Damiana Leaf – Loose Leaf – 25g – Lush Raw Hhttps://herbalhurleys.co.uk/herb/vhdamiana/erb Botanicals (Turnera diffusa)

Damiana leaf, 25g — the larger pack of Turnera diffusa. Same material and same grade as our 15g, in a quantity that suits regular use or blending.

Supplied as a raw botanical. This page covers what a bigger pack of an aromatic leaf actually means, because with volatile material the pack size changes how you should handle it.

• 100% pure — no fillers, no nonsense, just raw botanical excellence
• Ethically sourced and botanically processed
• Free from additives, preservatives or artificial ingredients
• Dried leaf, larger pack
• Supplied as raw botanical material

What is Turnera diffusa?

A small, much-branched woody shrub of 1 to 2 metres, native to southern Texas and the Lower Rio Grande region, through Mexico into Central America, the Caribbean and South America. Slender twiggy stems flush with new growth after seasonal rain.

The leaves are alternate, serrated along the margin and strongly aromatic. Small five-petalled yellow flowers open early to late summer, followed by a small capsule with a sweet, fig-like scent.

It sits in the Passifloraceae — the passion flower family — in the subfamily Turneroideae, having been moved there from its own former family Turneraceae on molecular evidence.

Is this different material from the 15g pack?

No. Same species, same grade, same processing. The only difference is quantity.

We state that plainly because the herb trade does not always. Larger packs are sometimes a lower grade sold on price, made from the fraction left after the best material has been sorted out for smaller retail packs. That is not what this is.

Why does pack size matter for an aromatic leaf?

Because the aroma is on the surface and it leaves through the top of the container.

Damiana holds a good deal of its aromatic fraction in trichomes — fine hairs on the leaf surface and young stems — rather than sealed inside the tissue. Surface-held aromatics are immediately available, which is why crushing a dried leaf releases so much scent. They are also the easiest kind to lose.

A 15g pack gets used up before that matters much. A 25g pack opened and closed repeatedly over months is exchanging air each time, and the volatile terpenoids go with it.

The practical answer is decanting. Once the vacuum seal is broken, move what you are not using imminently into a smaller airtight jar filled close to the top. Less headspace means less air, and less air means the aroma stays in the leaf rather than in the container.

How do you know it is still good?

Crush a pinch between finger and thumb. Damiana should give a strong, warm, spice-like smell most often compared to chamomile rather than to anything green.

That test is unusually reliable for this plant, precisely because the aroma sits on the surface. A supplier cannot hide poor material behind an intact leaf, and neither can bad storage. If there is no warm scent on crushing, the volatile fraction has gone, whatever the leaf looks like.

How do you judge dried damiana?

Stem is the specific thing to watch in a larger pack. Damiana is a twiggy shrub, stem is easy to include, and the aromatic trichomes are on leaf and young stem only. Woody twig is weight without aroma, and 25g gives it more room to hide.

What is false damiana?

A different species sold under the same name. Turnera ulmifolia — yellow alder — is a close relative, similar in appearance, widely grown as an ornamental, and chemically different.

The substitution is documented well enough that a peer-reviewed paper exists on distinguishing the two, using fluorescence, scanning electron microscopy, HPTLC and UPLC. The misidentification is reported to happen mostly in horticultural sales rather than herbal markets, which is reassuring rather than conclusive.

Buy on the binomial. Anything sold as damiana without Turnera diffusa attached could be ulmifolia.

Why do some suppliers say Turnera aphrodisiaca?

Because it was the accepted name for a long time and it persisted in trade. Turnera aphrodisiaca is a synonym; Turnera diffusa is the currently accepted binomial, and the two are generally regarded as the same plant in herbal commerce.

The old name records a nineteenth-century reputation rather than any botanical character, which is part of why it fell out of formal use.

Specification

How bulky is 25g?

Bulkier than the number suggests. Dried shrub leaf occupies far more volume per gram than root, bark or powder — 25g of damiana takes up substantially more space than 25g of pygeum or tamarind, and considerably more than a 25g pack of anything milled.

Worth knowing if you are decanting: choose the jar by volume rather than by weight, or you will find the material does not fit. A 25g pack of damiana needs roughly the jar you would reach for to hold 100g of a milled powder.

When is it harvested?

During flowering, which is the traditional timing across its range. Flowering runs early to late summer.

For an aromatic shrub the reasoning is straightforward: volatile terpenoid content in leaves generally peaks around flowering. There is a second advantage for a plant with a documented look-alike — five-petalled yellow flowers, serrate leaves and twiggy habit together make the species unmistakable in the field, so a collector working a stand in flower is far less likely to gather ulmifolia by mistake.

Why is it called old woman’s broom?

