Cranesbill

Damiana

Scientific Name: Turnera aphrodisiaca

Part used: Leaf

In a word: Anti-depressant for the exhausted

Uses: Mental Exhaustion /Depression    Click Here To Go To 'Damiana as an Aphrodisiac'

Some of us live stressful lives. For some, stress is an occupational hazard. Fortunately, there are herbal medicines that combat the effect of stress on our bodies and even the effects it has on our nerves. If your nerves are taking a beating, you might want to think about taking a daily tonic to strengthen and nourish them. If it sounds as if I am suggesting that you add one more activity to your already overwhelming schedule, I am. But hey, if you can get organized enough to make coffee every morning, you ought to be able to get it together to add a nerve tonic to your daily routine.

Damiana, the plant we will use to generally strengthen the nerves, is yet another Native American plant. Damiana can be found growing throughout the southern United States, Mexico, and well into Latin America. It looks much like oregano. The whole stems are harvested when the plant breaks into bloom. Once they are dry, they are stripped of their leaves and buds, and that’s what you buy at the herb shop.

Did you ever read the list of ingredients on a package of commercially produced food and wonder what "flavorings" were? Everything else is so nicely spelled out, and then you come across this mysterious entry called flavorings. One of these flavorings is none other than damiana. It is used as a flavor ingredient in alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages, frozen dairy desserts, candy, baked goods, gelatins, and puddings. This may not seem particularly strange to you right now, but as you learn a little more about the plant, it might. Strange or not, the plant is rated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as being food safe, so you can use it for your nerves without a second thought.

Damiana counters weakness with strength, so skip the coffee and replace it with a little damiana tea if you wake up as tired as you were when you went to bed.

The Indians in northern Mexico have long collected the plant from the wild to treat nervous and muscular debility, especially when this is due to overexertion. (Working several weeks with not so much as a day off is considered overexertion.) In Latin America, the native peoples used damiana as a treatment for bed-wetting in children. This problem has now been established to be a nervous condition, and it comes as no surprise that there is an increase in bed-wetting as the summer draws to a close and children begin to anticipate their return to school. Stress isn’t any easier on the little guys than it is on the big ones. The Indians found that the gentle tonic would strengthen a kid’s nerves so that he or she could sleep dry. If you have a bed-wetting problem, or any other symptoms of an overwrought nervous system, you have the right plant in mind.

Along with chocolate, vanilla, and red pepper, damiana came to the notice of the white man when the Spaniards moved into Mexico. Anglo doctors in Texas learned of the plant from the Native Americans and introduced it to the English-speaking colonies. From that point, the use of damiana spread as far north as Canada.

What physicians discovered was that damiana acted as a strengthener to the nerves, particularly when the patient had been pushed to the brink of nervous exhaustion. Furthermore, people with nervous dispositions found that they had capabilities beyond those normally theirs when taking the herb. Damiana counters weakness with strength, so skip the coffee and replace it with a little damiana tea if you wake up as tired as you were when you went to bed. One of the Eclectics, Dr. Finley Ellingwood, said this of damiana: "Dr. Reid uses damiana in all conditions where a general tonic is needed, especially if there be enfeeblement of the central nervous system. He esteems it most highly, prescribing it constantly for this purpose." If you ever experience "enfeeblement" at the end of the day, damiana can make a difference without turning you into a junkie in the process.

This is one plant that has escaped the gaze and probing hands of the pharmaceutical companies. Damiana contains volatile oils including thymol, b-cadinene, calamene, cineole, pinene, and calamenene; and also flavonoids, hydroquinones, cyanogenetic glycoside, damianin, resin, and tannins. Which chemicals and which combinations impact the nerves as they do remain a mystery. The important thing for you to know is that the plant works. It will help you with your nervous twitch.

