The smoking of plants is an ancestral tradition for almost all lineages. What our ancestors were smoking and why is, however, differs from place to place. 

In Mexico and other parts of the Americas, smoking Damiana has been honored for centuries for its relaxing and arousing properties, earning it the nickname “flor de amor” or “flower of love. 

Inhalation and exhalation is our sacred life force. Our breath is no less vital than our blood. It serves to both separate and connect us to the spirit realm. Smoking herbs and plants has been used for millennia across cultures as a way to connect to the more than this material world. Damiana is no exception. 

Known in Mexico as the “flower of love,” smoking Damiana leaf is a time-honored tradition that has enveloped Mexico, Central and South America for centuries. Among its many uses over the years include as aphrodisiac, mood enhancer and sleep enhancer. This is because smoking Damiana leaf puts us in a relaxed state, and from that relaxed state, we are able to be the best version of ourselves, we are able to rest and also create. 

Smoking Damiana has been practiced for so long because it is effective in reaching deeply relaxed states. There is evidence of Damiana being used in Mayan sleep temples across Southern Mexico and into Guatemala. People would smoke Damiana and use it in salves because it was said to help reach heightened levels of consciousness, such as lucid dreaming. 

Damiana is so healing that studies are being conducted to determine how Damiana’s natural effects stand against common anti-anxiety medications, which are labeled as dangerous due to high levels of addiction in chronic users. One of the most curious gifts of Damiana is that it functions by relaxing and enhancing mood, and is considered a stimulating nervine, actually repairing overstimulated and taxed nerve tissue. Without the need for caffeine, smoking Damiana can improve energy and increase arousal of all kinds.

Flor de Amor founder, Noel Cianci, has a respectful relationship with Damiana. She cultivates it on her farm in Baja California Sur, literally living and breathing the plant. 

“Personally, I love smoking Damiana, blended with cannabis, it takes me to a more honest, lucid, authentic place where I feel more of a heart opening experience,” says Noel Cianci, founder of Flor de Amor. “

 I think it helps with intimacy as well, taking the journey in a ceremonial direction, where I can embody a more sacred space in my body, easing my anxiety. In short it's an adaptogenic herb so while it works on your sexual health, it also embraces your mind and helps relax you, that’s why the Mayans used it in ceremony and burned damiana incense, too.” 

Completely free of nicotine, tar and any other additives, Flor de Amor Damiana smoke blend is purely dried plants from our farm in Baja California Sur, Mexico. The leaves can be mixed with natural tobacco or other plant allies. Roll it up, or even put it in a pipe. 

The Damiana ritual begins in the earth. As it gently intoxicates the senses, it flows through the body and into the mind. A ceremony with Damiana smoke can be intimate or communal. It can be frequent or occasional. As one of Mexico’s most magical herbs, Damiana wants to work with you and for you. The invitation is to trust her wisdom and trust that the frequency of your mind, body and spirit can learn something from her. Level up with Damiana smoke. 

There are plant allies flourishing in every country on Earth. Ancient humans learned from them and passed on the most healing and most potent varieties through the lineages. 

 As people look for ways to escape the symptom-treating nature of allopathic medicine and look deeper into what truly works with the body in a sustainable manner, we see the Western world experiencing a sort of plant renaissance. 

We are coming home to ourselves, with our herbs and plant allies guiding the way.