How It Works
Bottom Line: There is only limited evidence that Damiana has sexual stimulant effect. It has not been shown to treat cancer in humans.
Damiana is a wild shrub found in Mexico, Central America and parts of South America. It is used as a diuretic, laxative, stimulant, aphrodisiac, and also to treat diabetes and venereal diseases. Animal data shows that Damiana can reduce anxiety and affect sexual behavior but there is no human data. Patients with diabetes should avoid Damiana because it may increase effects of drugs that reduce blood sugar.
Purported Uses
Diuretic
No scientific evidence supports this use
Diabetes
Damiana may affect blood sugar level based on animal studies
Aphrodisiac
Traditional use is widespread. A small study in women with sexual dysfunction showed that ArginMax, which contains Damiana, improved sexual function.
Stimulant
There is no clinical data to support this use
Anxiety
Data from studies done on mice showed that Damiana reduced anxiety but human data is lacking
Laxative
There is no data to substantiate this use
Kidney disorders
No scientific evidence supports this use
Menstrual disorders
Traditional use is widespread but there is no data to validate this use.
Research Evidence
Weight lossA small study in healthy volunteers showed that oral intake of tablets containing Damiana,
Yerba Mate, and
Guarana resulted in weight loss.
Do Not Take If
You are taking diuretics (Damiana can increase their effects)
You are taking medication to reduce blood sugar (Damiana may affect blood sugar level and the combined effects can be harmful)
Scientific Name
Turnera diffusa, Turnera aphrodisiaca
Clinical Summary
Damiana is a wild shrub prevalent in Mexico, Central America, and some regions of South America. It is used in traditional medicine as a diuretic, laxative, stimulant, aphrodisiac and for treating diabetes and venereal diseases. Studies done in mice have shown that Damiana acts as an anxiolytic (1), stimulates sexual behavior (3), and also has hypoglycemic activity (7) (9). It is used in the botanical formulation ArginMax (4), which is being marketed for treatment of sexual dysfunction in women. However, it showed very little estrogen binding and estrogenic activity (8). Oral intake of capsules containing a mixture of Damiana, Yerba Mate, and Guarana led to weight loss in healthy volunteers (5). Diabetics should use Damiana with caution as it may potentiate the effects of hypoglycemic drugs. Damiana has not been studied in cancer patients.
Purported uses
- Anxiety
- Constipation
- Diabetes
- Kidney disorders
- Menstrual disorders
- Sexual performance
- Stimulant
Constituents
Cyanoglycoside - Tetraphyllin B
Flavonoid - Gonzalitosin I
Phenolic Glycoside - Arbutin
Volatile Oils - alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, p-cymene, 1, 8-cineole
Phytosterol - beta-sitosterol
Hydrocarbons - triclosan-2-one hexacosanol
Damianin
(10) (11)
Mechanism of Action
Damiana is widely promoted as a stimulant and an aphrodisiac but presently, it is not known how it exerts such effects.
Contraindications
Sensitivity to Damiana
Herb-Drug Interactions
Diuretics: Theoretically, Damiana can increase the effects of diuretics.
Hypoglycemic drugs: Damiana may have additive effects.
(6)
Literature Summary and Critique
Damiana has been used in combination with other herbs in small clinical studies for sexual dysfunction and for weight loss. There are no clinical trials to directly evaluate its safety and efficacy.
References
1. Kumar S and Sharma A. Anti-anxiety Activity Studies on Homoeopathic Formulations of Turnera aphrodisiaca Ward. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2005; 2(1): 117-119.
2. Alarcon-Aguilar FJ, et al. Investigation on the hypoglycaemic effects of extracts of four Mexican medicinal plants in normal and alloxan-diabetic mice. Phytother Res 2002;16(4): 383-6.
3. Arletti R, et al. Stimulating property of Turnera diffusa and Pfaffia paniculata extracts on the sexual-behavior of male rats. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 1999;143(1): 15-9.
4. Polan ML, et al. Estrogen bioassay of ginseng extract and ArginMax, a nutritional supplement for the enhancement of female sexual function. J Womens Health (Larchmt) 2004; 13(4): 427-30.
5. Andersen T and Fogh J. Weight loss and delayed gastric emptying following a South American herbal preparation in overweight patients. J Hum Nutr Diet 2001;14(3): 243-50.
6. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications, 2001.
7. Perez RM, et al. A study of the hypoglycemic effect of some Mexican plants. J Ethnopharmacol 1984; 12(3): 253-62.
8. Zava DT, Dollbaum CM, and Blein M. Estrogen and Progestin bioactivity of foods, herbs, and spices. P.S.E.B.M. 1998; 217: 369-378.
9. Alarcon-Aguilara FJ, et al. Study of the anti-hyperglycemic effect of plants used as antidiabetics. J Ethnopharmacol. 1998; 61(2):101-10.
10. Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases. http://www.ars-grin.gov/duke/ (accessed on May 3rd, 2006).
11. PDR for Herbal Medicines. Montvale, NJ: Medical Economics Company, 1998.
