Muira Puama

Either of the two species - Ptychopetalum olacoides or uncinatum is used interchangeably in the native herbal medicine, although P. olacoides is preferred. Another Brazilian tree, Liriosma ovata (Symplocos ovata, "Mara Puama") is sometimes sold as Muira Puama - but is in no way related.[2] This appears to have been a cause of confusion for many years and several works throughout the years have cited Liriosma ovata as Muira Puama [3]

Muira Puama - History

Muira Puama's aphrodisiac reputation is not new. In the June 1st, 1888 edition of Merck's Bulletin, it was written that Muira Puama "... is said to be the most powerful known aphrodisiac, reported as far exceeding damiana in its action." [3]

It appears that Muira Puama was almost unknown outside of its native zone until around 1880 - as the name is entirely absent from Google Books search results prior to that date. And then all of a sudden, it finds a number of references between 1800-1900.

Is Muira Puama an Aphrodisiac?

Muira Puama is included in a number of modern aphrodisiac and "sexual enhancement" type formulas.

Unusually for a plant that has been claimed to be an aphrodisiac, scientific aphrodisiac research on Muira Puama was published way back in 1916! Pamphlets on Biology: Kofoid collection, Volume 472 [4] contains a dissertation entitled "On the usefulness of the extract of Muira-Puama fluid as aphrodisiac in the veterinary practice".

This is an extensive study - written in German - and I translated as best I can using Google Translate. The author tested the efficacy of Muira Puama on a large number of animals over a period of time, with regard to attempting to induce heat and breeding. Muira Puama was also compared with Yohimbe during some of these trials. The conclusions were very positive - and the Muira Puama showed not only efficacy in cases in which Yohimbe had produced no results, but that no adverse effects or harm were observed in the health of the subjects when Muira Puama was administered orally.

Of noteworthy interest is that the author acknowledges that the aphrodisiac effect of Muira Puama "has done excellent service in human medicine". But he concludes by stating that his results were sometimes unpredictable and that the high cost of the extract made it unlikely that Muira Puama would find common use in vetinary practice.

Of further interest, the bibliography at the end of the article cites several previous studies. Glancing through these, we find further evidence supporting Muira Puama as an aphrodisiac: An abstract by A. Rose, M.D. of New York, of the 1906 paper "The Treatment of Impotence in Men" by D. Popper, M.D., states:

Note that it is not stated whether the Muira Puama of the study was Liriosma ovata or Ptychopetalum olacoides - and I don't have access to the original.

So much for ancient science - what about modern? A search of Pubmed revealed several papers written about Muira Puama. Many of these investigated properties such as neuroprotective, adaptogenic and neurological effects; very few investigated aphrodisiac qualities of the plant. A year 2000 human study at the Institute of Sexology in Paris investigated the effect of a formula of Muira puama and Ginkgo biloba on 202 healthy women complaining of low sex drive. "Statistically significant improvements" were noted in a number of aspects of the subjects' sexual lives - although the study was not double-blind. The planned double-blind follow-up study is not mentioned on Pubmed.[6]

Where is all the modern research on this plant that shows such interesting potential? Judging from both the anecdotal and early scientific research on Muira Puama, it would seem to be a very strong contender with anecdotal reports indicating low toxicity; and worthy of deep investigation. Muira Puama is included in a number of modern aphrodisiac and "sexual enhancement" type formulas and is listed (as Ptychopetalum olacoides) in the AHPA's "Herbs of Commerce" [7]