The shrub damiana, also known as Turnera diffusa or Turnera aphrodisiaca, grows up to a height of six feet, and is found in Mexico, and Central and South America. This herb has highly aromatic leaves one of the reasons it is used in some liqueurs. Although still found in the wild in certain areas, most damiana today can be found in Mexican and Latin American herbal ranches.
Controlled clinical trials that have examined damiana’s potential benefits are few in number, although this herb boasts of a long history of folk use. Traditonal herbalists regard damiana primarily as an aphrodisiac, and researchers suspect that it has a variety of effects on the endocrine(that is, hormonal) and reproductive systems. As a medicinal plant, damiana has been used to treat menstrual disorders, nervousness, and diabetes, and seems to be helpful as a diuretic and a laxative as well.