Damiana Herb by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Damiana herb: Natural Passion Mexican Style?
Damiana leaf supplement information
Passion Rx with Damiana herb, sexual enhancer for men and women

Damiana is a small shrub with an aromatic leaf found on dry, sunny, rocky hillsides in south Texas, Southern California, Mexico, and Central America. The damiana leaf has been used as an aphrodisiac and to boost sexual potency by the native peoples of Mexico, including the Mayan Indians. The two species used in herbal healing, both of which are referred to as damiana, are Turnera aphrodisiaca and Turnera diffusa. Passion Rx is a potent herbal sexual enhancement product that contains damiana extract along with more than a doze effective herbs from all over the world.

Passion Rx -- For Men and Women -- Formulated by Ray Sahelian, M.D. - Now with Damiana herb
 Passion Rx is a Bestseller
How quickly does Passion Rx work?
 Passion Rx provides results that are sometimes seen the first day, but continue to improve with use. Most people notice sexual enhancement by the fourth day. Our feedback thus far indicates more than 80% user satisfaction by the end of the first week, and 90 percent by the end of the second week.
   Dr. Sahelian and his research staff have tested various doses and extracts of exotic herbs from a number or raw material suppliers to determine the ideal dose and combination for optimal libido enhancement with fewest side effects. After years of trial and error, a unique proprietary blend with more than a dozen herbal extracts, has been created. This unique blend is a close kept secret known only to Dr. Sahelian and his research staff. You will only find this exact combination in Passion Rx.

Click here to purchase Passion Rx, Damiana herb supplement, Diet Rx appetite suppressant, Mind Power Rx, or to see a complete list of top quality products  
 Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter. Once or twice a month you will receive an email with a review of several studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics, including damiana herb and aphrodisiac supplements, and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Passion Rx with Damiana herb enhances:

  •      Sexual stamina
  •      Erectile function
  •      Orgasms and climaxes
  •      Mood and vision 

   The potent herbal extracts in Passion Rx include Ashwagandha, Aspallum purificata, Catuaba, Cnidium, Coleus forskohlii, Damiana herb, Horny goat weed, Jujuge, Maca, Mucuna pruriens, Muira puama, Passion flower, Pfaffia paniculata, Rehmannia, Rhodiola, Tongkat Ali and Tribulus terrestris extract. A version of Passion Rx is available with yohimbe bark extract.

Buy Damiana Leaf supplement, 400 mg, Nature's Way

Damiana herb (Turnera aphrodisiaca) an aromatic perennial shrub native to Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Damiana leaf has been used traditionally by herbalists as a tea. Nature's Way Damiana leaf is gathered from the wild in the deserts of Mexico, the source recognized as the finest quality.


To buy Damiana supplement, see above link for Passion Rx

Damiana Leaf Supplement Facts
Damiana leaf - 400 mg *

Recommendation: Take one to three damiana capsules preferably before breakfast.
* Damiana leaf daily value not established.

Benefit of damiana herb
The libido-boosting power of damiana herb hasn't been tested in humans, although a damiana liquor - also spelled damiana liqueur - made from the damiana leaf has long been used as an aphrodisiac in Mexico. In animal studies, extracts of damiana herb had the benefit of speeding the mating behavior of "sexually sluggish" or impotent male rats. It had no effect on sexually potent rats. It is possible that damiana herb has additional benefits in humans that may be uncovered with further research.

Stimulating property of Turnera diffusa ( damiana leaf ) and Pfaffia paniculata extracts - suma - on the sexual-behavior of male rats.
Arletti R.  University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Sexually potent and sexually sluggish/impotent male rats were treated orally with different amounts of damiana and Pfaffia paniculata fluid extracts. While having no effect on the copulatory behavior of sexually potent rats, both plant extracts--singly or in combination--improved the copulatory performance of sexually sluggish/impotent rats. The highest dose of either extract (1 ml/kg) (as well as the combination of 0.5 ml/kg of each extract) increased the percentage of rats achieving ejaculation and significantly reduced mount, intromission and ejaculation latencies, post-ejaculatory interval and intercopulatory interval. Neither extract affected locomotor activity. These results seem to support the folk reputation of damiana and Pfaffia paniculata as sexual stimulants.

High Quality products formulated by a medical doctor
 Consider highly popular all natural products. These top quality products include Mind Power Rx for better mental focus, concentration, and mood; Diet Rx which helps you eat less. It really does curb appetite; Good Night Rx for better sleep; Eyesight Rx for better vision, often within days; MultiVit Rx a daily comprehensive multivitamin for more energy and vitality; Joint Power Rx for healthy joints; Prostate Power Rx for a healthy prostate gland; and Passion Rx with damiana for sexual enhancement, better libido, and improved performance and stamina in men and women.


