DAMIANA (TURNERA DIFFUSA)
DAMIANA
(Turnera aphrodisiaca
& diffusa)
Sedative,Psychedelic, Aphrodisiac,
Stimulant
Common Names: Damiana, Damiana de Guerrero, Damiane, Damina, Herba de la Pastora, Mexican
Damiana, Mexican Holly, Old Woman’s Broom, Oreganillo, Plant
of the Shepard/ess, Rosemary, The Bourrique.
The Turnera diffusa plant is a small shrub with aromatic
leaves found throughout Mexico, Central and South America and the West Indies.
While the entire plant will grow to an average height of about 30 cm, the
leaves tend to grow no longer than 2 cm. The small yellow flowers, only about
12 mm in length, bloom during the late-summer months (July-September) (Ratsch
1998, 520).
Damiana
has a long history of medicinal use across the Americas. The plant itself may
be grown from seed or cutting, and requires a warm or hot climate, but has no
specific soil type requirements, and even grows well in the desert. It has also
been found recently in Asia and various islands in the Indian Ocean (Ratsch
1998, 519).
Damiana
is a relatively small shrub that produces small, aromatic flowers. It blossoms
in early to late summer and is followed by fruits that taste similar to figs.
The shrub is said to have a strong spice-like odor somewhat like chamomile, due to the essential oils present in the plant.
Damiana
is available from pharmacies and herbalists without restriction. U.S. health
food stores will often carry tinctures and extracts of the plant on their
shelves, as will many sex shops. Turnera diffusa seeds may be easily purchased
online or in certain home and garden stores.
TRADITIONAL USES: For more than 100 years, Damiana has
been associated with improving sexual function in both males and females.
Damiana acts as an anti-depressant, tonic, diuretic, treatment for coughs, and
mild laxative. It is said to relieve headaches, control bed-wetting, and
stimulate muscular contractions of the intestinal tract. Damiana is a
stimulating nerve tonic used for debility, depression, and lethargy, and is
held in high repute by Mexican herbalists, particularly as an aphrodisiac,
prescribed as a thick decoction before bedtime (Ratsch 1998, 521).
The
elusive notion of a “love potion” has existed for centuries – that secret
mixture of exotic ingredients that will cause the object of affection to fall
madly into love, thereby making the potion giver’s dreams come true. The word
“aphrodisiac” even comes from the name of the ancient Greek goddess of
sensuality, Aphrodite. Technically speaking, an aphrodisiac is any agent that
can be used to increase sexual desire. Due to the relativity and vagueness of
this effect (“love” or even “desire”), there is always a risk that the power of
suggestion (or “placebo effect”) can influence a substance’s perceived effects.
The
first official record of damiana as an aphrodisiac comes from the Spanish
missionary Jesus Maria de Slavatierra, in his Chronica of 1699. After
witnessing the plant’s use in northern Mexico, he bestowed T. diffusa with its
current name either as a reference to Damian, the patron saint of pharmacists,
or Peter Damiani, a man who was famous for fighting the immorality he saw among
the clergy of the eleventh century (MartÃnez 1994 cited in Ratsch 1998, 519).
An
Austrian by the name of Josef August Schultes is credited as the first to write
a formal botanical description of the plant early in the nineteenth century.
Almost fifty years later, in 1874, the plant was first introduced to U.S.
markets as an aphrodisiac. In the years immediately predating prohibition, Dr.
John S. Pemberton, known as the inventor of Coca-Cola, even concocted a formula
he called French Wine Coca,” containing extracts ofcoca, cola, sweet
wine, and damiana. By 1880 the plant had made its way across the Atlantic,
where, as in Mexico and the U.S., it maintains a steady popularity as a “legal
alternative” to marijuana and tobacco (Ratsch 1998, 519).
The
relatively unassuming appearance of the damiana plant seems to run counter to
popular “myths” concerning aphrodisiacs, many of which gain a reputation due to
the principles of “sympathetic magic”. For example, one reason for the legend
of the rhinoceros horn as a powerful aphrodisiac may surely be attributed to
the phallic-looking shape, and association with so powerful a beast. Or the
tiger penis, likely regarded as an aphrodisiac almost purely due to the virility
and aggressiveness of the animal source. By comparison, Damianas longevity as a
well-regarded aphrodisiac seems to eschew such base association and survive
solely on its confirmed psychoactive components and record of performance in
use.
TRADITIONAL PREPARATION: Damiana makes a fragrant, sparkling
tea with a delicious aroma and an agreeable bitter taste. The Aztecs drank
a mixture consisting of 32 grams of fresh leaves boiled for 15 minutes in
approximately 1 liter of water. Often, a pipe of damiana would be smoked along
with the tea to increase the desired effect. The dried damiana herbage may also
be prepared as an alcohol extract. It is versatile enough to function as an
infusion, decoction, or cold-water extract. For a decoction, damiana should be
boiled for up to an hour and allowed to cool for 24 hours. For tea, the dosage
is generally 4 g per cup or mug. Drinking the tea will produce mild effects,
felt mostly in the lower abdomen, possibly as a result of increased blood flow
to the region. This localized effect contributes to damiana’s repeated reports
of being a relaxing agent with respect to menstrual cramps (Lowry 1984).
For
stronger aphrodisiac infusions, damiana may be combined with wine or cola nuts. In Mexico, damiana is a common ingredient in
certain liquors. A 1992 test gave damiana the best results among other plants
and natural drugs with alleged aphrodisiac properties. Furthermore, the herbage
is also widely believed to have tonic, diuretic, and stimulant characteristics
(Lowry 1984). Damiana may also be burned as incense, and is often included in
psychoactive smoking blends, or rolled together with hashish.
