Editing Turnera diffusa (section)

{{Short description|Species of shrub}}
{{Redirect|Damiana|the restaurant in Mexico|Damiana (restaurant)}}
{{Speciesbox
|image = Turnera diffusa var. aphrodisiaca 002.JPG
|image_caption = ''Turnera diffusa'' var. ''aphrodisiaca''
|genus = Turnera
|species = diffusa
|authority = [[Carl Ludwig Willdenow|Willd.]] ex [[Josef August Schultes|Schult.]]<ref name="ITIS">{{ITIS |id=22215 |taxon=''Turnera diffusa'' |access-date=2011-01-29}}</ref>
|subdivision_ranks = Varieties
|subdivision_ref = <ref name="GRIN">{{GRIN | access-date=2012-01-03}}</ref>
|subdivision = ''T. d.'' var. ''aphrodisiaca'' <small>(G.H.Ward) [[Ignatz Urban|Urb.]]</small><br />
''T. d.'' var. ''diffusa''
|synonyms_ref=<ref>{{cite web |url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:836578-1#synonyms |title=''Turnera diffusa'' Willd. ex Schult. |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=2017 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher=Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |access-date=4 September 2020 }}</ref>
|synonyms={{collapsible list|
* ''Bohadschia humifusa'' <small>C.Presl</small>
* ''Bohadschia microphylla'' <small>Griseb.</small>
* ''Triacis microphylla'' <small>(Desv.) Griseb.</small>
* ''Turnera aphrodisiaca'' <small>Ward</small>
* ''Turnera diffusa'' var. ''aphrodisiaca'' <small>(Ward) Urb.</small>
* ''Turnera humifusa'' <small>Endl. ex Walp.</small>
* ''Turnera microphylla'' <small>Desv.</small>
* ''Turnera pringlei'' <small>Rose</small>
  }}
}}
[[File:Turnera diffusa var. aphrodisiaca 001.JPG|thumb|''Turnera diffusa'' var. ''aphrodisiaca'' foliage and inflorescence]]
[[File:DamianaLiqueur.jpg|thumb|A bottle of Damiana [[liqueur]]. The shape of the bottle is modeled after that of a pregnant mother, a reference to Daminana's supposed aphrodisiac effect.]]

'''''Turnera diffusa''''', known as '''damiana''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=TUDI|taxon=Turnera diffusa|accessdate=12 December 2015}}</ref> is a [[shrub]] native to southern [[Texas]] in the United States,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8cEq7weUPYYC |title=Trees, Shrubs, and Cacti of South Texas
|first=J. H. |last=Everitt |author2=Dale Lynn Drawe |author3=Robert I. Lonard  |publisher=Texas Tech University Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-89672-473-0 |page=208}}</ref> Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. It belongs to the family [[Passifloraceae]].<ref name="GRIN"/>

Damiana is a relatively small, woody shrub that produces small, aromatic flowers. It blossoms in early to late summer, followed by fruits that taste similar to figs. The shrub is said to have a strong spice-like odor somewhat like [[chamomile]], due to the aromatic compounds present in the plant.<ref>{{cite book |first=Eduard |last=Gildemeister |author2=Friedrich Hoffmann  |editor=Edward Kremers |title=The Volatile Oils |volume=3 |edition=2 |year=1922 |publisher=Wiley |page=183}}</ref>

Damiana is traditionally used in [[Mexico|Mexican]] [[Liqueur|liqueurs]] and [[Margarita|margaritas]], historically featured in 19th-century [[Patent medicine|patent medicines]] as an alleged [[aphrodisiac]], and today is valued in [[Herbal tea|herbal teas]] and [[smoking]] blends for its [[Anxiolytic|calming]] and mild [[Psychoactive drug|psychoactive]] effects. It contains a complex mix of [[Phytochemical|phytochemicals]]—including [[Flavonoid|flavonoids]] like [[apigenin]] and [[acacetin]], [[Terpenoid|terpenoids]], [[Phenolic content in tea|phenolics]], cyanogenic [[Glycoside|glycosides]], and others. It serves as a [[Host (biology)|host plant]] for the Mexican fritillary (''[[Euptoieta hegesia]]''), a [[butterfly]].

Many [[Plant|plants]] and [[seeds]] sold as ''T. diffusa'' are actually ''Turnera ulmifolia'' (“false damiana”), a different [[species]] with different [[Chemical property|chemical properties]] and uses, and this misidentification mostly happens in [[Horticulture|horticultural]] sales, not in [[Herbal medicine|herbal product]] markets.