Damiana

More about Damiana

Damiana (Turnera Diffusa) grows as a small shrub with little yellow flowers. It is native to Mexico, the West Indies and certain parts of Central America. The Maya already used Damiana as an aid in various complaints. The aromatic leaves were processed into tea. Another name for Daminana is Turnera Aphrodisiaca. This refers to the aphrodisiac properties of the plant. A Spanish missionary wrote for the first time about how Mexican Indians used Damiana to make love. Damiana has a long history of medicinal use as well.

It is used as a tonic, diuretic, cough medicine, helps with menstrual pain, constipation and works as a mild laxative.

Active ingredients

The fragrant leaves of Damiana contain many different plant substances and up to 1% volatile oil, consisting of 20 different substances. The most active ingredients include Albuminoids, alpha-copaene, alpha-pinene, arbutin, barterine, beta-pinene, beta-sitosterol, calamene, caoutchouc, chlorophyll, 1,8-cineole, cymeen, cymol, damianine, essential oil, gamma-cadiene, gonzalitosin-i, hexacosanol-1, luteoline, quinovopyranosides, tannins, tetrafylline b, thymol, triacontane and trimethoxyflavones.

Usage

Soak in half a litre of hot water for 15 minutes to make tea. The leaves can also be crushed and smoked in a joint as a substitute for tobacco and for an extra relaxing effect.

Ingredients

Damiana

Side-effects

Excessive use may harm the liver.
Damiana can bring down the blood sugar level. People with diabetes should take this into account.

Scientific name

Turnera Diffusa (or T. Aphrodisiaca)