Become an Ayurvedic Clinician:Explore our Certification Courses
College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion

College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion
Enroll Now
 
Joyful Belly College of Ayurveda

College of Ayurvedic Diet & Digestion


MORE OPTIONSDown Triangle

FIND HERB SUPPLEMENTS

MOST POPULAR

GET STARTED

COURSES

PRESENTATION LIBRARY

MY SAVED PRODUCTS

AYURVEDIC HERB SUPPLEMENTS

Damiana (Turnera aphrodisiaca)

Low libido? Damiana is an aphrodisiac herb that will heat up your sex drive.
Study Ayurveda

Save
Print DamianaPrint
Share on Social MediaShare
Share Content with Friends & Clients

Click one of the buttons above, or cut and paste the following link to share this page with your network. This link will automatically track your referrals to Joyful Belly:

Share URL for Damiana

Copy Link

About Sharing Content & Referrals.

Sign in to review or comment

Table of Contents

How Does This Ayurvedic Herb Supplement Improve Wellness?

CLINICAL AYURVEDIC REVIEW

Gentle tonic from the American subtropics. Mexicans used its caffeine like alkaloids to increase stamina. Where Saw Palmetto is a nutritive restorative, damiana is a stimulant restorative that acts through sympathetic nervous stimulation. It treats weak, atonic and damp/congestive conditions (source: Holmes, The Energetics of Western Herbs).

It is both testosteronic and progesteronic. Testosterone is perfect for heating up low libido, and rebuilding weak muscle. This property strengths muscles such as the bladder, where it counteracts urinary incontinence.

Progesterone helps women with delayed menstruation and low self esteem.

As a general pungent stimulant, it stimulates digestion and expectoration (like Thyme or elecampagne), clearing damp from the lungs.

Metabolic Nature of Damiana

See a complete list of all biocharacteristics.

METABOLIC NATURE

Metabolic Nature

Ayurveda assesses metabolic imbalances through 20 main biocharacteristics (gunas). Aggravating them weakens your body and causes imbalance. By knowing which biocharacteristics are habitually imbalanced in your body, you will be able to identify and correct metabolic imbalances before you get sick. Every biocharacteristic has an opposite which balances it (i.e. hot balances cold). You restore balance by favoring diet and lifestyle choices that increase the opposite biocharacteristic.

Find Out More

DRY

ABOUT DRY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Dry is identified by lack of moisture, lack of fat, or anything that causes diuresis.

LEARN MORE ABOUT DRY

HOT

ABOUT HOT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Hot is identified by increased body temperature, metabolism, or inflammation.

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOT

OILY

ABOUT OILY BIOCHARACTERISTIC

In Ayurveda, oily refers to anything moistening. More specifically, oily refers to building substances that increases fat, or are themselves fatty. For example, sugar is Oily.

LEARN MORE ABOUT OILY

TASTES

The 6 Tastes

Taste is used to sense the most basic properties and effects of food. Each taste has a specific medicinal effect on your body. Cravings for food with certain tastes indicate your body is craving specific medicinal results from food. Taste is experienced on the tongue and represents your body's reaction to foods. Sweet taste causes physical satisfaction and attraction whereas bitter taste causes discomfort and aversion. Kapha should use less sweet taste while Vata and Pitta would benefit from using more sweet taste. One of the first signs of illness is that your taste and appetite for food changes. The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, pungent, bitter, and astringent. Do you crave foods with any of the tastes below?

Find Out More

ASTRINGENT

ABOUT ASTRINGENT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Astringency is characterized by constriction, drawing together, or drying.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ASTRINGENT

BITTER

ABOUT BITTER BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Bitter taste has cholagogue action - it is cold, clear, light, and stimulating. It increases digestive enzymes and is laxative, and drying.

LEARN MORE ABOUT BITTER

PUNGENT

ABOUT PUNGENT BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Pungency is characterized by irritation, or sharp, spicy foods that irritate the mouth such as black pepper.

