CyberSpiritual

Erythroxylum catuaba is a vigorous-growing, small tree that produces yellow and orange flowers and small, dark yellow, oval-shaped, inedible fruit. It grows in the northern part of Brazil in Amazonas, Para, Pernambuco, Bahia, Maranhao, and Alagoas. This catuaba tree belongs to the family Erythroxylaceae, whose principal genus, Erythroxylum, contains several species that are sources of cocaine. Catuaba, however, contains none of the active cocaine alkaloids.

A large amount of confusion exists today regarding the actual species of tree that is harvested in Brazilian forests and sold around the world as “catuaba.” Experienced Brazilian harvesters will refer to two species: a “big catuaba” and a “small catuaba.” The confusion thickens when relating these trees to approved botanical species names. “Small catuaba” is Erythroxylum catuaba (A. J. Silva ex. Raym.-Hamet – the name was accepted in 1936), which grows 2-4 m tall and sports yellow-to-orange flowers and, in Brazil, is referred to as catuaba. “Big catuaba,” in the mahogany family, is Trichilia catigua (A. Juss.), which grows 6-10 m tall, has cream-colored flowers and – in Brazil – is referred to as catiguá and angelim-rosa. Moreover, three other (unapproved) botanical names for catuaba are used incorrectly in herbal commerce today: Juniperus brasiliensis (which is thought to refer to “small catuaba”), and Anemopaegma mirandum and Eriotheca candolleana, which are completely different species altogether. Anemopaegma is a huge tree in the Bignonia family, growing to 40 m tall and called catuaba-verdadeira in Brazil. This species of tree is now harvested and exported out of Brazil by inexperienced or unethical harvestors (resulting in the incorporation in herbal products sold in the U.S. today) as just “catuaba.” Erythroxylum catuaba and Trichilia catigua are the preferred Brazilian herbal medicine species, with the longest documented history of use as “big and little catuaba.” Both types are used interchangeably in Brazilian herbal medicine systems for the same conditions.

TRIBAL & HERBAL MEDICINE USES

Catuaba has a long history of use in herbal medicine as an aphrodisiac. The Tupi Indians in Brazil first discovered the aphrodisiac qualities of the plant and over the last few centuries they have composed many songs praising its wonders and abilities. Indigenous and local peoples have used catuaba for generations. It is the most famous of all Brazilian aphrodisiac plants. In the Brazilian state of Minas there is a saying, “Until a father reaches 60, the son is his; after that, the son is catuaba’s!”

In Brazilian herbal medicine today, catuaba is considered a central nervous system stimulant with aphrodisiac properties. A bark decoction is commonly used for sexual impotency, agitation, nervousness, nerve pain and weakness, poor memory or forgetfulness, and sexual weakness. According to Dr. Meira Penna, catuaba “functions as a stimulant of the nervous system, above all when one deals with functional impotence of the male genital organs . . . it is an innocent aphrodisiac, used without any ill effects at all.” In Brazil it is regarded as an aphrodisiac with “proven efficacy” and, in addition to treating impotence, it is employed for many types of nervous conditions including insomnia, hypochondria, and pain related to the central nervous system (such as sciatica and neuralgia). In European herbal medicine catuaba is considered an aphrodisiac and a brain and nerve stimulant. A bark tea is used for sexual weakness, impotence, nervous debility, and exhaustion. Herbalists and health practitioners in the United States use catuaba in much the same way: as a tonic for genital function, as a central nervous system stimulant, for sexual impotence, general exhaustion and fatigue, insomnia related to hypertension, agitation, and poor memory. According to Michael van Straten, noted British author and researcher of medicinal plants, catuaba is beneficial to men and women as an aphrodisiac, but “it is in the area of male impotence that the most striking results have been reported” and “there is no evidence of side effects, even after long-term use.”

The extract is claimed to increase the body’s natural testosterone levels and thereby improve male sexual performance and help build muscle.

