How to Grow Damiana

Damiana Bush

Damiana is a shrub grown throughout Mexico, Central and South America, the West Indies and Africa. Traditionally herbalists used the fragrant leaves medicinally for a number of ailments. The plant flowers in mid- to late summer with little yellow blossoms that are followed by figlike fruit. Damania grows as a bush and will get anywhere from 3 to 6 feet tall, so it needs to be grown in the back of your landscaping.

Instructions

1. Sow the Damiana seeds in regular potting soil, dampen, and place in a sunny and warm spot for germination. Keep them indoors until the outside air is thoroughly warm and there is no danger of frost at all. The native habitat for this plant is tropical and pretty humid.

2. Choose a sunny spot where the Damiana plant will get from 8 to 10 hours of sun a day. It prefers the tropical heat of the southern growing regions and is not frost hardy. It can be grown farther north provided it gets enough sun and is protected from the cold against the southern-facing side of the house. It has been successfully grown indoors as a house plant. If the roots get large enough, it can survive a winter freeze although everything above ground will die.

3. Provide the plant with a moist, rich humus to grow in. That being said, the Damiana plant is very hardy and can grow in sandy soil almost as well as rich soil. It does need to have good drainage in whatever soil it grows in, so build up your soil with extra sand or compost, depending on what you started with.

4. Prune back the straggly shoots to keep the bush in a more pleasing form. Save the leaves to dry for tea. If you are in an area where the winters will be too cold, keep the plant in a pot in the ground so you can easily pull it up and bring it indoors to a greenhouse or sunny room when the weather turns cool.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Plants for a Future