Botanical name: Ptycopetalum olacoides

Other name: marapuama, potency wood, raiz del macho, and potenzholz.

Muira puama, classified as a plant, utilizes its wood and roots for medicinal purposes. It is employed to prevent sexual disorders and enhance interest in sexual activity, serving as an aphrodisiac. Additionally, muira puama finds application in addressing issues like upset stomach, menstrual disorders, rheumatism-related joint pain, paralysis resulting from poliomyelitis, functioning as a general tonic, and stimulating the appetite. Some individuals also directly apply muira puama to the skin for aphrodisiac effects, as well as to alleviate rheumatism and muscle paralysis.

Muira puama has several health benefits and is normally recommended for:

Anemia.
The flu.
Diarrhea.
Swelling.
Rheumatism.
Low libido.
Cellulitis.
Stomach ache.
Reduced memory.
Menstrual cramps.
Stress and fatigue.
Poor blood circulation.
Intestinal dysfunctions.
Erectile dysfunction in men.
Muira puama can also be used to help treat sexual impotence or erectile dysfunction, due to its aphrodisiac properties and ability to improve blood circulation.

Muira puama is a bush that grows in the Amazon region. The wood and root are used to make medicine. Muira puama is used for sexual disorders, increasing sexual desire in healthy people, menstrual disorders, joint pain, and other conditions.

Muira puama (Ptychopetalum olacoides)
Depression, anxiety, and irritability are common side effects of age-induced testosterone deficiency. Muira puama has long been used by Amazonian people to manage various age-related conditions and support the body’s response to stress, and modern research shows that this reputation is well deserved. A recent rodent study conducted by Brazilian researchers showed that muira puama and the standard antidepressant drug, imipramine, were equally effective at alleviating symptoms of chronic mild stress-induced depression. Muira puama is marketed in Brazil as a “body stimulant, energetic, tonic, and aphrodisiac,” in combination with several other herbal extracts, including ginger and guarana (a source of caffeine).

Muira puama is reputed to enhance erectile function and orgasm in aging men suffering the effects of fatigue or age-related complaints. it is interesting to note that the plant contains sterols—the building blocks of sex hormones such as testosterone.

Muira puama may also alleviate age-related cognitive complaints. Muira puama acts as an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor. Acetylcholine is an important neurotransmitter involved in memory and cognition. One of the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease is a gradual decline in acetylcholine levels and the receptors for this neurotransmitter, especially in the hippocampus region of the brain.