T. terrestris has been shown to enhance sexual behavior in an animal model.^[15] It appears to do so by stimulating androgen receptors in the brain.T. terrestris is now being promoted as a booster for the purpose of increasing sex drive. Its use for this purpose originated from a Bulgarian study conducted in the 1970s, which found effects on free testosterone and luteinizing hormone in men belonging to infertile couples.^{[citation needed]} A research review conducted in 2000 stated that the lack of data outside of this study prevents generalizing to healthy individuals ^[16]

Animal studies in rats, rabbits and primates have demonstrated that administration of Tribulus terrestris extract can produce statistically significant increases in levels of testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone,^[17] and produces effects suggestive of aphrodisiac activity.^[15] On the other hand, one recent study found that T. terrestris caused no increase in testosterone or LH in young men,^[18] and another found that a commercial supplement containing androstenedione and herbal extracts, including T. terrestris, was no more effective at raising testosterone levels than androstenedione alone.^[19]

The active chemical in T. terrestris is likely to be protodioscin (PTN).^[20] In a study with mice, T. terrestris was shown to enhance mounting activity and erection better than testosterone cypionate;^{[citation needed]} however, testosterone cypionate is a synthetic ester of testosterone engineered for its longer activity, rather than an immediate effect. Testosterone cypionate has a half-life of 8 days and is administereed every 2–4 weeks in humans for testosterone replacement.^[21] The proerectile aphrodisiac properties were concluded to likely be due to the release of nitric oxide from the nerve endings innervating the corpus cavernosum penis.

Sexual Effects of PunctureVine

OBJECTIVE:

Apart from its claims for improvement of sexual functions in men, the puncturevine plant (Tribulus terrestris: TT) has long been considered as an energizer and vitalizer in the indigenous system of medicine. Sexual behavior and intracavernous pressure (ICP) measurements were taken in rats to scientifically validate the claim of TT [containing protodioscin (PTN)] as an aphrodisiac.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Forty sexually mature male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups of 10 each. Group I served as a control group and groups II, III, and IV were treated with three different doses of TT extract (2.5, 5 and 10 mg/kg body weight, respectively), orally, once daily for 8 weeks. Weight was recorded and the rats from all four groups were subjected to sexual behavior studies with primed females and various parameters namely mount and intromission frequencies (MF and IF, respectively), mount, intromission and ejaculation latencies (ML, IL, and EL, respectively) as well as postejaculatory interval (PEI) were recorded. In addition, blood pressure and ICP were recorded for all rats at the end of study.

RESULTS:

Increases in body weight (by 9, 23, and 18% for groups II, III & IV) and ICP (by 43% and 26% for groups III and IV) were statistically significant compared to the control group. Increases in MF (by 27% and 24%) and IF (by 19% and 22%) for the groups III and IV were statistically significant. Decreases in ML (by 16%, 23%, and 22% for groups II, III, and IV) and PEI (by 20% for group III) were statistically significant compared to the control.

CONCLUSIONS:

The weight gain and improvement in sexual behavior parameters observed in rats could be secondary to the androgen increasing property of TT (PTN) that was observed in our earlier study on primates. The increase in ICP which confirms the proerectile aphrodisiac property of TT could possibly be the result of an increase in androgen and subsequent release of nitric oxide from the nerve endings innervating the corpus cavernosum.

Ptychopetalum is a genus of two species of flowering plants in the family Olacaceae, native to the Amazon rainforest. The indigenous name for the genus is Muira Puama, “potency wood.”

