Pharmactive launches a novel damiana extract for male and female sexual health supplements

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Pharmactive Biotech Products S.L.U. (Madrid) is introducing a novel extract of damiana (Turnera diffusa) to support sexual health. The company calls the new Liboost ingredient “the first formulation to help enhance sexual function in both men and women.”

The company says it conducted both a consumer study showing benefits from the ingredient as well as an in vitro study to determine the ingredient’s ability to modulate aromatase, which is a key enzyme for human sexual function.

“According to traditional evidence and damiana’s earliest recorded use, the botanical was used centuries ago as an aphrodisiac by the Mayans and Aztecs,” the company says in a press release.

According to Daniel González-Hedström, senior scientific researcher for Pharmactive, “In an in vitro study we conducted, we characterized three mechanisms of action that lie behind damiana’s abilities to boost sexual health. Luteolin-7-o-glucoside increases nitric oxide (NO) release in the endothelial tissues of the male reproductive system, inducing vasodilatation via several molecular pathways. In females, NO release relaxes smooth muscle favouring normal sexual activity.”

He continues: “Liboost also inhibits an enzyme key to the degradation of cGMP (PDE-5), which also serves to induce smooth muscle relaxation. The naturally occurring apigenin-7-o-glucoside and acacetin content increase testosterone levels due to its anti-aromatase activity. These mechanisms have been shown to promote a healthy sexual appetite and boost performance.”

Pharmactive’s damiana supply is 100% traceable, the company says, which lends credence in the sexual health supplements market where ingredients often come under scrutiny. Pharmactive sources the raw material from Mexico. The ingredient comprises 100% damiana leaves extract and is multistandardized to a range of flavonoids, including luteonlin 7-o-glucoside and apigenin 7-o-glucoside and acacetin, biomolecules responsible for the ingredient’s ability to boost sexual appetite.

The consumer study that the company conducted on the ingredient involved 60 male and female participants aged 25-60. After four weeks of use, 40% of men reported better erectile function and sexual satisfaction, while 92% of women reported better sexual appetite and function, the firm says.