Herb & supplement monograph

Damiana Drug Interactions, Uses, Effectiveness, Safety & More

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS ·Updated July 2026

What is this page for?

First and foremost: how Damiana interacts with medications. The heart of this page is the interaction list — every drug Damiana is known to interact with, and how serious each one is.

But these pages have grown well beyond that into a full monograph — what Damiana is, what people use it for and how strong the evidence is, its safety and side effects, and answers to the questions we’re asked most — written and reviewed by the clinical staff at HelloPharmacist. It’s educational information from our licensed clinical databases, not medical advice, and we don’t sell or endorse products. Our editorial policy

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On this page

Damiana Drug Interactions: The Bottom Line

From the HelloPharmacist Editorial Team · Updated July 2026

Based on the available evidence, the overall risk of a clinically significant Damiana drug interaction appears low for most people. None of the listed interactions are rated major, and the main concern comes from animal research rather than studies in people.

Interactions deserving the most attention

The interaction that deserves the most attention involves diabetes medications. Animal research shows damiana can lower blood glucose, so combining it with these medicines could in theory push blood sugar too low. Because blood sugar is a closely monitored measure, anyone taking insulin or other glucose-lowering drugs should be aware of this possibility, even though it has not been confirmed in human studies.

What the rest of the list means

Although damiana appears alongside a long list of medications, nearly all of those entries trace back to this single blood sugar effect seen in animals. A moderate rating here reflects what could happen in theory, not what has been shown to happen in people. So far, there is no human evidence that damiana causes meaningful problems with these medicines.

Check your medications against Damiana

Based on HelloPharmacist’s Damiana interaction data and reviewed under our editorial standards.

Interaction report

Drugs that interact with Damiana

86 medications have a known interaction with Damiana, graded by severity. Select any drug for the full evidence-based detail.

Don’t want to scroll the list? Just ask.

Tell us the medications you take and we’ll check each one against Damiana using our pharmacist-reviewed interaction data.

AI summaries are generated from our Damiana interaction data for education only — always confirm with your pharmacist. How we use AI

2,830 drugs

Read The List Like a Pharmacist

What Severity, Likelihood & Evidence Mean

Severity — How Serious It Can Be

Major. Clinically significant; generally best avoided, or used only under direct professional supervision.
Moderate. May need monitoring, a dose adjustment, or separating the times you take each one.
Minor. Generally not clinically significant, but still worth noting and mentioning to your pharmacist.
No known interaction. Checked against our sources with nothing documented — not the same as proven safety.

Likelihood — How Well It’s Documented

Likely. Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction
Probable. Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
Possible. Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists
Unlikely. Interaction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.

Where This Data Comes From

Interaction records are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database (TRC Healthcare), the same reference used by pharmacists and hospitals.
Each drug listed above links to the full report for that exact Damiana combination — clinical detail, likelihood, evidence level, and citations.
Content is reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists — see our data sources and editorial standards.

The big picture

The kinds of drugs Damiana affects

Every type of medication (drug category) Damiana is known to interact with. Open any category for the detail — or search your exact drug in the checker above.

All 1 drug category Damiana interacts with

Antidiabetes Drugs

Theoretically, taking damiana with antidiabetes drugs might increase the risk of hypoglycemia.
Animal research shows that taking damiana lowers blood glucose level.

Likelihood Possible Evidence D

Monograph

Damiana: Uses, Safety & Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS · Reviewed July 2026 ·

The bottom line

Damiana is a traditional herb most famous as an aphrodisiac and mild mood-lifter, but solid human evidence for any of its uses is very limited. It is generally well tolerated in the small amounts found in teas, but quality studies are lacking, so talk with your pharmacist or doctor before using it—especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a health condition.

Scientific name: Turnera diffusa
Family: Passifloraceae
Part used: Leaves (and sometimes stems)
Common forms: Tea, capsules, tinctures, liquid extracts, dried leaf

People commonly use it for

Low libido / aphrodisiac
Anxiety and stress
Mood and mild low energy
Digestive upset
Headache and general tonic

Popular and traditional uses — not proof it works. See “Uses & effectiveness” below for the evidence.

Safety at a glance

OverallUse caution

Likely fine in food/tea amounts for most adults, but human safety data are limited.

PregnancyInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

Read the full pregnancy detail

BreastfeedingInsufficient reliable information

Insufficient reliable information available; avoid using.

Read the full breastfeeding detail

Pregnancy & breastfeeding ratings are from Natural Medicines (Therapeutic Research Center). Safety guidance is general; always confirm with your pharmacist or doctor for your situation.

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Overview

Damiana is a small, aromatic shrub that grows in Mexico, parts of Central and South America, the Caribbean, and the southern United States. It produces small yellow flowers and fragrant leaves. The dried leaves are the part most commonly used.

People have used damiana for a very long time in traditional medicine. It is best known as a folk aphrodisiac, and it has also been used as a mild stimulant, a calming tonic, and a remedy for stomach complaints. Today you can find it as a tea, in capsules, and in liquid extracts or tinctures. It is sometimes added to herbal blends and even certain liqueurs.

How it works

Damiana leaves contain a mix of natural compounds, including flavonoids, essential oils, and other plant chemicals. Researchers have suggested that some of these may interact with the nervous system or with hormone-related pathways, which could in theory explain the traditional calming and aphrodisiac uses.

It is important to know that most of this work comes from laboratory and animal studies. We do not have a clear, proven mechanism for how damiana acts in the human body, and the active ingredients responsible for any effect are not well established.

Effectiveness

Does Damiana work?

Here’s what the research actually shows for each use — graded by Natural Medicines and reviewed by Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD.

Evidence overview · 12 uses evaluated

12 Insufficient evidence

How to read these evidence grades

Natural Medicines’ 7-point scale. We show each rating’s label word-for-word.

1EffectiveStrong, consistent evidence it works.

2Likely EffectiveGood evidence, though not yet conclusive.

3Possibly EffectiveSome evidence suggests a benefit.

4Possibly IneffectiveSome evidence it may not help.

5Likely IneffectiveFairly strong evidence it doesn’t help.

6IneffectiveStrong evidence it doesn’t work.

7Insufficient Reliable Evidence to RateToo little research to say either way.

For Damiana, current evidence isn’t strong enough to rate any specific use. The conditions it has been studied for are listed below.

Also studied for 12 conditions — evidence insufficient to rate

Insufficient Reliable Evidence To Rate Asthma