Damiana leaf for anxiety
Anti-anxiety activity studies of various extracts of Turnera aphrodisiaca Ward.
J Herb Pharmacother. 2005;5(4):13-21. Kumar S, Sharma A. University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Panjab University, Chandigarh, 160 014, India.
Damian has been used traditionally for treatment of anxiety neurosis and as an aphrodisiac. Yet, the plant has never been subjected to systematic biological investigation. In the present investigation, petroleum ethe, chloroform, methanol, and water extracts of damiana aerial parts were evaluated for anti-anxiety activity in mice. Among all the extracts, only methanol exhibited significant anti-anxiety activity.

Damiana herb composition and mechanism of action
The chemical composition of damiana leaf is complex and all of the components have not been completely identified. However, the known make-up is 0.5-1% volatile oil, flavonoids, gonzalitosin, arbutin, tannin and damianin (a brown bitter substance). How damiana herb works as an aphrodisiac is currently not fully known. Many flavonoids are known to dilate blood vessels.
   Another study reports damiana leaf to contain alkaloids, cyanogenic glycosides, steroids, saponins, flavonoids, tannins, carbohydrates, and proteins.

Damiana side effects
Damiana herb appears to be safe when taken occasionally as a sex booster. Damiana has a long history of traditional medicinal and food use with no harmful consequences reported. However, no rigorous scientific studies have examined the effects of long-term use of this herb. For the time being, it would be safe to assume that when used in reasonable doses, damiana has not significant side effects.

Availability of damiana herb
Damiana is sold as bulk herb powder, damiana capsules, damiana tea, and damiana liqueur. Damiana is often combined in aphrodisiac herbal products. Damiana tea is difficult to find, but you could search for it in a health food store.

Damiana oil composition
Analysis of essential oils from wild and micropropagated plants of damiana (Turnera diffusa).
Fitoterapia. 2004 Dec;75(7-8):696-701.
Damiana is a medicinal plant with many traditional uses and a reputation as an aphrodisiac. Essential oils produced by this plant are used in traditional medicine, and for the preparation of liquors and tea. The composition of essential oils from wild damiana was performed. The most abundant constituents of the oils were caryophyllene oxide, caryophyllene, delta-cadinene, elemene and 1,8-cineol.

Additional damiana research
Investigation on the hypoglycaemic effects of extracts of four Mexican medicinal plants ( damiana herb ) in normal and alloxan-diabetic mice.
Phytother Res. 2002 Jun;16(4):383-6.
The hypoglycemic activities of four water ethanol extracts prepared from Bidens pilosa, Salvia officinalis, Psacalium peltatum and Turnera diffusa ( damiana ) were investigated in healthy and alloxan-diabetic mice. The extracts of Salvia officinalis significantly reduced the blood glucose of fasting normal mice after intraperitoneal administration. The extracts of P. peltatum and B. pilosa also significantly diminished glycemia in healthy mice. The administration of these three extracts to animals with severe hyperglycemia did not cause a significant decrease. The extracts of damiana did not show any hypoglycemic activity.

Historical uses of damiana herb
Historically, damiana has been used to relieve anxiety, nervousness, and mild depression, especially if these symptoms have a sexual component. The herb is also used as a general tonic to improve wellness. Damiana has also been used traditionally to improve digestion and to treat constipation, as a diuretic, as a treatment for cough, and in larger doses it is thought to have a mild laxative effect.

Damiana herb emails
Q. How long does it take for damiana herb to work as an aphrodisiac?
   A. Unlike yohimbe which works in an hour or two, damiana takes several days to work, even then the effects are mild.

Q. I have several herbs in mind to purchase, including damiana leaf, muira puama, horny goat weed, and catuaba. Can you tell me which one is the least effective?
   A. I have not seen any studies comparing these herbs, but in my experience I would say that damiana leaf is the weakest.

Q. Can damiana herb be taken with fish oils?
   A. I don't see any reason why the two are not compatible. Damiana is quite a gentle herb.

Q. I see damiana extract being promoted for women mostly. Why is that?
   A. I don't know. If damiana works as an aphrodisiac, it should work in men and women.

Q. Are you familiar with damiana tea or damiana seed?
   A. I know damiana tea is sold in health food stores but I have not tried it. I am not familiar with damiana seed.

Q. Can you please tell me whether pregnant and/or breast feeding mums can take damiana tea?
   A. We have not seen research with damiana and pregnancy or breastfeeding, however reasonable uses of damiana tea, such as a few times a week would not be predicted to cause any problems. Your obgyn doc needs to approve.

Q. I was just on your website and looking at the damania herb page and wanted to let you know that damania was used to induce abortion, and might not be suitable for pregnant women.
   A. Can you please provide us with a reference regarding the use of damiana herb to induce abortion and the dosage used?

Damiana is sometimes misspelled as damina

This damiana page was last updated in January 2008.