Damiana, the Mysterious Mexican Herb

Like many fabled herbs, damiana, when seen in person (or in plant) is rather under whelming when it is seen growing, either in its native range, from Texas into Central America, or in cultivation elsewhere. It rarely grows more than about two feet high, with serrated edges. Those leaves are the part of the plant mainly used medicinally. All in all, however, the common name "old woman's broom," seems appropriate.

Yet, men and women alike have used this unimpressive looking plant for millennia, especially in Mexico and surrounding areas. Maya men used it as an aphrodisiac and to induce and euphoria. Lately, however, damiana has come to be used by women as an aphrodisiac as well as for menstrual pains.

Damiana is used today to treat nervousness and anxiety as well as an aphrodisiac. Like many Chinese herbs, it is used as a sort of general tune-up of body and mind alike. In large doses, it can cause diarrhea, but in smaller doses, it is used as a mild laxative, as well as to settle upset stomachs. People suffering from asthma can benefit from its relaxing effects.

Damiana leaves are harvested while the plant is blooming (when, supposedly, its effects are more powerful). After drying, they are brewed as a tea, which has a distinctive bitter taste. It is also available at many health food stores as a tincture of capsule. Again, like Chinese herbs, it is often used in combinations with other herbs.

Some years ago, it became popular as a legal substitute for marijuana, either to smoke it or to drink it as a tea for hallucinogenic effect . (From personal experience, I can say that I never experienced this effect with damiana.)

Damiana, which is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration, is also used for flavoring, with its slightly bitter taste and its smell of resin. It is also used to flavor a Mexican liqueur which bears its name.

Whatever makes it work has remained hidden to scientists, who cannot account for its various qualities as a stimulant, an aphrodisiac, and a hallucinogen. Neither have scientists found it likely to cause any damage.