Healthy Lifestyle

IT is reported in studies that women have more sexual problems than men, of which the most common complaints are desire and arousal.

Reduced sexual drive is due to psychological and/or physiological reasons. Psychological factors include stress at work or home, the changing relationship with one’s sexual partner, the changes in the woman’s life after just becoming a mother or turning menopausal.

A woman’s sexual health is also impacted with changes in hormone levels. As she ages, her level of oestrogen starts to drop and this causes problems like vagina dryness which can cause pain during sexual intercourse.

Young women prone to recurrent urinary tract infection or vaginal infection may also be less than willing to participate in active sexual practices.

Talking to a counsellor or with one’s sexual partner and managing stress levels may help to restore sexual desire. Drugs are a common culprit that can also cause loss of desire.

To find out of if your medication is affecting your love life, check with your pharmacist or family doctor. Medical problems should be set right by your doctor in order to restore sexual health.

While there are claims for traditional herbal aphrodisiacs, do these really work? As in the case of herbs which have a multitude of chemical components, it is relatively difficult to assess what, which and how these chemicals work in the body.

Herbal usage even to this day relies heavily on empirical observations. Aphrodisiacs are defined as substances that increase or stimulate sexual desire. Popular herbal aphrodisiacs available on pharmacy shelves include:

Horny Goat Weed (Epimedium sagittatum)

This herb was so named when mountain herders noticed that goats became more sexually active after feeding on its leaves. It belongs to the family of Epimedium that grows wild at high altitudes in Asia.

Horny Goat Weed is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine as a sexual tonic for both men and women.

Studies conducted on these herbs are mainly from Chinese researchers and it is believed that the natural chemicals present in the herb may improve erectile function in men and stimulate the sensory nerves, thus heightening sexual desire. As this herb has a historical usage of 2,000 years, it is relatively safe. According to traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, Horny Goat Weed is the king of all herbal aphrodisiacs.

Damiana (Turnera diffusa)

Damiana comes from the rainforest and was used as an aphrodisiac in the ancient Mayan civilisation. Damiana leaf and damiana elixirs were listed in the US National Formulary for improving sexual health in men and women. Only one animal study has been conducted on this herb that shows it increases the rate of ejaculation and makes rats more sexually active.

Muira puama (Liriosma ovata)

This herb is mentioned in the British Herbal Pharmacopeia for the treatment of dysentery and impotence. A French study reports of improved erectile function and enhancement of sexual desire among 262 male patients who complained of low libido and the ability to maintain an erection.

Puncture vine (Tribulus terrestris)

The hard seeds of the herb literally puncture bicycle tyres and your soles as well if you step on them barefoot. A 2002 study by the National University of Singapore confirmed that the herb has aphrodisiac properties when administered to normal and castrated rats.

Herbalists may combine non-aphrodisiac herbs such as these with aphrodisiacs to enhance their effect on the reproductive or nervous system. They include withania, ginkgo and panax ginseng that have the ability to improve blood circulation especially in the smaller blood vessels to improve or maintain an erection and to restore a sex drive that has been affected by stress, hormonal imbalance and fatigue.

While it is comforting to know that herbal aphrodisiacs are available and generally safe, the most overlooked factor is that sexual well-being is very much contributed by a poor diet and unhealthy lifestyle.

High saturated fat diets are detrimental to sexual well-being as oxidised fats can clog arteries in the genital area which reduce blood flow and sensitivity of sensory nerves affecting sexual arousal and desire.

Stress management is important as stress disrupts sleep and affects testosterone levels which are required for both male and female sexual drive.

Source: New Straits Times