Turnera Diffusa (Damiana)

The plant

Damiana is a relatively small, woody shrub that produces small, aromatic flowers. Some sources place it in the family Passifloraceae and others in Turneraceae. It blossoms in early to late summer, followed by fruits that taste similar to figs.

Mature stems of T. diffusa are woody, with small, grayed green leaves 13 to 16 mm long. The genus Turnera is distributed in semi-arid areas of Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean islands and South America.

Viable plant and seed material sold as T. diffusa largely turns out to be misidentified Turnera ulmifolia, called false damiana, a closely related species. This mix-up occurs mostly in the horticultural trade and not in the herbal product market. T. ulmifolia has herbaceous stems and larger blue-green leaves, and is only weakly aromatic.

Chemistry

Damiana contains a complex mix of phytochemicals, including flavonoids such as apigenin and acacetin, terpenoids, phenolics and cyanogenic glycosides. The leaf is reported to contain 1,8-cineole at 550 to 1100 parts per million and α-pinene at 50 to 100 parts per million. Damiana also contains arbutin, p-cymene, β-pinene and thymol.

Uses

Damiana is an ingredient in a traditional Mexican liqueur, which is sometimes used in lieu of triple sec in margaritas. Damiana is commonly found in modern herbal teas and smoking blends.

Cultivation and ecology

Plants of T. diffusa are now cultivated in some Colombian regions to produce essential oils at industrial scale. T. diffusa is a host plant for the Mexican fritillary, a butterfly.

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Related: Alpha Pinene · Angelica · Angelica Root · Angelica Root Oil · Artemisia · Barrenwort · Beachheather · Behini Tree