Working with thousands of people on their health over the past many years, I have heard just about every question you can think of, and some questions you may wonder how people come up with. But as they say, you can’t get the answer if you don’t ask the question. Lately I have had a lot of questions on improving libido, or improving sexual performance in both men and women. Here are some helpful tips, herbal and otherwise, which you might be able to use to help with intimate issues.

First of all, it is important to remember that having a healthy libido is a normal human function. It is also very important that your body is healthy to begin with. It is true that many people have a healthy libido even if they are not healthy, but having a healthy body, can definitely help you sexual, including attracting you to the opposite sex. When working with people that have these issues, we recommend people focus on the overall general health instead of just the “magic bullet” theory of taking a pill for a particular symptom. Otherwise it is like fixing a leaky roof of a house, and then finding out the foundation of the house was off causing the roof issue initially. We help people focus on building a solid foundation, helping the total body, instead of just a symptom.

By this we mean it is important that your digestion, your four (4) elimination systems and all other systems with in your body are working optimally to assimilate food, and eliminate toxins the way nature intended. If this is happening your hormones will be balanced properly, the fluids within your body should be adequate, and your mind healthy as well. Of course this isn’t a perfect world, and sometimes our bodies have imbalances, usually because of nutritional deficiencies, toxicity or emotional issues.

Nutritional Deficiences/Toxicity
Nutritional deficiencies and toxicity can cause imbalances and weaknesses in any/all of the systems of our body. This is basic common sense – if you put the right type of food in the body, your body will have the nutrients it needs to build new cells, repair damaged cells, and flush toxins. If you put the wrong kind of fuel in your body, you are now adding more toxins instead of more nutrition. This creates extra work for your body, causing you to be exhausted.

It is important that we eat what the correct fuel is for our bodies. The correct fuel is organic fruits and vegetables, organic whole grains, and organic meats. Our bodies are not meant to handle all of the food additives that are in today’s foods. It is interesting to think how many billions of dollars are spent to get us to purchase sodas, packaged food and other “foods” that do not actually feed us nutritionally. You don’t see organic healthy foods advertised usually, only the items that we wouldn’t normally purchase if we were listening to our bodies instead of the advertisements. When we are sick, we are nutrient deficient, not drug or junk food deficient.

In traditional Chinese and Western medicine, energy is linked to the “fire” element. Thus a person with a strong fire element will have a good sexual drive, while a person who is “burned out” will not. This is recognized in popular idiom as well. People often say they are “burning with desire”, “lighting someone’s fire”, or getting “hot”, in reference to intimate desires. The opposing side of this is if a person becomes “cold” or “frigid” when they lose that desire. The “fire-weakened” constitution in Chinese medicine is characterized by a loss of fire. Symptoms may include: nervous exhaustion, foggy thinking, forgetfulness, insomnia, fatigue, mental exhaustion, cold limbs and of course lack of sexual desire.

Since our sexual drive is regulated by our glandular system, weakness of the various glands is a major cause of loss of desire. This is not just the sexual glands, but also the pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, pancreas, and the liver. Thyroid function has a strong connection with sexual drive and low thyroid can cause PMS symptoms, cold, fatigue, and reduced sexual drive. Low adrenal response and blood sugar issues may also be related to sexual problems. There are many herbs and supplements that can help to balance support the glandular system. Talk to your health professional to find the best product for you.

Aphrodisiacs
There are a number of foods and herbs that have earned a reputation as aphrodisiacs. These items are known to tone up the reproductive organs, increase desire and otherwise improve intimate relations. Some of these include the ginsengs (including Panax, American and Siberian), horny goat weed, maca, cordyceps, deer horn shavings, chocolate (of course), damiana, saw palmetto, DHEA, sarsaparilla, yohimbe, zinc, Vitamin E, oysters, red raspberry, bee pollen and licorice root. Do they really work? Yes, for many people, they can.

Several of these herbs help boost energy of the body, or the “fire”. If you have heard, “Not tonight dear, I’m too tired”, it may not just be an excuse. When the body is exhausted, it shuts down non-essential functions to conserve energy. A good example is that the lack of proper nutrition will often show up in the hair, skin and nails, since these body parts are considered less vital to survival than the liver or pancreas. Unfortunately sexual relations are optional for physical survival, therefore, the desire for them will shut down as a person loses energy. Other herbs help feed and support the glandular system or specific glands that may be suffering from overuse, poor nutrition and/or exhaustion. Still others help increase circulation to the sexual organs increasing desire. There are herbal formulas available from your herbalist or health food store that may mix several of these ingredients for the best results in an easy to take capsule form.

Emotional Problems
Lack of sexual desire may not be entirely a physical problem. Often there are emotional issues each person must get connected to in order to overcome. Usually these stem from childhood issues that are manifesting within our job, relationships or other parts of our life. Many self-help books point out that if we have a trouble with a particular issue in our life, we will keep returning to that issue until it is resolved in our life. Counseling is often helpful as is talking with your partner, journaling or reading self-help books. This is a very unique and personal issue for everyone. But I can guarantee you this, if you do nothing, nothing will ever change.

Flower Essences
Flower essences may be very helpful to for people with sexual problems. Fuchsia helps people release deeply repressed emotions such as sexuality, anger or grief. Basil is used to help integrate spirituality, and sexuality in love relationships. It has been used to help couples get to the roots of their conflicts. Sticky Monkeyflower has been used to dispel fear and confusion about intimacy and to integrate feelings of love and sexuality. It is reported to be helpful for blocks in intimacy due to unresolved pain in past relationships.

Books and Other Ideas
Sometimes people need a little help learning how to be a better lover. Unfortunately, many sexual manuals are offensive to people’s religious beliefs or moral standards. There are some that are very tasteful and helpful. One of the best is Love, Sex, and Nutrition by Dr. Bernard Jensen. This is written in a way that it should not be offensive to anyone and offers good counsel on nutrition, health, attraction, marriage, and intimacy.

Regardless of what you decide to use to help yourself, or your partner, we encourage you to enrich this part of your life and to enjoy the feelings of closeness and love that intimate relations should bring. It is an important and fulfilling part of your life – don’t miss out!
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