D
DAMIANA
| Botanical Names: | Turnera diffusa, Turnera aphrodisiaca# |
| Family: | Turneraceae |
| Plant Part Used: | Leaf |
PRESCRIBING INFORMATION
| Actions | Nervine tonic, tonic, mild laxative | |
| Potential Indications | Based on appropriate evaluation of the patient, practitioners should consider prescribing damiana in formulations in the context of: | |
| Contraindications | None known. | |
| Warnings and Precautions | None required. | |
| Interactions | None known. | |
| Use in Pregnancy and Lactation | No adverse effects expected. | |
| Side Effects | None expected if taken within the recommended dose range. | |
| Dosage | Dose per day* | Dose per week* |
| 3–6 ml of 1:2 liquid extract | 20–40 ml of 1:2 liquid extract | |
* This dose range is extrapolated from the British Pharmaceutical Codex 1934, the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia 1983, the British Herbal Compendium 1992, and the author’s education and experience.
SUPPORTING INFORMATION
| Traditional Prescribing | • Impotence and frigidity in both sexes,1,2 irritation of the urinary mucous membranes, renal catarrh2 |
| Native Brazilians and Mexicans used damiana, with early documented use by the Mayan people. Uses by native northern Mexicans included muscular and nervous debility, as an aphrodisiac and emmenagogue, for menstrual disorders, to aid in childbirth, and for spermatorrhea, orchitis, nephritis, and irritable bladder. In addition to the aphrodisiac uses, Hispanic herbalists of Mexico used damiana for sterility, nervous disorders, and diabetes.3–5 Damiana was also consumed in Mexico as a pleasant, stimulating, tonic beverage without the side effects of tea or coffee and was employed therapeutically as a hot drink for suppressed menstruation.6 | |
| Damiana was official in the NF from 1916 to 1942 and was referred to as a stimulant and laxative, with a reputation as an aphrodisiac.7 | |
| Pharmacologic Research | • A postulated explanation for the aphrodisiac effect of damiana is that its volatile oil might irritate the urethral mucous membranes.4 • A methanol extract of damiana induced relaxation of isolated smooth muscle from the corpus cavernosum.8 Oral administration of damiana extract (0.25 to 1.0 ml/kg) demonstrated a stimulating effect on the sexual behavior of male rats. Copulatory performance was improved in sexually sluggish or impotent animals, but not in potent animals.9 • Oral administration of damiana infusion resulted in hypoglycemic activity in an experimental model.10 Aqueous alcohol (70%) and 100% alcohol extracts of damiana inhibited the formation of gastric lesions in several experimental models after oral or intragastric administration.11 |
| Clinical Studies | No clinical studies using damiana have been found. |
1 British Herbal Medicine Association’s Scientific Committee. British herbal pharmacopoeia. Bournemouth: BHMA, 1983.
2 Felter HW, Lloyd JU. King’s American dispensatory, ed 18. Portland: Eclectic Medical Publications, 1905. rev 3, reprinted 1983
3 Grieve M. A modern herbal. New York: Dover Publications, 1971.
4 Tyler VE. Pharm Hist. 1983;25(2):55-60.
5 Brinker FJ. Eclectic dispensatory of botanical therapeutics, vol 2 . Eclectic Medical Publications, Sandy, Oregon, 1995.
6 Lloyd JU. Pharm Rev. 1904;22:126.
7 Vogel VJ. American Indian medicine. Norman, Okla: University of Oklahoma Press, 1970.
8 Hnatyszyn O et al: From the International Congress and 48th Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant Research and the 6th International Congress on Ethnopharmacology of the International Society for Ethnopharmacology, Zurich, September 3-7, 2000, abstract P2A/39.
9 Arletti R, et al. Psychopharmacology. 1999;143(1):15-19.
10 Perez RM, et al. J Ethnopharmacol. 1984;12(3):253-262.
11 Gracioso JS, et al. Phytomed. 2000;7(supp 2):92-93.
DANDELION
| Botanical Name: | Taraxacum officinale |
| Family: | Compositae |
| Plant Parts Used: | Leaf, root |
PRESCRIBING INFORMATION
| Actions | Dandelion leaf and root are considered to have similar actions:bitter tonic, choleretic, diuretic (especially leaf), mild laxative, and antirheumatic. | |
| Potential Indications | Based on appropriate evaluation of the patient, practitioners should consider prescribing dandelion leaf or dandelion root in formulations in the context of: | |
| Both the traditional prescribing information and the information obtained from pharmacologic research suggest that dandelion leaf has the stronger diuretic activity and dandelion root has the stronger choleretic and cholagogue activities. This data should be reflected in the preferred use of the specific plant parts. | ||
| Contraindications | Dandelion leaf and root are contraindicated in closure of the bile ducts, cholecystitis, intestinal obstruction,1 and known allergy. (A sesquiter-pene lactone found in both leaf and root is responsible for causing allergic dermatitis. Other constituents within dandelion may also be allergenic.2) | |
| Warnings and Precautions | Dandelion leaf:despite reports of skin reactions and dermatitis from topical use of dandelion aerial parts, the likelihood of dandelion leaf preparations causing a contact allergy is low. However, people with known sensitivity to other members of the Compositae family (e.g., ragweed, daisies, chrysanthemums) should avoid topical application of dandelion leaf or dandelion leaf products. | |
| Interactions | None known. | |
| Use in Pregnancy and Lactation | No adverse effects expected. | |
| Side Effects | None expected if taken within the recommended dose range. | |
| Dosage | Dandelion leaf: | |
| Dose per day* | Dose per week* | |
| 6.0–11.5 ml of 1:1 liquid extract | 40–80 ml of 1:1 liquid extract | |
| Dandelion root: | ||
| Dose per day* | Dose per week* | |
| 3 to 6 ml of 1:2 liquid extract | 20 to 40 ml of 1:2 liquid extract | |
* This dose range is extrapolated from the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia 1983, the British Herbal Compendium 1992, and the author’s education and experience.
