Herb library · Herb · Ptychopetalum olacoides
Muira puama
A Brazilian wood sold in sexual-enhancement and "tonic" supplements. It has not been tested on its own in people; the few human studies used mixtures of several herbs, so they cannot say what muira puama itself does.
Traditional use
Used in the Amazon as a "nerve tonic" and an aphrodisiac. By the 1890s American pharmacy books listed it as a reputed aphrodisiac whose botanical source was unknown. Today it is sold, usually in blends, for libido and erectile function.
What studies show
No studies in people of this herb on its own yet. What is known of it comes from the traditions that use it.
- Insufficient
Sexual function: no study has tested muira puama alone in people. An uncontrolled study of 202 women taking a muira puama and ginkgo product (Herbal vX) reported higher sexual-function scores after a month, and a small uncontrolled pilot in men took a four-part blend (Revactin); neither can separate muira puama's part from the rest.
- Insufficient
Memory and mood: lab and animal studies only.
Be careful of
Cautions
- NoteIn a 28-day study in healthy volunteers, the four-herb mixture Catuama, which includes muira puama, caused no severe adverse reactions or changes in blood tests. Muira puama on its own has not been studied for safety in people.
- InteractionA 2020 review of herbal sexual enhancers, muira puama among them, found most appear safe at usual doses but warned of drug interactions, since these products are often taken with other herbs or medicines, and of adverse effects from overdose or unstandardized products.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“A Brazilian wood containing an alkaloid, and reputed strongly aphrodisiac. Its botanical source is unknown (Bull. of Pharm., 1892).”
Sources
- Effects of Herbal vX on libido and sexual activity in premenopausal and postmenopausal women (Adv Ther, 2000) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Safety and efficacy of daily Revactin(®) in men with erectile dysfunction: a 3-month pilot study (Transl Androl Urol, 2018) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Clinical toxicology study of an herbal medicinal extract of Paullinia cupana, Trichilia catigua, Ptychopetalum olacoides and Zingiber officinale (Catuama) in healthy volunteers (Phytother Res, 2005) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Ptychopetalum olacoides, a traditional Amazonian "nerve tonic", possesses anticholinesterase activity (2003) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Pharmacology of Herbal Sexual Enhancers: A Review of Psychiatric and Neurological Adverse Effects (Pharmaceuticals, 2020) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.