Damiana – A Clinical Verification Study

Abstract

Damiana or Turnera aphrodisiaca has been traditionally used as an invigorating and aphrodisiac herb in different schools of medicine for centuries. In homoeopathy, however, its use has been made besides the above conditions, for various other disorders like amenorrhoea, dysmenorrhoea, leucorrhoea, sterility and frigidity in females and spermatorrhoea, urinary tract infection and migraine in adults. It has also been used for incontinence of urine and affection of prostate in old people with success. The Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy undertook a clinical study to verify and confirm the uses of Damiana as mentioned in the homoeopathic materia medica2,3 with the objective of evolving its clinical drug picture. Three thousand thirty two patients, comprising of 2,383 males and 649 females were enrolled in the study. This study not only confirms its therapeutic use in sexual debility, impotency but also in migraine, leucorrhoea, dysmenorrhoea, constipation, affection of the prostate, general fatigue etc. as noted in the literature. It also has delineated characteristics, which would help in differentiating Damiana from other similar remedies given in the homoeopathic materia medica. Few new symptoms and signs were also noted during its clinical use as above, which may be confirmed in the proving of this drug in future.