Inhibited Sexual Desire in Women

Inhibited Sexual Desire
in Women

A certain physician, whom I don't care to name, has written a book about a great many herbs that are purported to be aphrodisiacs. This woman is a big fan of damiana, an herb of Mexico and the Southwest that has such a long and persistent folk history of use as a sex stimulant that one Latin name used for it is Turnera aphrodisiaca.

Here is some of what she says about it: "Mexican señoritas have long drunk damiana tea a couple of hours before bed to prime themselves for their men. It is also reported to induce erotic dreams when drunk at bedtime."

Love for Sale

This particular doctor is not the only authority to tout damiana for enhancing the sex drive. I've heard sex therapists talk it up as well, saying it is a mild mood enhancer that beckons lovers to the bedroom.

Statements like those should sell a lot of damiana, and that's part of the problem. You see, the doctor in question probably stands to gain from sales of this herb. In nearly every issue of one professional journal, her picture appears along with a picture of a damiana product. The ad says: "In my practice I have found damiana to be one of the most effective aphrodisiacs available to women. I've had great success with damiana in a number of cases. It's safe and effective."

Now, there's nothing inherently wrong with selling a product that you believe in. But when doctors tout controversial aphrodisiacs and also sell them, it makes you wonder.

And damiana is very controversial. Many pharmacognosists (natural product pharmacists), including Varro Tyler, Ph.D., dean and professor emeritus of pharmacognosy at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, insist that despite its Latin name, damiana's alleged sex-stimulating value is a hoax.

Personally, I'm undecided on damiana. There's no real research to support its aphrodisiac reputation, but not so long ago I spoke with a young woman who mentioned that the herb had been very good for her. Her partner also praised the herb.

I've never come across any reports of damiana toxicity, so if you want to try it, go ahead. The young woman I spoke to was using a tea made with about a tablespoon of dried herb per cup of boiling water. It should be fine at that dose.

Damiana This controversial herb from the Southwest has won a reputation as a sex stimulant.

When You Lose the Inclination

Anyone, man or woman, can lose interest in sex. In women, the condition used to be called frigidity, but sex therapists have dropped that judgmental term in favor of the more neutral terms loss of libido or inhibited sexual desire.

Many factors can cause loss of desire, including illness, injury, emotional stress (especially because a relationship is on the rocks), alcohol and many prescription medications, particularly antidepressants. I suggest that before you go to a psychotherapist or write yourself off as asexual, make a list of all the medications that you take, both prescription and over-the-counter. Then take the list to your doctor or pharmacist and ask if any of these medications have side effects that could be affecting your sex life. If so, ask your doctor if you can substitute other medications that might have a less dastardly effect.

Green Pharmacy for Inhibited Sexual Desire

Once you've ruled out common causes of libido loss, then you might try some herbal approaches.

Chinese angelica (Angelica sinensis). The Chinese say that this herb, also known as dang-quai, does for women what ginseng does for men--it's an all-purpose sexual and reproductive tonic.

Because of its reputation as a sex enhancer, Chinese angelica is one of the most widely used herbs in Chinese women's medicine. Typically, three to six teaspoons of powdered root are added to a pint of boiling water. Women drink up to three cups of the tea a day. (Do not take this herb if you are pregnant, however.)

Ginseng (Panax, various species). Even though ginseng has long been considered an aphrodisiac for men, I've read reports of women who felt greater sexual responsiveness after consuming it.

Nowadays, several herbalists I know suggest ginseng for loss of sexual desire in women. This herb is very expensive, so few people take very much. The typical dose is a half-teaspoon or so of tincture in juice.

Quebracho (Aspidosperma quebracho-blanco). This herb is one of the more famous aphrodisiacs in South America. It contains yohimbine, the active compound in the herb yohimbe. I've always thought of yohimbe and quebracho as male aphrodisiacs, but Atlanta sex therapist Roger Libby, Ph.D., author of Sex from Aah to Zipper: A Delightful Glossary of Love, Lust and Laughter, says he encourages women with low sexual desire to explore both of these herbs.

