic that reduces erectile dysfunction, improves blood flow, and promotes relaxation of the penile muscles. Numerous studies have confirmed damiana’s benefits for sexual activity.
This study from the University of Mississippi, conducted in the laboratory, shows how flavonoids significantly suppress aromatase activity.
This other study from the Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz National Institute of Psychiatry in Mexico, conducted on men, demonstrates damiana’s aphrodisiac activity.
🙏 Supports the nervous system
Damiana is one of the adaptogenic plants such as ginseng, maca, rhodiola and astragalus. These plants have the ability to improve the body’s resistance to situations of stress and anxiety. To do this, they act on the adrenal glands located above each kidney. These glands are involved in the release of certain hormones, including cortisol, the stress hormone.
Cortisol is essential for supporting the nervous system. Contrary to what one might think, it helps control stress. By supporting the functioning of the adrenal glands, damiana therefore helps us react better in stressful situations.
Apigenin, one of the flavonoids contained in the leaves, also has an anxiolytic effect: it relieves anxiety and promotes calm and relaxation. Damiana is therefore valuable in cases of stress, anxiety, nervous fatigue, overwork, or mild depression.
This study from Panjab University in Chandigarh, India, conducted on mice, demonstrates the sedative, anti-stress, and antidepressant activity of apigenin.
🍭 Reduces blood sugar
Damiana is one of the hypoglycemic plants, capable of reducing blood sugar levels. Its action is due to the terpenoids it contains and more precisely to teuhéténone A.
Like antidiabetic drugs, this natural molecule inhibits alpha-glucosidase activity and prevents the digestion of carbohydrates. As a result, this plant may be of interest to people with diabetes.
This study from various Mexican universities, carried out on mice, shows that teuhéténone A extracted from damiana has activity comparable to insulin. Its hypoglycemic effect is even greater than that of glibenclamide, an antidiabetic drug used to treat type 2 diabetes.
🔬 Potentially anti-cancer
Several studies have demonstrated damiana’s potential in the fight against cancer. Indeed, some of its compounds have a cytotoxic effect on cancer cells: they inhibit their growth and can even destroy them.
Once again, this activity is due to apigenin. It can induce apoptosis (programmed cell death) and necrosis (death and decomposition) of certain cancer cells.
This study from the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico, carried out on tumor cell lines, demonstrates for the first time the cytotoxic effect of damiana on cancer cells in the case of breast cancer.
⚡️ Enhances physical performance
Thanks to various active compounds, damiana enhances physical performance. It is an excellent natural tonic that increases the body’s energy and physical endurance. It’s a useful plant for fatigue, weakness, lethargy, or in the context of physical exercise.
These properties are partly due to the increase in testosterone levels in the blood via flavonoids. Indeed, testosterone is not only a sex hormone. It is also the hormone of physical energy, strength and muscle growth.
Furthermore, this plant boosts the production of red blood cells, thereby improving recovery, oxygen transport, and muscle power.
Finally, damiana’s apigenin exerts an analgesic effect that reduces pain in cases of injuries, muscle tears…
Further studies are still needed to evaluate the effectiveness of damiana in improving physical performance.
How to consume damiana?
Dried leaves
Dried leaves can be sold directly loose or in sachets. This is an interesting form for consuming damiana as an infusion. Preferably choose damiana grown organically.
To make a damiana tea, steep the equivalent of a level teaspoon per cup in hot water for 10 minutes. Once strained, your infusion is ready.
In tablet form
Damiana leaves have a fairly strong and slightly bitter flavor. To avoid this taste, you can opt for tablets or capsules containing leaf powder of damiana. This is a form you will easily find in health food and specialty stores or online.
Capsules or tablets should be sufficiently concentrated in damiana. Choosing a 4:1 ratio (that is, a single 500 mg capsule equals 2000 mg of damiana leaves) is a good option to enjoy the plant’s benefits.
In powder form
Damiana can also be consumed in powdered form. After harvesting, the leaves are dried and then ground into powder.
Preferably choose pure powder, sourced from plants grown organically, not irradiated and without preservatives. Damiana powder can be mixed with water, fruit juice, a smoothie, yogurt…
In mother tincture
It is possible to find damiana mother tincture, obtained by hydroalcoholic maceration of fresh leaves. This form of dietary supplement is often very rich in active compounds but has the drawback of containing a significant amount of alcohol.
