Muira puama's therapeutic uses
Muira puama, a bush native to the Brazilian Amazon, is traditionally valued for its therapeutic applications, particularly in enhancing sexual health. The bark and roots of muira puama have been utilized for a range of health issues, including impotence in men, loss of libido in women, anxiety, digestive disorders, and joint pain. Although it gained popularity in Europe as a remedy for sexual dysfunction, scientific evaluations of its effectiveness are limited and often inconclusive.
Some studies suggest potential benefits of muira puama for cognitive function and stress relief, while others hint at its adaptogenic properties that may help with anxiety and menstrual issues. However, most research has not met rigorous scientific standards, and the herb's efficacy remains largely speculative. While muira puama appears to have a favorable safety profile with minimal reported side effects, formal safety studies are lacking, suggesting caution for specific populations, including pregnant or nursing women. Individuals seeking alternatives for sexual health or related concerns may consider muira puama, but should remain aware of the need for more comprehensive research to substantiate its therapeutic claims.
Muira puama's therapeutic uses
- DEFINITION: Natural plant product used to treat specific health conditions.
- PRINCIPAL PROPOSED USE: Sexual health
- OTHER PROPOSED USE: Enhancing mental function, relieve stress and anxiety, menstrual disorders, joint pain, gastrointestinal issues
Overview
Muira puama is a bush that is native to the Brazilian Amazon rainforest. Its bark and roots have been used traditionally for a variety of medicinal purposes, including impotence in men, loss of libido in women, nerve problems (including paralysis and tremors), anxiety, digestive problems, and arthritis.
Therapeutic Dosages
Muira puma is generally taken as a liquid alcohol extract. The label instructions for dosage should be followed.
Therapeutic Uses
Explorers brought muira puama to Europe, where it became popular primarily as a treatment for impotence. However, there has been no reliable scientific evaluation of the effectiveness of this herb. One study is commonly cited as showing that muira puama is more effective for impotence than the drug yohimbine (from the herb yohimbe). However, this study was inconclusive. It was an open trial in which all participants took muira puama. The researchers simply compared the benefits of this trial to those of other trials in which people took yohimbine. From a scientific perspective, this is not permissible. The placebo effect is strong and varies from study to study. One can assume, without even performing the experiment, that if men with sexual dysfunction are given a treatment that they believe might help them, they will be helped. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study would require determining whether muira puama is helpful for impotence. Deciding whether it is more effective than yohimbine would require a double-blind study in which some people took muira puama, and some took yohimbine. Because no double-blind studies of muira puama have been reported for this use, the use of this herb has to be regarded as entirely speculative for this purpose.
Throughout the 2010s, small clinical studies appeared investigating the benefits of muira puama, but none were scientifically significant, and most studies remained relegated to animal and in vitro investigation. Muira puama was included in a study in the early 2020s that looked at several natural erectile dysfunction supplements; however, the study indicated further investigation was needed. Muira puama may show promise in treating Alzheimer's and cognitive decline, according to a 2008 study, but more study is needed. Weak evidence hints that muira puama may be helpful for enhancing mental function by increasing brain levels of acetylcholine, but this evidence is far too preliminary to indicate effectiveness. A 2007 double-blind, placebo-controlled study did show that muira puama was effective in increasing sexual function in menopausal women. However, the muira puama was combined with other herbs in the study.
Other proposed therapeutic uses of muira puama include reducing stress and anxiety through its adaptogenic properties, stimulating the central nervous system, helping alleviate menstrual cramps and regulate menstrual cycles, relieving joint pain and inflammation associated with conditions like arthritis, and treating gastrointestinal problems.
Safety Issues
From the limited evidence that is available, it does not appear that use of muira puama commonly causes significant side effects. However, comprehensive formal safety evaluation has not been conducted. For this reason, muira puama should not be used by pregnant or nursing women, young children, or individuals with severe liver or kidney disease.
Bibliography
"Muira Puama Uses, Benefits & Dosage." Drugs.com, 20 Feb. 2024, www.drugs.com/npp/muira-puama.html. Accessed 22 Sept. 2024.
Siqueira, I. R., et al. "Ptychopetalum olacoides, a Traditional Amazonian ‘Nerve Tonic,’ Possesses Anticholinesterase Activity." Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior, vol. 75, 2003, pp. 645-650.
Srivatsav, Ashwin, et al. "Efficacy and Safety of Common Ingredients in Aphrodisiacs Used for Erectile Dysfunction: A Review." Sexual Medicine Reviews, vol. 8, no. 3, 2020, pp. 431-442, doi:10.1016/j.sxmr.2020.01.00.
Waynberg, J., and S. Brewer. "Effects of Herbal vX on Libido and Sexual Activity in Premenopausal and Postmenopausal Women." Advances in Therapy, vol. 17, no. 5, 2000, pp. 255-262, doi.org/10.1007/BF02853164. Accessed 22 Sept. 2024.