GHS Natural Health Blog

For hundreds of years the exotic herb Damiana (Turnera diffusa) has been used as an aphrodisiac. These days, Damiana’s reported effects on male libido are thought to be due to its excellent ability to calm nervousness, anxiety and excitement.

What causes flagging libido?

Many factors affect libido, including your state of mind and diet. Low sexual desire can be a result of psychological problems or physical conditions. In order to find an effective solution, it is important to identify what has triggered it.

Possible causes include:

• Age. As you get older, many changes in the body occur that can affect sexual desire.
• Anxiety and stress. If you suffer from either of these conditions, it may cause temporary or more long-term decrease in sex drive, depending on the amount of stress or anxiety being experienced. This often leads to increased alcohol and tobacco consumption, both will also have a negative effect on libido.
• Medications. Certain medications, such as antihistamines, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, tranquillizers and appetite suppressants, may affect your sexual desire
• Health conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, endocrine or neurological disorders and chronic pain, can also affect libido.
• Insomnia or inadequate amounts of sleep cause fatigue and reduced sexual desire.
  

It is important to understand the underlying cause of low libido. Sometimes there is a direct emotional cause which needs treatment and damiana is excellent in this regard. Sometimes the physical cause is simply exhaustion or adrenal tiredness and in these instances herbs such as ginseng can assist. Of course whatever the cause maintaining a healthy diet is vital plenty of nuts, seeds, brown grains, fresh fruits and vegetables.

Traditional use

Damiana is a small shrub that produces yellow flowers and grows throughout South America. It has been used for centuries by traditional native healers as a sexual enhancer and antidepressant. The Mexican Indians used it to support the nervous system and promote healthy sexual function. The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia cites indications for the use of damiana for ‘anxiety neurosis with a predominant sexual factor, depression, nervous dyspepsia, atonic constipation, and coital inadequacy.’ Damiana has also been known to help balance hormones in females, rejuvenating sexual weakness. Modern Mexicans drink an alcoholic beverage made of Damiana, popularly known as ‘the liquor for lovers’. It is also frequently prescribed by herbalists as a nerve tonic.

How does it work?

It’s hardly surprising that the plant is linked to such a wide range of therapeutic actions considering the numerous active ingredients it contains, these include fl avonoids, resins and tannin, which help stimulate many of your body’s biological processes. Damiana works to improve sexual dysfunction in men in a similar way to Viagra. It relaxes the small muscles within the artery walls of the arteries of the penis and allows more blood to pass through the arteries, which is what causes an erection. A study by Argentinian scientists, reported in the journal of Phytomedicine in November 2003, found that Damiana relaxed the arteries of the penis by 90 per cent on average, whereas Viagra caused only a moderate degree of relaxation – barely reaching 46 per cent. Laboratory studies suggest Damiana may interfere with blood sugar levels, so if you have a blood sugar condition, seek the advice of your healthcare professional before taking the herb.

A Nobel Prize winning factor

While many products claim to boost libido by increasing testosterone levels, this is not generally the problem with poor libido. Scientists earned a Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1998 when they discovered the relationship between nitric oxide and blood vessels, low nitric oxide being the more likely cause of low libido. Nitric oxide is produced in response to messages from the brain, they trigger the release of nitric acid, which causes the smooth muscles of the spongy tissues inside the penis to relax and fill with blood, making an erection possible. Many men who are experiencing erectile dysfunction do not need to take prescription drugs; they simply need to increase their production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is produced in various areas of the body, with one important area being in the walls of the arteries. Build up of plaque in the arteries can slow down the production of nitric oxide and also contribute to blocking the flow of blood to the sexual organs.

Other herbs for boosting sex drive

Sex can be a diminishing aspect in people’s lives, due to demanding lifestyles, stress and age. Herbal solutions may not address all the problems, however they can start the process and, at the very least, may help boost your energy levels. Two of the best herbs for increasing nitric oxide levels are Korean ginseng and Ginkgo biloba. They also act as overall body tonics and combat fatigue and stress, two of the most well known passion killers.

• Korean ginseng: This has been used in China as a sexual tonic for over 7000 years and is the world’s most popular herbal supplement. Ginseng is taken for its ability to boost energy and sex drive. It does this by combating fatigue and physical and emotional stress. It also acts as a general blood tonic to improve blood flow. In double-blind clinical trials, 60 per cent of men with erectile dysfunction experienced improvements after taking a ginseng extract for just eight to twelve weeks. Scientists have identified active constituents, especially ginsenosides, which may be responsible for some of ginseng’s antioxidant and health preserving properties. Ginsenosides have been shown in laboratory studies to increase the release of nitric oxide in erectile tissue.
• Ginkgo biloba: Ginkgo is used to improve blood flow around the body, including blood flow to the penis. In Chinese medicine it is frequently prescribed for low sex drive and has now become popular worldwide. It has many other benefits, but in terms of improving libido, its main function is the help it gives to blood flow.

Case Study

Megan, aged 27, visited her natural health practitioner because she was concerned about the irregularity of her periods over the past year and an unexplained 10kg weight gain. Megan ate well, exercised two to three times a week for 30 minutes, had always had a regular menstrual cycle and considered herself a ‘healthy person’. Megan had put her latest health issues down to stress. However she now wanted to start a family and after four months of trying unsuccessfully to conceive, it was time to seek help. Megan was diagnosed with a luteal phase defect and prescribed False Unicorn root, the aim being to first regulate Megan’s cycle. After four months of taking 2700 mg False Unicorn daily, her cycle was regulated. Five months after that Megan conceived and subsequently gave birth to a healthy son.

