What is it?
An extract of the bark and stems of muira puama, Ptychopetalum olacoides, a small tree native to the Amazon region, also called marapuama. Its roots and bark are a traditional Amazonian remedy, usually taken as a tea or alcohol infusion and sold in supplements; bark and root decoctions have also been applied to the skin as washes or poultices. In cosmetics the extract is listed as a skin-conditioning ingredient.
Key information
- In a 2018 analysis of muira puama bark, the alkaloids magnoflorine and menisperine made up about 76 percent of the compounds measured.
- Studies in mice found that muira puama extract taken by mouth inhibits acetylcholinesterase in brain areas involved in memory and thinking.
- The safety of muira puama during pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established.
- We found no safety assessment of muira puama extract by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review or the EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety, and no skin irritation or allergy studies.
More information
Muira puama is a tree of the olax family (Olacaceae). Amazonian communities have long used its roots and bark as a “nerve tonic” and for depression and sexual dysfunction, and capsules of the powdered root or bark are sold commercially. The root bark yields a volatile oil containing alpha-pinene, beta-caryophyllene, humulene and camphor, and the plant also contains long-chain fatty acids, sterols and coumarin. A 2018 analysis found that alkaloids dominate the bark: magnoflorine and menisperine made up about 76 percent of the compounds measured, while phenolic compounds such as luteolin and ferulic acid were minor.
Most research on muira puama concerns its effects on the brain in laboratory animals. In mice given an ethanol extract by mouth, it inhibited acetylcholinesterase in brain areas involved in memory and thinking. A 2020 review of psychiatric and neurological side effects of plants used as sexual enhancers found only a few for muira puama, all in animal studies (reduced movement and memory impairment), and concluded that most of the plants it covered appeared safe at therapeutic doses, while noting that data for several of them are scarce. The safety of taking muira puama during pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established.
None of this research looked at skin. We found no skin irritation or allergy studies of the extract and no safety assessment by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) or the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety. On labels it appears as Ptychopetalum Olacoides Bark/Stem Extract.
Sources: Pharmaceuticals (2020): Pharmacology of Herbal Sexual Enhancers: A Review of Psychiatric and Neurological Adverse Effects; Natural Product Research (2018): Qualitative and quantitative analysis of chemical constituents of Ptychopetalum olacoides Benth; University of Texas at El Paso Herbal Safety: Muira Puama
