Great Sex, Naturally (29 page)

The root of the maca plant has been used for centuries in Peru to enhance sexual energy, and researchers have found a number of active compounds that may explain its effects. The aphrodisiac potential it holds for women is closely related to its effects on your hormones: it’s because of maca’s ability to both increase and regulate hormone production that many women who take it report increased libido. Maca can have even stronger aphrodisiac effects on men, which we’ll explore later in this book.

In addition to increasing your sex drive via your hormones, maca can also help relieve stress by supporting your adrenal glands and promoting reduction of your stress-hormone level, according to a study published in
Phytotherapy Research
in June 2004. The recommended dose for women is 1,000 mg twice daily. (The dose for men is higher, as you’ll discover in
Chapter 7
.) Research indicates maca is safe, and studies haven’t reported side effects.

Over-the-Counter Herbal Formulas as Aphrodisiacs

There are many herbal formulas on the market for enhancing your libido. Hot Plants for Her contains catuaba, maca, ashwagandha, rhodiola, and Siberian ginseng. As you’ve seen, catuaba is a traditional aphrodisiac, and maca can enhance your sexuality by boosting the activity of your entire hormonal system; ashwagandha, rhodiola, and Siberian ginseng can all support your libido by improving your adrenal-gland function, helping you adapt to stress, and increasing your sense of well-being.

Another herbal product, known as Women’s Libido, contains blue vervain, damiana, ginger, maca, sarsaparilla,
Tribulus terrestris
, and wild oats. For supplier information on either of these products, see
Appendix C
.

12.
Yohimbine.
Derived from the bark of the yohimbe tree native to West Africa, yohimbine is a powerful sexual stimulant. Its reputation as an aphrodisiac is due to the high content of yohimbine hydrochloride in the bark’s extractions. In both women and men, yohimbine increases blood flow and nerve impulses to the genitals. Research shows that it’s an effective treatment for those with sexual dysfunction due to the usage of antidepressant medications such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Yohimbine acts like a strong drug, so men who need extra erection support may want to choose it over other aphrodisiacs.

Yohimbine is controversial, and not safe for everyone, because of its high potential for toxicity. It has many possible adverse effects, and shouldn’t be used freely or without caution. As of this writing, yohimbine products are sold over-the-counter; you may find yohimbine under other names, including yohimbine HCl, yocon, and yohimex.

Yohimbine is also available from doctors as the prescription drug yohimbine hydrochloride. It’s highly recommended that you see a doctor trained in the use of yohimbine hydrochloride and use it within safe guidelines. If you take too much of yohimbine’s active ingredient, or take it along with any of the drugs known as monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), the side effects could include nausea, vomiting, anxiety, panic attacks, headaches, and dangerously high or low blood pressure. Avoid yohimbine if you’re pregnant or breast-feeding, or have liver disease, kidney disease, heart disease, high or low blood pressure, diabetes, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, or schizophrenia. Men with prostate problems should also avoid it.

There are important dietary restrictions to follow if you use yohimbine. Taking it along with certain herbs, or caffeinated drinks like coffee, tea, some soft drinks, maté, or guarana, could increase your risk of dangerously high blood pressure. It also shouldn’t be taken along with cheese, red wine, liver, decongestants, diet aids that contain the amino acid tyramine, chocolate, sauerkraut, beer, or soy sauce.

Again, if you take yohimbine, seek professional guidance. For enhancing a woman’s sexual function, the dose used by some researchers has been 6 mg daily, but it would be a good idea to start with 2 mg or less and increase to 6 mg daily only if needed. (See
Chapter 7
for dosage recommendations for men.)

“Gentler” Herbs for Your Treasure Trove of Pleasure

The herbal aphrodisiacs we’ve explored thus far have the potential to strongly influence your sexuality in many ways. At times, you may also want herbal enhancers that work more subtly to boost your libido. The following are two of the best in this category. They can relax your energy, lift your moods, and gently coax you and your partner into pleasure. Although they’re generally less intense than many other sex-enhancers in this chapter, it should be noted that they can be very individualistic in their effects; it’s possible that you’ll find them as stimulating as the aphrodisiacs we’ve explored in the preceding pages.

—
Kava kava.
The root of this plant has been used medicinally by Polynesians for thousands of years, often mixed with coconut juice. Kava kava has become popular worldwide for its ability to provide calming effects without hindering mental clarity. It can support your libido by relieving tension after a busy day, decompressing your nervous system, and allowing you to relax and get “in the mood” for sex. One effective over-the-counter product, Kava-Colada (made by Eclectic Institute) contains kava kava, dried coconut milk, and pineapple. The recommended daily dose is 600 to 1,200 mg.

Although millions of people have taken kava kava safely and without side effects, there have been some reports of liver toxicity. It appears these were due to either taking it in conjunction with pharmaceutical medications that have potential liver toxicity, or certain modern preparation methods that may result in higher toxicity. Kava kava should be taken only in appropriate doses that are properly prepared, and not in combination with prescription drugs or over-the-counter medications.

—
Ashwagandha.
The root of this South Asian plant, also known as
Indian ginseng
, has been widely used in Ayurvedic medicine for aphrodisiac and longevity-promoting purposes. Its active compounds can help increase your energy, yet at the same time facilitate your ability to sleep. Ashwagandha is a general nerve tonic with calming effects, and research shows that it can not only relieve anxiety but also treat depression. It additionally offers support for your adrenal glands, as well as anticancer, immunity-enhancing, and anti-inflammatory properties.

To use ashwagandha to boost your libido, it should be taken regularly for an extended time; it rejuvenates your sexual energy by gradually supporting your overall health. The recommended daily dose is 300 to 500 mg, standardized to contain 1.5 percent withanolides, taken in the morning.

