Some plants keep their secrets. Damiana wears its secret right in its name.
In the nineteenth century, botanists named this little golden-flowered shrub Turnera aphrodisiaca, and the word stuck. It still lives on today as Turnera diffusa var. aphrodisiaca. So somewhere in the very serious world of Latin plant names, there's a shrub that is, quite literally, the aphrodisiac one.
I love that kind of honesty.
What Is Damiana?
Damiana (Turnera diffusa) is a small, yellow-flowered shrub that grows wild from southern Texas through Mexico and Central America. Its fragrant leaves have been brewed as a tea for centuries and taken as a traditional love tonic in Mexico. It's known for warmth, for a relaxed, open mood, and for desire.
Dry a handful of the leaves and they smell warm and herbal, a lot like chamomile that decided to stay up late. There's a softness in the scent before you've tasted a thing.
Damiana Tea, the Old Love Potion of Mexico
Accounts from Mexico going back centuries describe damiana brewed as a tea, sweetened, and sipped as a love potion.
Herbalists have long described it as a plant that quiets without sedating, one that relaxes the body while leaving the mind clear. Research has only just begun, and most of it is still in the lab. But the tradition has always been clear about its frequency: less about arousal, more about arrival.
Being here. Being soft enough to feel.
To me, that's the real magic of a love potion - closing the gap between wanting and allowing.
Damiana Liqueur, in a Bottle Shaped Like a Woman
Wander through a market in Baja California Sur and you may spot her: a golden liqueur in a bottle shaped like a woman's body. Licor de Damiana.
It's made by steeping the dried leaves in spirit and sweetening it gently. The bottle's curves, the story goes, are a nod to fertility and feminine abundance.
There's something so beautiful in the spirit of it: desire as something to celebrate, poured generously for friends and talked about with a knowing smile.
Damiana and the Drink That Became Coca-Cola
And then there's this little twist of history. Before Coca-Cola, there was French Wine Coca.
In the mid-1880s, an Atlanta pharmacist named John Stith Pemberton created a tonic wine that blended coca leaf, kola nut, and, among other botanicals, damiana. It was sold as a nerve tonic, with all the era's usual promises of vigor and desire.
When Atlanta voted to go dry, Pemberton reworked the recipe without the wine. The coca and the kola stayed. The damiana, by most accounts, did not.
And the world got a very different drink.
Why Damiana Is the Heart of Élixir d'Extase
I believe desire lives in the nervous system as much as anywhere. Before wanting can unfold, the body has to feel safe enough to soften - to shift from vigilance to presence, from doing to feeling.
That's the quality damiana has always been loved for. The long exhale. The phone put down. The guard gently lowered.
So in Élixir d'Extase, damiana sits beside kanna extract, shatavari, rose, vanilla, and Ceylon cinnamon, all steeped in raw, unfiltered honey from a regenerative farm in Upstate New York. Every ingredient except the kanna and the honey is organic.
Each one brings something of its own. Shatavari nourishes. Kanna brightens. Honey carries it all. And damiana is the warm current running underneath.
Extase is French for ecstasy, and I think damiana is a big part of why the name fits.
Two teaspoons is a serving, and the label allows up to four. Stir it into your tea or coffee, or savor it straight off the spoon - however pleasure finds you.
A gentle note on safety. Élixir d'Extase also holds kanna, which acts on serotonin, so never combine it with SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, or any other serotonergic medication. Skip it if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, and if you take any prescription medication, ask your doctor first.
An Invitation
Damiana has traveled a long way. From the love potions of old Mexico to a curvy bottle in Baja, from Pemberton's tonic wine to a jar of honey. Through all of it, it's kept its reputation as a plant that softens the edges and warms you through.
If you'd like to meet it the way I love it best, held in raw honey with five other botanicals, Élixir d'Extase is waiting for your evening.
So pour something warm, light a candle, and let yourself want what you want. Pleasure & play, always.
xo, Nana 🍯
Frequently Asked Questions
Is damiana an aphrodisiac?
It's been taken as a love tonic in Mexico for centuries, and the word is right there in one of its botanical names. Scientific research is limited and mostly in animals, so think of damiana as a traditional aphrodisiac herb rather than a proven one.
What does damiana taste like?
Earthy and gently bitter, with a warm, aromatic scent that's often compared to chamomile. A little honey rounds it out beautifully, which may be why it's so often been sweetened.
Is damiana safe?
Damiana has a long history as a tea and is generally well tolerated in food amounts. Skip it if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, and check with your doctor first if you take prescription medication or have a health condition. In Élixir d'Extase it sits beside kanna, so the safety note above applies too.
Is damiana legal?
In the US, damiana is legal at the federal level, and it's sold widely as a tea and an herb. State rules can differ: Louisiana restricts damiana under a 2010 state law (Act 565) covering plants meant to be eaten, drunk, smoked, or inhaled, so check the rules where you live.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This article is for information only and is not medical advice. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.