Muira puamaPtychopetalum olacoides

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• Two closely related trees are sold as muira puama: Ptychopetalum olacoides, the species in Raintree products, and its cousin P. uncinatum; a third plant, Liriosma ovata, has been sold under the name too^{[2, 4]}.

• In Brazil the plant has several names, including marapuama, muirapuama and mirantã^{[2, 5]}.

• Muira puama was included in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia of 1956^[2].

• Its leaves are two-toned: light green on top and dark brown underneath^[2].

• Its small flowers grow in short clusters of four to six, where the leaves meet the stem^[2].

• Besides tea, traditional preparations include decoctions of the root used in baths and massages^[2].

Origins and history

Muira puama is a shrub or small tree, usually about 13 feet (4 m) tall, with light brown roots^[2]. It belongs to the wet tropical forests of the northeastern Amazon and the Guianas: its natural range runs from French Guiana, Suriname and Guyana into northern Brazil^{[1, 2]}.

The botanist George Bentham described the genus Ptychopetalum and this species in 1843, in the London Journal of Botany^{[1, 3]}. Its common names are Brazilian Portuguese: muira puama, also written muirapuama, and marapuama^{[2, 5]}. The same names are also used for a related species, Ptychopetalum uncinatum, which is sold as muira puama too^{[2, 4]}. In 1921 the plant and its root were the subject of a detailed botanical study published in the United States^[2], and by 1956 muira puama had a place in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia^[2].

In Brazil, the traditional way to use muira puama is simple. The root is simmered in water and drunk as a tea, and the stems and roots have long been taken as a tonic^[2]. Decoctions of the root were also added to baths or rubbed on in massages^[2]. The root and wood are the parts most often used^[4].

Traditional uses

Clinical studies of muira puama in people are still few, but its traditional use in Brazil is long and consistent: it is a tonic, taken to restore energy and vigor.

• A root tea

  The root is simmered in water and drunk as a tea.^[2]

• Energy and vitality

  Muira puama is a traditional Brazilian tonic. Muira puama supports energy and vitality.*^{[2, 4]}

• Healthy libido

  This is muira puama's best-known traditional role. Muira puama supports healthy libido.*^{[2, 4]}

• Appetite and digestion

  The root tea has also been taken to support a healthy appetite and digestion. Muira puama supports healthy digestion.*^{[2, 4]}

Plant compounds

Muira puama root contains an essential oil rich in terpenes, including α-pinene, β-pinene, β-caryophyllene and α-humulene^{[2, 6]}. The plant also contains plant sterols, long-chain fatty acids, resin acids and alkaloids^{[2, 6]}.