For the habit rather than any use. Damiana grows as a dense mass of slender twiggy stems radiating from the base, and a cut branch looks like a besom — a bundle of twigs bound at one end.

Its Spanish name oreganillo, little oregano, refers to the aroma instead. Both names describe the plant accurately, which is more than can be said for aphrodisiaca.

Where does it grow, and why does that matter?

On dry, warm, open ground — southern Texas and the Lower Rio Grande region, through northern and central Mexico into Central America and the Caribbean. Not forest, and not irrigated ground.

The twiggy habit and the seasonal flush of growth after rain are both adaptations to that pattern: the plant grows hard when water arrives and waits the rest of the year. Aromatic shrubs from dry country generally carry more volatile oil than the same species grown soft, because those compounds are defensive and a plant under pressure invests more in them.

It is one reason provenance is worth asking about for aromatic material in a way it is not for bulk leaf. Two packs of damiana from different ground can smell noticeably different without either being poor material, and the crush test is the only practical way to compare them.

What is in the plant?

Across the genus Turnera, researchers have identified 22 flavonoids — including apigenin and acacetin — along with maltol glucoside, phenolics, seven cyanogenic glycosides, monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, triterpenoids, the polyterpene ficaprenol-11, fatty acids and caffeine.

The terpenoids are what you smell. Flavonoids are colourless and contribute nothing to aroma; the warm spice character comes from the volatile terpenoid fraction held in the trichomes.

Listed as composition, not as a claim.

What is its recorded history?

Recorded rather than recommended.

Damiana is documented in Mexican tradition, and its best-known commercial appearance is in Mexican liqueurs — a traditional ingredient in a damiana liqueur used in margaritas in Baja California, where the bottle shape itself references the plant’s nineteenth-century reputation.

It appeared in nineteenth-century patent medicines under the old name Turnera aphrodisiaca, which is where both that reputation and that binomial come from. Modern botany dropped the name; the trade kept the association.

That is the documented record. We make no claims arising from it.

How this product is supplied

This is a raw botanical. It is supplied as loose dried leaf, and no preparation instructions are given on this page.

Because it is not supplied as a food, no allergen declaration or nutrition information is provided — those requirements attach to food, and this is raw material.

How should you store a 25g pack?

Cool, dry, dark and airtight — and decant after opening. Best before: see base of package. Because the aromatic fraction sits in surface trichomes rather than sealed inside the leaf, a large pack opened repeatedly over months loses scent faster than the same material in a small one. Move what you are not using imminently into a smaller jar filled close to the top.

Questions

Is the 25g pack the same material as the 15g?
Yes. Same species, same grade, same processing. Quantity is the only difference.

Should I decant it after opening?
Yes, if you will not get through it quickly. Damiana’s aroma sits in surface trichomes and leaves through the headspace. A smaller jar filled close to the top holds it far better than a large part-empty one.

How do I tell if it is still good?
Crush a pinch. A strong warm chamomile-like smell is right. Faint or dusty means the volatile fraction has gone, whatever the leaf looks like.

What is false damiana?
Turnera ulmifolia, yellow alder — a close relative, chemically different, grown mostly as an ornamental. A peer-reviewed paper exists on distinguishing the two. Buy on the binomial.

Is damiana related to passion flower?
Yes. It is in the Passifloraceae, subfamily Turneroideae, having been moved there from its own former family Turneraceae.

Why do some labels say Turnera aphrodisiaca?
It is a synonym that persisted in trade. Turnera diffusa is the currently accepted binomial.

How much space does 25g take up?
More than the weight suggests. Dried shrub leaf is bulky — choose a decanting jar by volume rather than by weight.

Why is there no allergen or nutrition information?
Because those requirements attach to food. This product is supplied as raw botanical material.

Can I return the packaging?
Yes. Wash it out and reuse it, or send ten empties back with free postage and take 10% off your next order.

How fast is delivery?
UK standard is 1–3 days at £2.95, free over £25. Next day is £9.95 on orders placed before 12 noon.

Our approach

We value the rich heritage of herbal traditions that spans centuries. Our interest in herbs is informed by both historical practices and modern understanding of botanicals.

We source our ingredients from carefully selected suppliers who follow sustainable harvesting and cultivation practices. Our production methods are designed to preserve the natural qualities of our botanicals through vacuum sealing and gentle processing techniques.

Sustainability

Our packaging is designed to be reused. Simply wash thoroughly after use.

Return 10 empty packages — free postage — for 10% off your next order.

Stocks are rotated annually. Please note packaging may vary as we update our product range.

Last updated: 8 September 2026.
Botanical data cross-checked against iNaturalist, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, published Turnera phytochemistry reviews and Passifloraceae phylogenetic literature.

Raw botanical material. Packaging may vary. No health claims made. Information on this website is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.