It is advisable to choose a certified organic mother tincture whose plants were harvested in the wild, away from any possible pollution.
Damiana and aphrodisiac plants
Combining damiana with maca (Lepidium meyenii) is useful to enhance its aphrodisiac activity. Nicknamed the ‘Peruvian Viagra’, maca is an energizing plant that boosts libido, fights erectile dysfunction and stimulates fertility.
Damiana’s aphrodisiac action is also amplified when it is combined with cordyceps (Ophiocordyceps sinensis)), tribulus (Tribulus terrestris) or ginseng (Panax ginseng).
To improve mental well-being and reduce stress and anxiety, damiana can be combined with griffonia (Griffonia simplicifolia), rhodiola or kudzu (Pueraria montana).
Dosage
⚖️ The recommended dosage is between 800 and 2000 mg per day. You need to wait several weeks before seeing the first effects.
⏳Spread doses throughout the day, preferably at mealtimes. However, avoid taking damiana late in the day as it may make it harder to fall asleep.
⏳ Damiana is particularly beneficial when used long-term. 2 to 3 month courses work deeply to improve sexual health and restore mental well-being. Take a break of a few weeks between each course.
🍃 Dried leaves : 1 level teaspoon per cup per day.
💊 In tablets : up to 5 per day for 400 mg capsules.
🥄 Powdered form : 1 level teaspoon per day.
🧪 Mother tincture : 1 teaspoon, 3 times a day.
Contraindications and side effects
Although damiana is often well tolerated by the body, its use has certain contraindications. Therefore, it is not recommended for the following people :
- As a precaution, young children, pregnant or breastfeeding women should avoid taking damiana.
- Consumption of damiana is not recommended for people suffering from an iron deficiency, hypoglycemia, liver, kidney or urinary tract disease, or prostate enlargement.
- People taking medication or with a history of breast cancer should consult their doctor before consuming it.
Taking damiana may cause certain side effects, most often mild. The following adverse effects have been reported :
- Insomnia.
- Headaches.
- Nausea.
- Laxative effect.
- Increased urine output.
- Gastrointestinal disorders.
If symptoms persist, stop using it and consult a doctor. At high doses, damiana may cause damage to the kidneys and liver.
History, cultivation and market
Damiana is a plant that has been consumed since time immemorial. Used by indigenous peoples, it was reportedly first documented by Father Juan Maria de Salvatierra. This Spanish missionary, sent to Mexico in 1675, reported that damiana leaves were mixed with sugar and consumed for their aphrodisiac properties.
Over the centuries, the leaves have had other uses. In 1885, they were used to prepare the ancestor of Coca-Cola, French Wine Coca, made from alcohol, coca, kola nuts and damiana. The Maya could also burn the leaves like incense. In Mexico, they are still used today to make a traditional liqueur made from Mexican plants.
It was ultimately the hippie movement that brought damiana back into fashion in the 1960s. Its leaves were then smoked for their relaxing and slightly euphoric effect.
Today, it is mainly consumed as a dietary supplement, and it is an ingredient in many aphrodisiac products.
Report prepared by Julia Perez and Charlotte Jean
Sources and scientific studies
Zhao J, Dasmahapatra AK, Khan SI, Khan IA, 2008. Anti-aromatase activity of the constituents from damiana (Turnera diffusa).
R. Estrada-Reyes, P. Ortiz-López, J. Gutiérrez-Ortíz, L. Martínez-Mota, 2009. Turnera diffusa Wild (Turneraceae) recovers sexual behavior in sexually exhausted males.
S. Kumar, R. Madaan, and A. Sharma, 2008. Pharmacological evaluation of Bioactive Principle of Turnera aphrodisiaca
Aída Parra-Naranjo, Cecilia Delgado-Montemayor, Alejandra Fraga-López, Gabriela Castañeda-Corral, Ricardo Salazar-Aranda, Juan José Acevedo-Fernández, and Noemi Waksman, 2017. Acute Hypoglycemic and Antidiabetic Effect of Teuhetenone A Isolated from Turnera diffusa.
María del Carmen Avelino-Flores, María del Carmen Cruz-López, Fabiola E. Jiménez-Montejo, and Julio Reyes-Leyva, 2015. Cytotoxic Activity of the Methanolic Extract of Turnera diffusa Willd on Breast Cancer Cells.