The modern age has brought us all kinds of liberties, one of which is the so-called sexual revolution. Ironically, people of today are some of the most sexless beings ever to have walked the planet. One common symptom of an overworked nervous switchboard is a complete lack of sexual desire. A hard day’s work puts a lot of things on the back burner, and sex is one of them. Many people who are completely stripped by daily life come home with no interest in sex. This works fine if both partners have stressful jobs and are equally disinclined. When such is not the case, it can become a problem. Damiana has been long known as an aphrodisiac. It is unclear whether this impact is due to the strengthening effect damiana has on the nerves, which in turn normalizes sexual desire, or whether it contains chemicals that fire up the libido. In Latin America, a liqueur is made out of damiana that is called by the same name, but I wouldn’t serve this particular cocktail at a gathering unless you want to party Roman style. Eclectic physician Finley Ellingwood from earlier this century had this to say about the herb:

A mild nerve tonic claimed to be caluave in the treatment of sexual impotence. Some of our physicians praise it highly for its influence in sexual neurasthenia, and it is said to correct frigidity in the female. It had long enjoyed a local reputation as a stimulant tonic of the sexual apparatus among the natives of Mexico, before it attracted the attention of the profession. Besides its peculiar action on the sexual appetite and function, it is a general tonic, somewhat cathartic and is slightly cholagogue. The midwives and women of loose morals of western Mexico also attribute emmenagogue properties to it.

The Eclectics felt that damiana both steadied the nerves and stimulated the general constitution to improved health.

People who find themselves mentally exhausted are generally running themselves pretty hard. It makes sense for them to use a tonic to build up their nerves. Damiana is just such a tonic. If mental exhaustion is masquerading as depression, think about adding Damiana to your daily health regime. The plant is perfectly safe and suited to long-term use.

Remember, though, that unlike an upper or a downer, Damiana’s impact will not be felt in 45 minutes. Like other herbal tonics, it takes a while to work on the nerves . It may be a few weeks before you start to feel a difference, but you will feel it eventually. After all, you didn’t get yourself in this state overnight, and no plant will make things perfect on the first usage. Use Damiana to strengthen your nervous system and you should be better able to deal with the stress in your life.

Apart from using this nerve tonic, think about ways you can reduce your stress. It is all very well to use something like Damiana to combat the stress in your life. It is another thing all together to get your life under control so you have less stress. Most practitioners find that 50% of their patients stress is optional. Take a look at your sources of stress and decide which are optional. Once you have made that determination, opt out of the optional sources of stress.

Since the beginning of time mankind has scoured the hills and fields for plants that could increase sexual satisfaction and pleasure. As a result, we now have a long list of plants reported to increase sexual powers: Angelica from Asia, Damiana from Latin America, and Fenugreek from the Middle East, to mention only a few. In days gone by, these medicinal plants were available only to the very rich. Today, in the world of global transport and modern agriculture, many of these once rare and coveted substances have become more widely available.

When you look at the list of plants traditionally used as aphrodisiacs, one thing becomes clear. The person interested in using an herbal sexual supplement has so many choices that it is hard to know which would be most appropriate. Education is the key! Good information will make it easier to select the herbal medicine which is right for your personal circumstance. Finding the right fit is important!

If you read about Damiana, you do not have to look hard to find a hint of its history and reputation. Its second scientific name, aphrodisiaca says it all. For hundreds if not thousands of years, Damiana has been used to shake things up in the bedroom. Native to Central America, the Spanish Conquistadors quickly came across Damiana in the New World. It was a popular "medicine" amongst the Native Americans who very happily passed on their knowledge to the foreign invaders. The Spaniards found it to be an active aphrodisiac for men and women, and in turn introduced it to Europe. Before we move on, it might be interesting to note a strange concoction the Native Americans handed to the Conquistadors upon their arrival - a beverage made from bitter chocolate, hot cayenne peppers, and Damiana. This brew was said to invigorate the entire body and especially the parts that do not see the sun rise. As you can imagine, the taste left something to the imagination! But even though this specific beverage has been forgotten, two of its ingredients have become quite popular.