LEARN MORE ABOUT PUNGENT

DOSHAS

The Three Doshas / Body Types

Ayurveda is a metabolic theory of medicine that explains individual health, tendencies, and disease patterns through the concept of doshas, which can be understood as your metabolic patterns and tendencies.

Each dosha reflects a distinct metabolic nature and describes strengths & weaknesses in bodily function, and how these affect energy levels, digestion, susceptibility to disease, and many other tendencies.

Your metabolic nature not only affects your physical characteristics, but also influences your mental thought patterns, confidence, and enthusiasm.

Ayurveda balances these metabolic strengths & weaknesses to support your body's vitality and prevent recurrent disease cycles. This support is a critical aid, especially in chronic or incurable disease conditions.

The 3 metabolic body types (doshas), are Catabolic (Vata), Metabolic (Pitta), and Anabolic (Kapha).

Through dosha, Ayurveda empowers people to identify metabolic imbalances early, break repetitive patterns of disease, and cultivate habits that support long-term vitality and well-being.

Ultimately, these metabolic patterns also provide a framework for understanding yourself, including body, mind, and spiritual tendencies.

Find Out More

PACIFIES
Kapha pacifying
AGGRAVATES
Pitta aggravating Vata aggravating

GREEK MEDICINE / TEMPERAMENTS

The Four Temperaments / Humors

Ayurveda & Greek Medicine were the dominant form of medicine along the Silk Road from England to China and South Asia. They work by assessing your metabolic type, patterns, and nature. Greek medicine recognizes 4 metabolic temperaments, Melancholic, Choleric, Sanguine, and Phlegmatic.

Find Out More

PACIFIES
PHLEGMATIC

ABOUT PHLEGMATIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Wet & cold. When out of balance becomes congested, stagnant, and overweight. Loving, trusting, and patient.

LEARN MORE ABOUT PHLEGMATIC

AGGRAVATES
CHOLERIC

ABOUT CHOLERIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Has a hot and dry metabolic nature. Enthusiastic, vibrant and bright. In excess burns up fluids and ojas, irritable. Corresponds to high bilirubin in the blood that irritates and heats up the body and liver.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CHOLERIC

MELANCHOLIC

ABOUT MELANCHOLIC BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Cold and dry with a slow, variable or erratic metabolism. Colicky, tense. Withdrawn, pensive, anxious, and hesitant. Analytical, intelligent, detail oriented and creative. Prone to ojas depletion, dehydration, an overactive nervous system, and depression.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MELANCHOLIC

SANGUINE

ABOUT SANGUINE BIOCHARACTERISTIC

Hot and oily with a moderate metabolism and a well nourished body. Vigorous, vivacious, outgoing and generous, and prone to impulsivity and self indulgence. Bullish and intense when out of balance.

LEARN MORE ABOUT SANGUINE

Other

Subtaste:
Aromatic

AROMATIC

Herbs or spices with volatile essential oils that present strong aromas. Aromatic oils shock, refresh and numb tissue, with the end result of relaxing, opening and clearing stagnant fluids in tissues.

SEE ALL 'AROMATIC' FOODS / HERBS

Tissue (dhatu):
Reproductive

REPRODUCTIVE

Reproductive tissue (Shukra/Artava Dhatu) includes male and female reproductive organs.

SEE ALL 'REPRODUCTIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Affinity:
Anti Aging

ANTI-AGING

Geriatric conditions typically involve low agni / metabolism, poor circulation, weakness & debility, muscle weakening, poor digestion, a drop in sex hormones, and connective tissue degradation in bones & skin.

SEE ALL 'ANTI-AGING' FOODS / HERBS

,
Energy Vitality

ENERGY-VITALITY

Includes vitality improving foods, herbs, and exercises by dosha.

