Popularly Known As Potency Wood, Muira Puama Is A Small Tree That Commonly Grows Along The Banks Of Brazils Amazon River Although Some May Be Found In Other Parts Of The Amazonian Rainforest. Muira Puama Has Been Used Historically As A Medicine. Almost All Its Parts Have Purposes That Are More Or Less Geared Towards Herbal Medicine And Traditional Healing.The PlantThe Muira Puama Plant Has A Woody Stem That Reaches Up To 5 Cm High. It Produces Small, White Flowers That Release A Pungent Fragrance Reminiscent Of The Scent Of Yet Another White Flower-bearing Plant, Jasmine. There Are Only Two Species Of Small Trees Under The Genus, Ptychopetalum. One Variety, P. Olacoides, Grows In The Tropical Parts Of America, Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, And Suriname. The P. Uncinatum Is Found Only In Brazil.Health BenefitsThe Indigenous People Living In The Amazon Basin Have Been Using Muira Puama Medicinally. The Stems And Roots Of Young Plants Were Used As Tonics To Treat Neuromuscular Problems. The Natives Also Used A Root Decoction In Baths And Massages. It Was Believed To Have Therapeutic Effects On Paralysis And Beri-beri.The Root And Bark Of The Muira Purama Was Taken To Treat Sexual Debility, For Which It Got Its Name As The Potency Wood. It Is Regarded As An Aphrodisiac, One Whose Powers Are Reportedly Increased When Used With Another Brazilian Tree, Catuaba. Aside From That, Tea Made From The Bark And Roots Of The Plant Was Used To Treat Rheumatism, Grippe, And Cardiac And Gastrointestinal Weakness. When The Early European Explorers Observed The Many Benefits Of Muira Puama, They Brought It Back With Them When They Returned To Their Respective Countries. The Plant Is Still Listed Today In The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, A Noted Herbal Medicine Source From The British Herbal Medicine Association. In Europe, Muira Puama Is Used To Treat Impotence, Infertility, Nerve Pain, Menstrual Disturbance, And Rheumatism. Later The Practice Of Using This Plant As Treatment Was Adopted In Germany Where It Was Used For Hookworms And In The United States Where Traditional Herbalists And Health Practitioners Used It To Relieve Central Nervous System Disorders.Advances In Modern Science Led To More Discoveries Made About The Muira Puama Plant. Researchers Have Found That The Root And The Bark Of The Plant Are Rich In Fatty Acids And Fatty Acid Esters, Especially Behenic Acid. Also, Muira Puama Was Said To Contain Lots Of Essential Oils, Including Beta-caryophyllene And Alpha-humulene, Plant Sterols, Triterpenes With Lupeol, And A New Alkaloid, Which They Named Muirapuamine. All These Constituents Were Reported To Be The Ones Responsible For All The Therapeutic Benefits Of The Muira Puama Plant.Many Clinical Trials Were Conducted To Prove The Medicinal Benefits Of The Plant. And While There Is Little Concrete Evidence That Muira Puama Could Treat Impotency, One Study Was Able To Prove That Treatment Using The Plant Could Resulted In A Positive Effect. In Brazil, The Plant Was Reported To Have A Permanent Effect In Locomotor Ataxia, Neuralgias Of Long Standing, Chronic Rheumatism, And Partial Paralysis.Muira Puama Is Also Said To Be Effective In Treating Disorders Affecting The Central Nervous System. Research Showed That An Extract From The Root Of The Plant Can Relieve Physical And Mental Fatigue. TOTAL WORD COUNT - 543KEYWORDS "Muira Puama" - 13 (density 2.4)
