Muira puama 25X: root bark from the Amazon
Muira puama is the trade name of Ptychopetalum olacoides, a plant in the family Olacaceae that belongs to the Amazon rainforest. It grows as a shrub or small tree of around four metres, carrying leaves that are light green on top and dark brown underneath. Its flowers sit in short axillary racemes of four to six, and older descriptions compare their scent to jasmine. The root is tough and fibrous, a thin bark around a broad body of wood, with barely any smell to it. Brazilians call the plant marapuama, muirapuama or mirantã; in English it travels under the nickname potency wood.
The part used is the root bark. Communities along the Rio Negro have long used root and bark for a range of purposes, and from the 1930s onwards the plant was marketed in Europe as a product for men. That reputation deserves a plain word: clinical research on Ptychopetalum olacoides is limited and does not back those claims up. What you are buying is a herbal extract with a long tradition behind it, not a preparation with a demonstrated effect. In this extract the root bark has been concentrated 25 times, and the jar holds 3 grams.
Preparing it
Traditionally the root bark is simmered, because its constituents dissolve poorly in cold water. An extract makes that simpler: dissolve a small amount in a cup of hot water, stir it through and let it stand for a few minutes. The taste runs slightly salty and sharp, so a tea herb such as chamomile or a spoon of honey makes it easier going. Start with the smallest amount and see how you get on.
Storage and good to know
Keep the jar dry, dark and out of reach of children. Using herbs stays your own responsibility: do not combine this with medication, and ask your doctor if you are in any doubt. Avalon Magic Plants carries more extracts in the same 3 gram range, among them Bay Bean 25X, Combretum 25X (Sakae Naa), Kra Thum Khok 50X and Mucuna pruriens at 98% L-dopa.