SEE ALL 'ENERGY-VITALITY' FOODS / HERBS

, Reproductive Health
Family:
Turneraceae

Medicinal Benefits, Uses & Herbal Actions of Damiana
Experiences are Personal
Experiences vary according to the person and constitution. Individual results may vary. The list of herbal-actions below has not be approved by the FDA and should not be used to treat a medical condition.

(see all)
Digestion:
Warms Abdomen

WARMS-ABDOMEN

Warms the muscles and organs of the abdomen, stimulating digestion and metabolism.

SEE ALL 'WARMS-ABDOMEN' FOODS / HERBS

,
Digestive

DIGESTIVE

Herbs that encourage healthy digestion.

SEE ALL 'DIGESTIVE' FOODS / HERBS

Mind, Stress & Sleep:
Nerve Relaxant Grounding

NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING

Encourages feelings of stability and heaviness. Makes you feel settled, mentally relaxed. Mildly sedates the nervous system to ease stress. Can bring a spacey or anxious person back to earth. Reduces agitation, irritation, stress and racing thoughts.

SEE ALL 'NERVE-RELAXANT-GROUNDING' FOODS / HERBS

,
Strengthens Resolve

STRENGTHENS-RESOLVE

Increases determination and courage by reducing stress and building strength.

SEE ALL 'STRENGTHENS-RESOLVE' FOODS / HERBS

,
Antidepressant

ANTIDEPRESSANT

Herbs that lift feelings of depression, benefit the mind and improve mental function.

SEE ALL 'ANTIDEPRESSANT' FOODS / HERBS

,
Nervine

NERVINE

Balances the nervous system. They can help with stress, memory, early alzheimer's, and even chronic pain. Often they are aromatic in nature.

SEE ALL 'NERVINE' FOODS / HERBS

Energy Vitality:
Builds Stamina

BUILDS-STAMINA

Promotes strength, endurance and resistance in the body. Rebuilds weak tissues after a time of depletion.

SEE ALL 'BUILDS-STAMINA' FOODS / HERBS

,
Stimulates Energy

STIMULATES-ENERGY

This category groups thyroid and adrenal stimulating herbs.

SEE ALL 'STIMULATES-ENERGY' FOODS / HERBS

Respiratory-Health:
Expectorant

EXPECTORANT

Expectorants help you eliminate mucus from the lungs. These herbs often work by increasing the quantity of mucus, or thinning the mucus. Expectorants are indicated when phlegm congests the lower respiratory tract.

SEE ALL 'EXPECTORANT' FOODS / HERBS

Kidney & Urinary:
Kidney Tonic

KIDNEY-TONIC

An herb that strengthens the kidneys.

SEE ALL 'KIDNEY-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

,
Urinary Tonic

URINARY-TONIC

An herb that tonifies and strengthens the urinary system. These can be helpful for urinary incontinence or improving function after a urinary tract infection. They can also strengthen the bladder to ward off a urinary tract infection.

SEE ALL 'URINARY-TONIC' FOODS / HERBS

Reproductive Health:
Aphrodisiac

APHRODISIAC

Herbs that increase sexual arousal through various actions including increased circulation, relaxation, stimulation, or tonics that strengthen glandular health.

SEE ALL 'APHRODISIAC' FOODS / HERBS

,
Progesteronic

PROGESTERONIC

Progeserone is the pregnancy hormone. It raises body temperature (Pitta), and suppresses menstruation. It is generally more extroverted.

SEE ALL 'PROGESTERONIC' FOODS / HERBS

,
Promotes Fertility

PROMOTES-FERTILITY

An herb that promotes fertility. Generally used by women who wish to become pregnant. These herbs may also help with menstrual problems of deficiency, such as amenorrhea (lack of a period).

SEE ALL 'PROMOTES-FERTILITY' FOODS / HERBS

,
Promotes Virility

PROMOTES-VIRILITY

Encourages virility and potency.

