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Damiana

Turnera diffusa

Also calledHierba del venado (Mexican Spanish) · Hierba de la pastora (Mexican Spanish) · Oreganillo (Spanish) · Mizxíhuitl · Mexican holly

In older monographsTurnera aphrodisiaca Ward, Turnera microphylla Desv.

A small aromatic shrub of the dry lands of Mexico, Central and South America and the West Indies, best known as a traditional Mexican aphrodisiac and tonic. Almost all the human evidence comes from multi-herb supplements; damiana on its own has been tested in one small uncontrolled study. Most other claimed effects come from animal and cell work.

What it is used for

Sexual function and libido
Limited
Tested mostly in mixtures: VigRx Plus (men with erectile dysfunction, 12 weeks) and Libicare and ArginMax (women) improved sexual-function scores, but the other ingredients may explain the effect. In the one study of a damiana-only traditional herbal product, 35 women with low sexual interest/arousal improved on the Female Sexual Function Index, without a placebo group. Rodent studies show more sexual behaviour in males.^1,2
Anxiety and nervous tension
Limited
Damiana extracts reduce anxiety-like behaviour in mice; MSK notes there are no human data.^1,2
Blood sugar and diabetes
Limited
Traditional Mexican use for diabetes. Animal results are mixed: some extracts and the terpenoid teuhetenone A lowered blood sugar in mice, while a hydroalcoholic extract did not change glucose in diabetic rats over 5–8 weeks. No human trials.^1,2
Weight
Limited
A South American herbal preparation of yerba mate, guarana and damiana (YGD) slowed stomach emptying and reduced body weight and food intake in small studies of overweight people; damiana's share cannot be separated.^1,2,3
Cough
Traditional
In the arid and semi-arid zones of Mexico, leaf infusions or decoctions are used for bronchitis, cough and other respiratory complaints and as an expectorant; not tested clinically.⁴
Bronchitis
Traditional
Same Mexican traditional use as for cough; laboratory antimicrobial work only.⁴
Constipation
Traditional
Used as a laxative in traditional medicine; MSK says there are no data to support this use.^1,3

How it is prepared

infusion

Leaves steeped or boiled in water (infusion or decoction), the form recorded in Mexican traditional use for respiratory complaints.

Cough · Bronchitis

dry extract / capsule

Standardised leaf extracts, usually combined with other herbs in commercial sexual-health supplements.

Amounts are as recorded by the named source, not a recommendation.

Safety

Pregnancy: Insufficient data
Breastfeeding: Insufficient data
Children: No data.

Interactions with medicines

diabetes drugsMinorTheoretical: damiana affected blood sugar in some animal studies.

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Side effects

Not well documented in humans

Toxicity

In mice, a hydroalcoholic extract given by mouth at 5 g/kg caused no signs of toxicity, but injected into the abdomen at 2 g/kg it killed six of ten animals. The essential oil was toxic to cells in culture. Several Turnera species are used as abortives in traditional medicine.

In the healing traditions

Mesoamerican
Damiana / hierba del venado
Described as one of the most important medicinal plants of Maya culture. In Mexican herbal medicine it has been used for centuries as an aphrodisiac, stimulant and tonic, and also against 'cerebral weakness', impotence and orchitis; leaf tea for coughs and bronchitis in the northern deserts.
Western herbalism
Damiana
Traded as a diuretic, laxative, stimulant and aphrodisiac, and for diabetes and venereal disease; today an ingredient of sexual-health supplements such as ArginMax.

Active compounds

arbutin: hydroquinone glycoside; linked to gastroprotective effects in rats
apigenin: flavone identified in animal studies as an antinociceptive (pain-reducing) principle
pinocembrin and acacetin: flavonoids that inhibit aromatase in the laboratory
hepatodamianol: luteolin C-glycoside found only in this species; protects liver cells in lab tests
cyanogenic glycosides: seven reported from the genus Turnera

History

Damiana is described as one of the most important medicinal plants of Maya culture, and has been used for centuries in Mexican herbal medicine as an aphrodisiac. The synonym Turnera aphrodisiaca records that reputation. A 2026 study traced the widely repeated claim that it contains caffeine to circular citation and found none in authenticated plants.

Sources

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.