Introduction:
Damiana is a wild shrub also known as Turnera diffusa that grows in Mexico, Northern part of America and West India. The leaves and stems are used to make medicines. Majorly it was used to increase sexual desire. Damiana is used to treat various other conditions such as headache, bedwetting, stomach upset and constipation and also helps to improve psychological and physical stamina. Few individuals inhale damiana for a small high.
What Is the Mechanism of Action of Damiana?
Various research has been conducted on unstable oil damiana that includes fragrant compounds known as terpenes. But it's still unclear if the unstable oil compounds are active components of damiana. Experiments conducted have shown damiana in the test tube, that weakly binds to receptors of progesterone. Hence it is known that damiana might cure some female health problems, but these studies were not proven in human studies so the possibility might be very less.
What Are the Health Benefits of Damiana?
In studies done in 2013 a group of females were given damiana as herbal formula 15 minutes before their meals.
The herbal formula included the following:
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Damiana.
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Guarana.
Few people participating in the research were given inulin based soluble fermentable fiber that liquifies in water, which is present in the various roots of food plants. Participants who took the herbal formula have taken very less amount of food and calories than those who has taken placebo.
Participants who has taken the herbal formula, not the fiber ate very less calories. Research proved that the people taking herbal formula has short term reduction of food cravings and earlier studies proved that the herbal formula delayed the emptying of stomach by an extra 20 minutes, that means it took longer time to the food to leave the stomach.
Studies have also shown that the participants who took the supplement regularly for 45 days 15 minutes prior to the meal significantly reduced their weight, and those who took daily for a year maintained the weight loss. Research has shown promising results in losing weight, by reducing the cravings and appetite.
The following are the health benefits of damiana:
Antidepressant:
The active component of the damiana is thymol, which helps in life enhancing and revitalizing the body and mind. Many herbalists recommend damiana in treating moderate to severe depression, anxiety and nervous exhaustion. The herb helps in stimulating the corrective hormones which makes the herb valuable for treating stress, anxiety, anxiety associated with stress, that is caused due to the long term tension and stress.
Improves Digestive Health:
The herb, damiana, also helps in promoting gastrointestinal health, stimulating the breakdown of fats and carbohydrates in the gross intestinal system. The gastrointestinal system is very much important in improving the nutrition absorption that helps in guaranteeing the body gets the required amounts of nutrients in the food we consume.
Damiana also helps in cleansing the digestive tract, by removing the harmful chemical and toxic substances that interfere with the digestive procedure. The natural herbal formula also helps in dealing with dyspepsia or improper digestion as it decreases the digestive procedure.
Helps in Weight Reduction:
Individuals who combine yerba mate, damiana, and guarana either lose weight or maintain a healthy weight. These herbal mixtures aided individuals in improving their physical activity levels, lowering their stress levels, preserving hormonal balance, and reducing their appetites and food cravings. These plants function as antioxidants and prevent kidney damage. and help maintain blood sugar levels stable.
Helps to Fight Against the Infections:
A different variety of damiana called turnera plants are widely used in ancient medicine in dealing with infections and inflammatory diseases. Recent studies have informed plants in Turneraceae family can help as a source of plant derived natural substances that have antibiotic resistant modifying activity. Damiana is proved as a natural anti-inflammatory herb that helps in opening the respiratory tract and helps in stopping cough. Damiana also helps in treating ear infections, kidney inflammation and various other infections in the body.
Acts As an Analgesic:
The natural herb helps in reducing the pain such as headache, stomach pain , menstrual pain and muscle cramps in females who experience severe menstrual signs like muscle cramps, and mood swings might gain symptom relief if taken daily during the menstrual cycles. It also helps in reducing the stomach pain, muscle pain and helps in stimulating the digestive system.
What Are the Side Effects of the Damiana Plant?
The following are the side effects of damiana:
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Signs of allergy such as hives, difficulty in breathing, swelling in face, lips, tongue, lips and throat.
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Tremors.
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Fever.
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Nausea.
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Vomiting.
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Sudden anxiety, agitation, worry.
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Confusion.
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Hallucinations.
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Loss of sensation in few people.
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Tremors.
These may not be seen in everyone who takes damiana but if any of the above mentioned symptoms are noticed get emergency medical help and stop using damiana.
Conclusion:
In short, Damiana is a wild herb mostly seen in Mexican and Northern Parts of America that is used in the olden days in treating depression, anemia, anxiety, to treat female reproductive problems and to improve sexual desire. All these are not scientifically proven and research mostly done on animals, human studies has not been done so it is not safe to use without any medical guidance. But there are few studies that has proved the damiana helps in weight loss by reducing the food cravings, delaying the stomach emptying and helps in consuming very few calories, which drastically helped in weight loss. In few people there are various side effects any of them has been noticed seek medical help immediately and stop using damiana.