SEE ALL 'PROMOTES-VIRILITY' FOODS / HERBS

,
Testosteronic

TESTOSTERONIC

Androgenic. Stimulates testosterone.

SEE ALL 'TESTOSTERONIC' FOODS / HERBS

Constituents:

Foods with a Similar Nature to Damiana

  • Tahini

    Tahini has these Actions in Common

    Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Stimulates-energy, Promotes-fertility, Warms-abdomen, Builds-stamina, Promotes-virility

    LEARN MORE

  • Almonds

    Almonds has these Actions in Common

    Aphrodisiac, Nervine, Builds-stamina, Promotes-virility, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Stimulates-energy

    LEARN MORE

  • Stinging Nettles

    Stinging Nettles has these Actions in Common

    Kidney-tonic, Testosteronic, Promotes-virility, Urinary-tonic, Builds-stamina, Strengthens-resolve

    LEARN MORE

  • Cloves

    Cloves has these Actions in Common

    Digestive, Nervine, Expectorant, Warms-abdomen, Aphrodisiac, Nerve-relaxant-grounding

    LEARN MORE

  • Fenugreek

    Fenugreek has these Actions in Common

    Expectorant, Testosteronic, Aphrodisiac, Nervine, Digestive, Stimulates-energy

    LEARN MORE

  • Mustard Powder

    Mustard Powder has these Actions in Common

    Expectorant, Strengthens-resolve, Promotes-virility, Warms-abdomen, Digestive, Stimulates-energy

    LEARN MORE

  • Mustard

    Mustard has these Actions in Common

    Promotes-virility, Warms-abdomen, Digestive, Stimulates-energy, Expectorant, Strengthens-resolve

    LEARN MORE

  • Mustard Seed

    Mustard Seed has these Actions in Common

    Digestive, Stimulates-energy, Expectorant, Strengthens-resolve, Promotes-virility, Warms-abdomen

    LEARN MORE

  • Flower / Bee Pollen

    Flower / Bee Pollen has these Actions in Common

    Aphrodisiac, Promotes-virility, Builds-stamina, Stimulates-energy, Promotes-fertility

    LEARN MORE

  • Sesame Seeds

    Sesame Seeds has these Actions in Common

    Builds-stamina, Promotes-virility, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Stimulates-energy, Promotes-fertility

    LEARN MORE

  • Rose Petals

    Rose Petals has these Actions in Common

    Promotes-fertility, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Antidepressant, Progesteronic, Aphrodisiac

    LEARN MORE

Herbs & Supplements with a Similar Nature to Damiana

  • Ashwagandha

    Ashwagandha has these Actions in Common

    Builds-stamina, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Progesteronic, Promotes-virility, Strengthens-resolve, Antidepressant, Testosteronic, Aphrodisiac, Urinary-tonic

    LEARN MORE

  • Saw Palmetto

    Saw Palmetto has these Actions in Common

    Expectorant, Kidney-tonic, Nervine, Progesteronic, Promotes-fertility, Testosteronic, Aphrodisiac, Urinary-tonic, Digestive

    LEARN MORE

  • Eleuthero Ginseng

    Eleuthero Ginseng has these Actions in Common

    Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine, Stimulates-energy, Testosteronic, Antidepressant, Builds-stamina, Digestive, Expectorant

    LEARN MORE

  • Balarishta- Vitality Tonic

    Balarishta- Vitality Tonic has these Actions in Common

    Nervine, Stimulates-energy, Strengthens-resolve, Warms-abdomen, Aphrodisiac, Builds-stamina, Nerve-relaxant-grounding

    LEARN MORE

  • Bala

    Bala has these Actions in Common

    Stimulates-energy, Urinary-tonic, Aphrodisiac, Builds-stamina, Nervine, Promotes-fertility, Promotes-virility

    LEARN MORE

  • Bellows Breath (Bhastrika Pranayama)