Let’s get back to the topic of aphrodisiacs! If you go to your local GP and ask for a medicine to put some fire back in your sex life, you will leave the office empty handed. This is especially true if you are a woman. Not so in the last century. Doctors of that day kept more than one drug in the medicine bag to get things rocking. It might pay to have a look at what some of these long dead doctors had to say about Damiana, one of their preferred aphrodisiacs. In 1906 a certain Dr. Ellingwood wrote:

"A mild nerve tonic claimed to be valuable in the treatment of sexual impotence. Some of our physicians praise it highly for its influence in sexual neurasthenia, and it is said to correct frigidity in the female. It has long enjoyed a local reputation as a stimulant tonic of the sexual apparatus among the natives of Mexico, before it attracted the attention of the profession."

In case you were wondering, neurasthenia means "lack of sensation." The doctors said that when patients used Damiana their sex bits experienced an increase in sensation and the patient experienced increased desire to use their sex bits.

Practitioners’ Advice

Damiana can be used by both men and women to invigorate their sex life. The standard prescription for this use is to take 5 millilitres (ml) of Damiana tincture half an hour before sex. Though Damiana does deserve a place in the aphrodisiac medicine chest, it also has a role in the general medicine chest. The physicians of the last century also saw Damiana as an active nerve tonic, a medicine that would invigorate and strengthen a tired nervous system

Many patients come into my office complaining of poor, if not non-existent sex drive. With few exceptions, upon further questioning, it becomes clear that the real problem is they are simply tired. Modern life is demanding. By the end of the day, most people are mentally, physically, and spiritually exhausted. This is especially true for many women. Working full-time, keeping house, and looking after kids and a husband results in extreme fatigue. For these contemporary "Super Women," sex becomes one more thing to be done at the end of a too long day. Classed along with taking the rubbish out, sex becomes a chore. Indeed, when one is tired, sex is a chore. There is nothing wrong with their sex drive; the problem is their schedule.

These women need a tonic which will help support their bodies and their minds. Damiana is just such a tonic. It gently soothes and builds up the nervous system so that the person is better able to handle a long day and a long week. Most are familiar with Saint John’s Wort, the herbal medicine commonly used in depression and nervous exhaustion. Damiana and Saint John’s Wort both belong to a class of herbal medicines known as nervines or nerve tonics. (Of course Damiana has the added benefit of being a sexual tonic at the same time.) The "Super Woman" needs a supertonic and Damiana may be just what the doctor ordered.

When one of the symptoms of nervous exhaustion is lack of sexual desire (which is common), Damiana is an ideal nerve tonic. In this case, 5 ml of Damiana tincture should be taken morning and night. But be patient! A nervous system does not get worn down overnight and a nerve tonic does not build it back up overnight either. Damiana needs to be taken for at least three weeks before its effect will be felt and an appreciable difference noticed. However, it does work, and those who use it find that they feel better in all areas of their life, in and out of the bedroom!

One last tale finishes off the Damiana story nicely. Some years ago, I had an extremely religious female patient, who by choice, had no sex life. A fairly high strung woman, my patient had worked herself up to the point of combustion over several issues, to the extent that she was mentally and physically exhausted. I gave her a prescription for her nerves, in which one of the ingredients was Damiana. After two weeks the patient called urgently, stating that something was terribly wrong and needed immediate attention. The problem? Her long suppressed sex drive had made a return and she was not happy about it. The Damiana was removed from her prescription. Many may doubt whether or not aphrodisiacs work, but those who work with them do not suffer from such doubt!

QUICK REVIEW

History: Central Americans used it for poor sex drive

Science: Contains compounds that activate the urogenital tract

Practitioners opinion: Found to increase sexual desire

Directions: Tincture (1:5, 60% alcohol): A single 10 ml dose before sex

Tablets: 2-200mg tablets before sex