Ingredient supplier Pharmactive Biotech Products, S.L.U., recently launched a damiana (Turnera diffusa) extract branded as Liboost, which is formulated to enhance sexual function in men and women. The company released topline findings from an in vitro study, as well as consumer research, backing the ingredient’s use in both men and women.
 
According to the in vitro analysis, it was found that the damiana extract was able to modulate the activity of aromatase, an enzyme important in human sexual function. “In an in vitro study we conducted, we characterized three mechanisms of action that lie behind damiana’s abilities to boost sexual health,” said Daniel González-Hedström, senior scientific researcher at Pharmactive. “Luteolin-7-o-glucoside increases nitric oxide release in endothelial tissues of the male reproductive system, inducing vasodilatation via several molecular pathways. In females, NO release relaxes smooth muscle favoring normal sexual activity.”
 
Further, the ingredient inhibited an enzyme which degrades PDE-5, which also serves to induce smooth muscle relaxation. Its content of apigenin-7-O-glucoside and acacetin have anti-aromatase activity, which may lead to increased testosterone levels, the in vitro evidence suggests, according to González-Hedström.
 
A consumer study demonstrates prevalent levels of satisfaction with the ingredient in both men and women. A group of 60 male and female participants of a consumer study, between the ages of 25 and 60, were assigned to supplement with a daily dose of Liboost for four weeks. 40% of men reported better erectile function and sexual satisfaction, while 92% of women reported improvements in sexual appetite and function.
 
83% of participants from both sexes said that they would buy Liboost, and 85% of them reported that they would recommend it to friends and family, according to Pharmactive.
 
According to Pharmactive, evidence of damiana’s earliest recorded use suggests that it was used as an aphrodisiac by Mayans and Aztecs. More recently, it has been endorsed in traditional medicine as a tonic to boost well-being and hormonal balance. It entered use as a natural product to support sexual enhancement when it was rediscovered by ethnobotanists in the 1960s.
 
“In recent years, interest in the use of natural supplements for supporting healthy sexual activity has intensified,” said Jean Marie Raymond, CEO at Pharmactive. “Our genuine damiana extract is 100% traceable. This is important, as damiana extracts are among the most adulterated botanical products and typically are enriched with other extracts or chemicals. The sexual health market is saturated with supplement that have no scientific evidence defining biological activity, breakdown of the key bioactives, or proof of efficacy to back them.”
 
Pharmactive sources its damiana raw material from Mexico where the plant is native, and manufactures the extract in a cGMP-certified plant in Madrid. The extract is composed entirely of damiana leaves, and is standardized to contain a pool of flavonoids, including the two key molecules Luteolin 7-o- and apigenin 7-o- glucosides and acacetin. The compounds are analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography to ensure homogeneity and purity.