Historically all parts of Muria Puama have been used medicinally, but typically it is the bark and root of Ptychopetalum olacoides which is harvested and used both traditionally and in current herbal products. It contains long-chain fatty acids, plant sterols, coumarin, lupeol, and the alkaloid muirapuamine.^{[citation needed]} There is a second almost identical species, Ptychopetalum uncinatum, which is sometimes used as a substitute with the only noticeable difference being a lower concentration of the chemical lupeol.^{[citation needed]}

The root and bark are used for a variety of ailments by indigenous peoples in the Rio Negro area of South America, but the effectiveness of Muira Puama preparations are disputable.^[3]However, in a 1990 study conducted by Dr. Jacques Waynsberg at the Institute of Sexology in Paris, 62% of men who took muira puama extract noted an increase in sex drive and 51% of participants reported an increased ability to produce an erection.^[4]

For its tonic effect, one of the traditional remedies is to gently simmer 1 teaspoon of root and/or bark in one cup of water for 15 minutes and take 1/2 to 1 cup daily.^[1]

There is evidence that Muira Puama is anxiogenic (causes anxiety), which would be consistent with a stimulant effect, without affecting coordination.^[5]

In Brazilian herbal medicine, muira puama still is a highly-regarded sexual stimulant with a reputation as a powerful aphrodisiac. It has been in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia since the 1950s. It is used as a neuromuscular tonic for weakness and paralysis, dyspepsia, menstrual disturbances, chronic rheumatism (applied topically), sexual impotency, grippe, and central nervous system disorders.

The benefits of treating impotence with muira puama have been studied in two human trials in France, which reported that muira puama was effective in improving libido and treating erectile dysfunction. In one French study among 262 male patients who experienced lack of sexual desire and the inability to attain or maintain an erection, 62% of the patients with loss of libido reported that the extract of muira puama “had a dynamic effect,” and 51% of patients with erectile dysfunction felt that muira puama was beneficial. The second study evaluated positive psychological benefits of muira puama in 100 men with male sexual weakness. The therapeutic dosage was 1.5 g of a muira puama extract daily. In their final report, researchers indicated muira puama could “enhance libido [in 85% of test group], increase the frequency of intercourse [in 100%] and improve the ability to maintain an erection [in 90%].”

http://www.rain-tree.com/muirapuama.htm

Saw palmetto ( Serenoa repens , Sabal serrulata ) is used popularly in Europe for symptoms associated with benign prostatic hypertrophy (enlargement of the prostate). Although not considered standard of care in the United States, it is the most popular herbal treatment for this condition.

Historical use of saw palmetto can be traced in the Americas to the Mayans who used it as a tonic and to the Seminoles who took the berries as an expectorant and antiseptic.

Saw palmetto was listed in the United States Pharmacopeia from 1906 to 1917 and in the National Formulary from 1926 to 1950. Saw palmetto extract is a licensed product in several European countries.

Multiple mechanisms of action have been proposed, and saw palmetto appears to possess 5-α-reductase inhibitory activity (thereby preventing the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone). Hormonal/estrogenic effects have also been reported, as well as direct inhibitory effects on androgen receptors and anti-inflammatory properties.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/saw-palmetto/NS_patient-sawpalmetto

The aboriginal American medicine man also kept a medicine bag of saw palmetto around to treat illness and to nourish the body. Other historical uses have included the treatment of infertility in women, treatment of underdeveloped breasts, increased lactation, painful menstruation cycles, reduce prostate, appetite stimulant, and as a tonic.

Saw palmetto appears, from clinical reports, to be a nutritive tonic. It is also an expectorant, and controls irritation of mucous tissues. It has proved useful in irritative cough, chronic bronchial coughs, whooping-cough, laryngitis, acute and chronic, acute catarrh, asthma, tubercular laryngitis, and in the cough of phthisis pulmonalis. Upon the digestive organs it acts kindly, improving the appetite, digestion, and assimilation. However, its most pronounced effects appear to be those exerted upon the urino-genital tracts of both male and female, and upon all the organs concerned in reproduction.

http://www.henriettesherbal.com/eclectic/kings/serenoa.html

Side Effects:

The most common side effects are gastrointestinal, some of which may be reduced by taking the extract with food.

