Before heading off to the Amazon, I had read everything I could find on reputed sex-enhancing plants from that region. Virtually every reference I found described the use of both catuaba (Erythroxylum catuaba) and muirapuama (Ptychopetalum olacoides) to increase libido and improve sexual function.

When Bernie and I arrived in Manaus, we discovered that the use of these two botanicals was more popular than we ever suspected. Throughout Manaus, a city in the heart of the jungle, which flourished during the great rubber boom of the mid-1800s, we found dozens of guarana stands which served mixed fruit smoothies with herbs.

"Super Sex Drink"
Guarana, the most popular caffeine-bearing plant in Brazil, was added to these drinks, along with other herbs. Every guarana stand offered an aphrodisiac drink, usually named "Super Sex Drink," containing about a heaping teaspoon of powdered catuaba and muirapuama combined.

When we asked the people who work at the guarana bars if their sex drinks were effective, they were quick to affirm their potency. As we sat at various guarana bars, we watched women and men order super sex drinks for themselves and second ones for their partners. Couples showed up together, ordered, winked at each other, and drank. It was clear that catuaba and muirapuama held distinguished positions in popular Brazilian culture.

In fact, few beneficial plants are as popular or as widely consumed among the natives of the northern Amazon river basin as the barks of catuaba and muirapuama. These two common trees grow widely from Peru to Brazil. Both have been used extensively by natives and non-natives for centuries, to increase libido and improve sexual potency. Due to the popularity of these two sex boosters, their harvesting and sale has become big business throughout Brazil.

Improved Erectile Function Reported
Science on these plants is still modest, but reports in scientific journals and at conferences have supported their use for sexual enhancement. In catuaba, a group of three alkaloids dubbed catuabine A, B and C are believed to enhance sexual function by stimulating the nervous system. In muirapuama, chemists have identified a group of sterols including beta-sitosterol, thought to be responsible for the herb's aphrodisiac effects. In one study using muirapuama, 51 percent of men with erectile problems reported improvement, and 62 percent experienced an increase in libido.