Flower Power: Enhancing the Mood for Great Sex with Flower Essences

Flower essences are botanical remedies you can use to create a variety of gentle effects on your moods and emotions, such as feeling more relaxed, centered, or present in the moment. Some serve as “subtle aphrodisiacs” by helping nurture intimate emotions and release feelings that may prevent you from completely enjoying sex. The following remedies are recommended for enhancing sex by helping you get past emotional blocks you may experience. You can take them for a few days, or a few weeks; once you’ve made the desired emotional shift, stop taking the remedy.

—
Rock water.
Rock water is used for enhancing your libido if you feel sexually impeded by excessive self-discipline and control. It’s especially recommended for those with anxiety about sexual performance because of perfectionist tendencies, and to help open a person up to new insights and sexual feelings.

—
Pine.
If you grew up in an environment filled with negative messages about sex—that it’s “wrong,” or not to be enjoyed—pine remedy can help liberate your emotions and release old self-defeating thoughts. It’s recommended for people who, even in long-term relationships, don’t allow themselves to feel pleasure—or if they do, feel guilty afterward.

—
Mimulus.
Mimulus can help you summon feelings of courage if you’re experiencing ungrounded fears about sex—for example, if you feel afraid of failure or disgrace, or apprehensive around issues of performance. This flower essence can also be used for trepidation about a first sexual experience.

—
Crab apple.
Crab apple can help create healthy emotional shifts if you find sex to be somehow “unclean,” or imagine that your own natural bodily functions are impure. This remedy may assist in transforming these feelings so that not only sex, but everything else in your life, becomes more enjoyable.

Stimulating Your Passion with the Essential Secrets of Sensual Scents

Scents, sensuality, and your senses are deeply connected; your sense of smell gives you a direct channel to your limbic system, the “emotional center” of your brain—critical to your capacity for sexual attraction, intimacy, and love, as you discovered in
Chapter 1
. By way of your olfactory nerve, scents bypass your cerebral cortex—the conscious, rational part of your mind—and reach right into your moods and feelings. This is why scents can stir strong emotions and sexual responses before you become consciously aware of them, and why a simple scent, wafting through the air, can instantly bring back a flood of passionate memories. One patient described meeting her first love after a 20-year absence: “When we embraced, I took in his scent and suddenly felt an intensely powerful emotional pull.”

The speed with which scents can affect you, combined with their ability to evoke overwhelming sensual feelings, makes aromatherapy unique. Some essential oils are among the most immediate of all aphrodisiacs in their sex-enhancing effects, and for many women the most profoundly seductive. Essential oils can swiftly transform your mental and emotional landscape, shifting your awareness away from busy, analytical thoughts and creating a relaxed mood for romance and pleasure. They can expand your erotic horizons and reshape your physical responses. Using an essential oil when you have sex can “teach” your limbic system to associate that scent with pleasure, further heightening its future stimulating effects. And of course, essential oils can also enhance sex by deeply affecting your partner—and making you more alluring to him.

Scents from natural essential oils have been used as aromatherapy throughout history for their aphrodisiac potential, and many not only have eroticizing effects but also give you health benefits. Let’s look at four of the most time-tested essential oils used for generating desire and pleasure:

—
Ylang-ylang.
Traditionally used as a perfume, the oil produced by ylang-ylang flowers has a rich, succulent scent and a great reputation for inducing sensual moods and erotic experiences. In Indonesia, where ylang-ylang is highly regarded as an aphrodisiac, the beautiful yellow blossoms are strewn on newlyweds’ beds. Its compelling fragrance, believed to have narcotic-like effects, may also be a sexual restorative; according to some sources, it nourishes sexual chi by acting on the adrenal glands. Since it has both relaxing and uplifting qualities, ylang-ylang is sometimes recommended for dispelling feelings of anxiety about sex.

—
Jasmine.
Because its flowers bloom only during nighttime, jasmine is also known as “Queen of the Night”—a fitting moniker for a plant used since ancient times to elicit sexual desire. The essential oil extracted from the strongly scented flowers, which contains a compound similar to musk, exudes an aroma often described as intoxicatingly sweet and sensual. Its euphoric effect is created, in part, by supporting the release of “feel-good” brain chemicals such as endorphins. Jasmine essential oil can be used to increase positive feelings, foster sexual confidence, create a more sensual ambience, and rouse passion.

—
Lemon balm.
Also known as
melissa
, lemon balm is a member of the mint family, characterized by beautifully veined, heart-shaped leaves. The essential oil of this wonderful herb, often of particular benefit for women, has traditionally been used to enhance libido, elevate moods, soothe nerves, and restore inner equilibrium. (Several modern studies have shown that it can help reduce anxiety and promote sleep.) It’s also recommended in aromatherapy for nurturing your emotions, opening your heart, and cultivating a greater sense of freedom to express your innermost feelings. In addition to using the essential oil on your skin, lemon balm can be taken as a tea, allowing you to ingest its oils and let them work from within. You can gently support your body, mind, and spirit by drinking a few cups of the tea daily; to make it, steep one teaspoon of the dried herb in a cup of boiling water for ten minutes, and strain.

Lemon balm.

—
Sandalwood.
An ancient aphrodisiac, sandalwood has a woody scent that’s both pungent and enticing. Some women and men tend to find sandalwood highly attractive, perhaps because it contains compounds similar to human pheromones—scents our bodies produce that trigger sexual responses in others (which we’ll explore in the following section). Sandalwood has long been used for meditative purposes, but it’s also a captivatingly erotic fragrance that seems to quiet the mind and focus sensual awareness on the here and now. It’s ideal for those who become easily distracted during sex and need assistance turning their thoughts inward to the realm of sensing and feeling.