Growth

Eurycoma longifolia is a small, evergreen tree growing to 15 m (49 ft) tall with spirally arranged, pinnate leaves 20–40 cm (8–16 inches) long with 13–41 leaflets. The flowers are dioecious, with male and female flowers on different trees; they are produced in large panicles, each flower with 5–6 very small petals. The fruit is green ripening dark red, 1–2 cm long and 0.5–1 cm broad.^{[citation needed]}

Biological effects

A 2010 ethnopharmacological inventory study on Eurycoma longifolia stated: “The plant parts have been traditionally used for its antimalarial, aphrodisiac, anti-diabetic, antimicrobial and antipyretic activities…”^[5]

Even though there are many other legitimate medical areas of interest in Eurycoma longifolia (as evident from the quote included above), most Southeast Asians consume it for the plant’s impact on sexual conduct. Already in 2001, Malaysian scientific researchers opened their peer-reviewed, Medline-archived report on Eurycoma longifolia’s effect on lab rats with the statement “that Eurycoma longifolia Jack commonly known as Tongkat Ali has gained notoriety as a symbol of man’s ego and strength by the Malaysian men because it increases male virility and sexual prowess during sexual activities.”^[6]

An article on the website of the scientific journal Nature referred to Eurycoma longifolia as Malaysia’s home-grown Viagra and cited “increased sexual desire, enhanced performance and general well-being”.^[7] This journal article is also indexed on Medline, but without abstract.^[7]

Some scientific studies found that it enhances sexual characteristics and performance in rodents.^[8][9][10] Other laboratory animal tests have produced positive indications, with one extract having been observed to increase sexual activity in mature rats, including arousal, sniffing, and mounting behavior.

In an experiment conducted on male rats, it was found that eurycoma longifolia increases sperm count. The authors also reported that the plasma testosterone level of Eurycoma longifolia extract treated rats “was significantly increased when compared with that of the control and infertile animals.”^[11]

Another group of scientists confirmed that Eurycoma longifolia has the capacity to “reverse the inhibitory effects of estrogen on testosterone production and spermatogenesis.”^[12]

One Medline-indexed journal article cited as result that Eurycoma longifalia had an effect similar to testosterone replacement therapy in counteracting osteoporosis.^[13]

An Italian study on Eurycoma longifolia noted improved sexual performance in lab animals and concluded that the “effect could be mainly ascribed to increased testosterone levels.”^[14]

After scientists investigating Eurycoma longifolia’s effect on sexual parameters had established that sexualizing effects went hand-in-hand with increased testoterone tone, researchers in the field of sports medicine started to look into the anabolic potential of the plant.

In a placebo-controlled human study with healthy young men in a weight-training program, it was found that “the lean body mass of the treatment group showed a significant increment, from 52.26 (7.18) kg to 54.39 (7.43) kg (p = 0.012).” Furthermore, “the increase in strength in the treatment group was larger than in the placebo group (6.78% and 2.77% respectively)… The mean arm circumference of the treatment group increased significantly by 1.8 cm after the supplementation… but there was no significant increase in the placebo group.” The results of the study were published in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Sports Medicine.^[15]

The anabolic impact of Eurycoma longifolia has been confirmed in the animal model, when the size and weight of just one muscle was measured in treated and untreated rats of equal size. “Results showed that 800 mg/kg of butanol, methanol, water and chloroform fractions of E. longifolia Jack significantly increased (p<0.05) the levator ani muscle…”^[6]

Because of Eurycoma longifolia’s testosterone-enhancing capacity, it has been included, at least by name, in numerous supplements, marketed primarily to bodybuilding men. One randomly selected Internet site selling bodybuilding supplements^[16] listed 58 different products claiming to be Eurycoma longifolia or contain it as one of many ingredients mostly made up of cultivated roots. In gym circles, Eurycoma longifolia Jack is commonly referred to as Longjack.^[17]