    Bellows Breath (Bhastrika Pranayama) has these Actions in Common

    Expectorant, Nervine, Promotes-virility, Stimulates-energy, Antidepressant, Builds-stamina, Digestive

    LEARN MORE

  • Breath of Fire / Shining Skull (Kapalbhati Pranayama)

    Breath of Fire / Shining Skull (Kapalbhati Pranayama) has these Actions in Common

    Digestive, Expectorant, Nervine, Promotes-virility, Stimulates-energy, Antidepressant, Builds-stamina

    LEARN MORE

  • Punarnava

    Punarnava has these Actions in Common

    Builds-stamina, Digestive, Kidney-tonic, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Promotes-virility, Stimulates-energy, Urinary-tonic

    LEARN MORE

  • Shankhapushpi

    Shankhapushpi has these Actions in Common

    Strengthens-resolve, Antidepressant, Aphrodisiac, Expectorant, Nerve-relaxant-grounding, Nervine

    LEARN MORE

  • Shilajit Tonic

    Shilajit Tonic has these Actions in Common

    Stimulates-energy, Testosteronic, Urinary-tonic, Aphrodisiac, Builds-stamina, Promotes-virility

    LEARN MORE


Joyful Belly is a recognized college of biocharacteristics medicine.

Guidelines - Preparation & Dose

1 dropper full 2x/day or as directed by your practitioner.
See guidelines for tinctures?

TRADITIONALLY INDICATED FOR
THESE SYMPTOMS

Damiana may be beneficial for these symptoms. The suitability of any herb supplement for a condition is highly dependent on the individual. Please see your doctor before using this herb supplement to treat a medical condition.

CONTRAINDICATED FOR
THESE SYMPTOMS

Damiana may be harmful or contraindicated for these symptoms. Note this is not a complete list of all possible contraindications. Please see your doctor before using this herb supplement to treat a medical condition.

Herb Drug Interaction Risk

Here are some potential herb drug interactions with Damiana. Please see your health care provider for more information.

Look for similar items by category

Gifts-Accessories, Herbs-and-Formulas, Tinctures, Anti-Aging, Energy-Vitality, Reproductive-Health
MY WISH LIST
PRODUCT HISTORY
ORDER HISTORY
HELP WITH ORDERS
CHECK MY ORDER
REPORT PROBLEM
RETURN POLICY
SHIPPING POLICY
PAYMENT OPTIONS
CONDITIONS OF USE
PRIVACY POLICY
Satisfaction Guarantee

Spring Diet

The season is about to shift into spring. Are you ready?

Get The Spring Diet

upcoming courses

Apply for Scholarship. Monhly payment plans available.

Fundamentals of Virtue Psychology ($2,699)

Enroll for $183 / month. Starts Aug 2025.

Ayurvedic Herbalist ($4,999)

Enroll for $299 / month. Starts Aug 2025.

Fundamentals of Ayurvedic Medicine - 2 Year Counselor Certification ($7,999)

Enroll for $250 / month. Starts Aug 2025.

Panchakarma Specialist ($5,999)

Enroll for $250 / month. Starts Aug 2025.

Master Ayurvedic Digestion & Nutrition 500 Hour Certification Program ($4,499)

Enroll for $299 / month. Starts Oct 2025.

About the College

What is Ayurveda?

Founder of Joyful Belly Ayurveda, John Immel, answers the question ‘What is Ayurveda?’

Reviews for Damiana

Sign in to review or comment

Improve Enzyme output & Master your Digestion

Improve Enzyme output & Master your Digestion

Watch this Sample Class
BOOKS BY JOYFUL BELLY

BOOKS BY JOYFUL BELLY

GET YOUR FREE CHART
Master Ayurvedic Digestion & Nutrition

Master Ayurvedic Digestion & Nutrition

Enroll Today

Join Joyful Belly

Want our top Ayurvedic recipes and health tips?
Subscribe to our free newsletter!

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information and products on this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.