MEDICINAL USES: Though there are no ritual uses of
damiana on record, the long Mayan history of damiana as a medicine is reflected
in its Mayan name, mis
kok, which translates to “asthma broom”. When intended to “sweep
away” problematic breathing, the plant was often ground into powder and mixed
with boiling water to be consumed as a medicinal tea. It was also burned as
incense or smoked (Argueta V. et al. 1994 cited in Ratsch 1998, 521).
A
recent Mexican nickname for damiana, “shirt remover”, reflects its primary
historic medicinal role, that of an aphrodisiac. In Mexico, it has been used as
a twice-a-day treatment (for two weeks at a time) to ease the intensity of and
regulate menstrual cycles. In Northern Mexican regions, the plant has been
utilized to treat physical weakness and nervousness. The same people have been
known to use the plant to treat stomach and headaches, rheumatism, and painful
scorpion stings (Argueta V. et al. 1994 cited in Ratsch 1998, 521).
In
the Bahamas, the plant has found popularity as a treatment for headaches.
There, it is consumed primarily by inhaling the steam made by boiling water
mixed with the plant. The tea of damiana is also used to treat bed wedding
(Ratsch 1998, 521).
Twentieth-century
phytotherapists have further established the versatility and physical benefits
of damiana for treating menstrual pains and cramps, and improving mood in
general. Homeopathic uses use tincture made from the dried leaves for
aphrodisiac effects, and to treat incontinence in older individuals. Other
compounds, like Damiana pentarkan, which consists of damiana mixed with
ginseng, muira puama, phosphoric acid, and ambergris, are presently used to treat
sexual weakness (Ratsch 1998, 521).
TRADITIONAL EFFECTS: The psychoactive material of damiana
includes all herbage, aside from the root. Damiana leaves are .2 to .9%
essential oil, 6% hard resin, 8% soft resin, 3.5% tannin, and 6% starch. The
essential consists of about half sesquiterpenes (guajan derivitaves and similar
others) and about half monoterpenes (pinene, thymol). And, while it is often
claimed that the leaves contain caffeine, this is largely unsubstantiated. The
stems, however, have been shown to contain caffeine (Steinmetz E.F. 1960 cited
in Ratsch 1998, 521).
The
leaves contain the antimicrobial hydroquinone arbutin, various volatile oils
which also have an antimicrobial action, and various flavonoids. Also,
damiana extracts have been shown, in laboratory settings, to weakly bind to
progesterone receptors, perhaps explaining the plant’s beneficial effects on
the female hormone system.
Smoking
damiana causes pleasant euphoria and a cannabis-like high lasting for about
sixty minutes. Drinking tea made from the plant causes subtle effects
that are rarely perceptible. The does cause increase blood flow to the
lower abdomen, and some women have reported it can greatly ease menstrual
cramps (Lowry 1984).
You
can find many excellent Damiana leaf products at Shaman’s Garden
METHOD OF USE: Infusion,
Capsules, Smoke, Tea
DRUG EFF ECTS: has
a relaxing eff ect, gives a mild high and is a mild but eff ective aphrodisiac.
This eff ect lasts for one to two hours.
SHORT TERM EFF ECTS: CNS
depressant, directly stimulates nerves & genitals, intensify erotic
feelings, libido-boosting, marijuana-like euphoria, mental stimulation, mood
elevator, muscle relaxant, relaxing & calming, reduce anxiety, stress,
fatigue.
LONG TERM EFF ECTS: Antibiotic,
antidepressant, anti-diarrhoeal, antidysenteric, antirheumatic, antispasmodic,
astringent, diuretic, emmenagogue, emollient, expectorant, laxative, tonic.
NEGATIVE/OVERDOSE RISK: Headaches,
high dose – laxative, reduces absorption of iron, smoke harsh on lungs.
Aggravate pre-existing urinary tract diseases, excessive long term use toxic to
liver.
ACTIVE CONSTITUENTS: 1,8-Cineol,
5-Hydroxy-7,3’,4-Trimethoxyfl avone, Albuminoids, Alpha-Copaene, Alpha-Pinene,
Aluminum, Arbutin, Ascorbic Acid, Beta-Carotene, Caff eine, Calamenene,
Calcium, Carbohydrates, Chlorophyll, Chromium, Cobalt, Cyanogenic Acid,
Cyanogenic Glycosides, Damianin, Flavones, Gonzalitosin, Gonzalitosin-I,
Hexacosan-1-Ol, Hexacosanol-1, Hydrocyanic Acid, Iron, Kilocalories, Luteolin,
Magnesium, N-Triacontane, Niacin, P-Cymene, Phosphorus, Potassium, Phytosterols,
Protein, Resin, Salvinorin A, Salvinorin B, Selenium, Silicon, Sodium, Starch,
Sugars, Tannin, Tetraphyllin-B, Thiamin, Thiamine, Thymol, Tin, Tricosan-2-One,
Water, Zinc
CONTRAINDICATIONS / INTERACTIONS: Should not be used in pregnancy due to emmenagogue properties,
if have diabetes, or scheduled for surgery in the next two weeks. Interacts
with diabetes drugs. Contains caff eine and should not be used by those who are
sensitive or allergic to caff eine. Excessive consumption of caff eine is contraindicated
for persons with high blood pressure, diabetes ulcers, and other diseases.
PSYCHOACTIVE INGREDIENT IN: Librex,
Liquid Speed, Magic Silver and Gold, Red Ball, Rise – Blue, SexE, Activate.
REFERENCES
Lowry,
T.P. “Damiana.” Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 16, no. 3 (1984): 267–268.
Ratsch, Christian.,
The Encyclopedia of Psychoactive Plants: Ethnopharmacology and its
Applications. Rochester: Park Street Press, 1998.
Sinead O’Mahony
Carey ; Psychoactives Substances.
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