Recommended for women with a history of miscarriage it is generally recommended to take False Unicorn for the first half of your cycle prior to ovulation and then Chaste Tree after ovulation until menstruation occurs.

Visit Global Herbal Supplies for a full range of herbs

Article thanks to Herbs and Health Magazine Australia

With the average age of first-time Australian mums increasing, many couples concerned about their ability to conceive are seeking natural ways to boost their fertility.

While you can’t turn back time, you can effectively reduce your biological age by two years if you follow a healthy diet and supplement with essential fertility nutrients and herbs for at least four months before conception, claims leading fertility expert Francesca Naish.

The benefits of supplementing

In addition to vitamins, minerals and other nutrients, various herbal extracts can help to balance hormone levels and promote fertility. As well as helping the body do what comes naturally, they are also beneficial for your overall health. Herbs contain antioxidants and other important compounds that boost immune function, fight off illness and benefit your cardiovascular system, to name a few! So you are not only boosting fertility, you are promoting general wellness at the same time. Often a combination of herbal extracts is the most effective tool, each working synergistically with the other.

Tribulus (Tribulus terrestris): Better known for its perceived benefits in building muscle, the positive effects this herb has on both male and female fertility are sometimes overlooked. Tribulus acts as a general fertility tonic and aphrodisiac and is used to restore vitality and reduce the physiological effects of stress.

In one study, Tribulus extract given at a dose of 750 mg per day for five days, demonstrated an increase in sex hormone production for both men and women. In another study 36 infertile women were given Tribulus; 6 per cent became pregnant as a result of normalised ovulation; 61 per cent demonstrated normalised ovulation and no pregnancy; and 33 per cent demonstrated no effect from Tribulus. Studies also show that protodioscin, the active component of Tribulus, has several beneficial effects on sperm production, improving the quantity and quality of sperm produced as well as sperm motility (the ability to swim and reach the female egg). In a double blind study of 45 infertile married men, 36 were treated with Tribulus daily for three months. The control group of nine men were given a placebo for the same period.  Spouses of eight of the men in the treated group achieved pregnancies after their husbands’ treatment, whereas no pregnancies occurred in the spouses of the men in the control group. The researchers also noted improvements in sperm quality and composition after the treatment period. The recommended daily dose of Tribulus extract standardised to contain a minimum of protodioscin is 240 to 360 mg. It is best used on days five to 14 of the menstrual cycle for enhanced female fertility. Males can take this supplement continuously.

Asparagus (Shatavari): Not to be confused with the humble vegetable you buy in the supermarket, Asparagus racemosa is extremely useful for both male and female sexual and reproductive health due to its tonic and rejuvenative properties. In males, Asparagus root has been shown to improve seminal qualities by increasing sperm count and motility. In females, it nourishes and cleanses the blood and reproductive organs, as well as regulating premenstrual symptoms and minor imbalances in the menstrual cycle. Asparagus is often used to control excessive menstrual bleeding because of its healing effect on the endometrium. Asparagus root improves egg quality in older prospective mothers and also breast milk production in nursing mothers. The recommended dose is 2g daily.

Chaste Tree (Vitex agnus-castus): Also known as Vitex (Chaste Tree berries) are one of the most well known natural fertility herbs for women. It stimulates the pituitary gland, which produces the female sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone, and stimulates the ovulation process. Particularly useful when there is a low level of progesterone production, this herb acts as a rejuvenating tonic to the reproductive system. More specifically, Chaste Tree has been used successfully by women suffering from irregular ovulation and by women with shorter luteal phases (the period between ovulation and the end of the menstrual cycle). Chaste Tree has also been shown to restore normal ovulation after discontinuing use of birth control pills. The recommended daily dose of the powdered berries or fruit is 1.5g.

Withania (Ashwagandha): In Sanskrit, Ashwagandha means ‘the smell of a horse’ because the strong odour of the fresh root resembles horse urine. It is also considered to bestow the sexual vitality of a horse on the user and is traditionally used in cases of sterility and infertility. In India, Withania is regarded as one of the best male rejuvenating tonics, promoting sperm production, blood flow and tone to the reproductive organs. It also regulates hormonal function in men. The traditional recommended daily dose of the powdered root is 2 g daily.

Coenzyme Q10: A 2004 study demonstrated daily supplementation with coenzyme Q10 can help improve sperm movement in infertile men. Coenzyme Q10 is active in the testes and plays an important role in forming membranes and other structures within cells by fighting the effects of oxidative stress. Researchers looked at the effects of daily oral supplementation with 200 mg of coenzyme Q10 in 22 infertile men with low sperm motility. At the start of the study, researchers found the men had lower-than-normal levels of coenzyme Q10 in their seminal fluid. After six months of supplementation with the antioxidant, the men experienced a significant increase in these levels. The researchers also found a significant increase in sperm motility, which was linked to the rise in coenzyme Q10 levels. Coenzyme Q10 may also protect the ovaries in older mothers, a likely result of its antioxidant properties.

The jury is in

Foresight, a British Medical Association for the promotion of preconception, conducted a study between 1990 and 1993, using a nutritional and lifestyle modification preconception care programme. The results were nothing less than remarkable. There was a tenfold reduction in the expected incidence of miscarriage and birth defects and more than an 80 per cent success rate with unexplained infertility. Out of the 367 couples in the study, 327 (89 per cent) successfully became pregnant and 327 children were born. All the babies born were healthy. Among the 204 couples with infertility problems, 175 (86 per cent) were able to achieve a healthy pregnancy.

These results clearly demonstrate that herbs and supplements play an important role in achieving a trouble-free pregnancy and a happy, healthy baby.