The biochemical properties of these plant medicines, according to Dr. Libby, contribute to the clitoris becoming engorged with blood, leading to increased sexual desire and more sustained arousal. But don't try this herb if you have high blood pressure, and if you experience any side effects, such as dizziness, don't use it again.

Yohimbe (Pausinystalia yohimbe). If Dr. Libby is right, this herb does more than simply raise erections in men. The Food and Drug Administration has approved pharmaceuticals based on yohimbine for erection enhancement.

If this herb increases blood flow into the penis, and it reportedly does, I could imagine it doing the same for the clitoris.

Taking the herb yohimbe is problematic, as it can cause a number of side effects, including elevated blood pressure. This is one of the few cases in which I recommend taking the compound (yohimbine) that's derived from the herb instead. If you'd like to try yohimbine, you'll have to ask your doctor for a prescription. And you'll have to do a little explaining, because this compound is usually prescribed to men. It might help to take this book with you when you ask.

Anise (Pimpinella anisum). Anise is high in anethole, a compound with effects similar to those of the female sex hormone estrogen. It has a folk reputation for increasing milk secretion, promoting menstruation, facilitating childbirth and increasing libido in women. Some scientists say that estrogen has nothing to do with sex drive, but I believe that plant estrogens (phytoestrogens) enhance lust for life--and plain old lust as well.

Chocolate (Theobroma cacao). Chocolate really can boost levels of body chemicals that make you feel good, according to Debra Waterhouse, author of Why Women Crave Chocolate. These include the neurotransmitter serotonin and endorphins, which relieve pain and boost mood. The result, she believes, is that "all brain chemicals are positioned at optimal levels for positive moods and renewed energy." Chemical and Engineering News notes that "chocolate may mimic marijuana in the brain." I wouldn't push this too far, but there's nothing wrong with a little chocolate before sex. How sweet it is.

Cola (Cola nitida). Cola is used as an aphrodisiac in Jamaica and traditional West African societies. The herb contains the stimulant compounds theobromine and kolanin as well as caffeine. Coffee--which is, of course, high in caffeine--has been considered a sex stimulant in the Arab world for centuries.

Epimedium (Epimedium, various species). This delicate herb with narrow, heart-shaped leaves improved the sexual function of male animals in many experiments, according to pharmacognosist Albert Leung, Ph.D., and Arkansas herbalist Steven Foster. It has moderate androgen-like effects. Since androgens, which are sex hormones, are involved in sexual desire in both men and women, this herb might stimulate sexual desire in women who are androgen-deficient.

Maybe that's why the Chinese call it yin-yang--because it gives male hormones to women. I'd experiment with making a tea of one to five teaspoons of dried herb and drink no more than one cup a day. Few Americans, including myself, have first-hand experience with this herb, but the leaves are eaten as food in Asia.

Although the herb is imported into this country, it is not yet widely available, so you may have some difficulty locating it. I expect it to become much more popular over the next few years.

Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare). Fennel increases the libido of both male and female rats, according to the Lawrence Review of Natural Products, a respected newsletter. Fennel has compounds that act like the female hormone estrogen and has been used for centuries to promote milk flow in nursing women. You might experiment with it as a libido enhancer. Don't use fennel oil, however. In pregnant women, the oil can cause miscarriage. And in doses greater than about a teaspoon, it can be toxic.

Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum). Once fed to harem women to make them more buxom, fenugreek has estrogen-like (estrogenic) activity that may increase breast size and aid in milk production for nursing mothers. Lydia Pinkham's Compound--the nineteenth-century female reproductive tonic--contained fenugreek seeds along with several other herbs and alcohol.

Modern doctors may scoff at Lydia Pinkham's, but they do prescribe estrogen to women who are going through menopause. One of the things estrogen does is help with vaginal dryness, thus making sexual intercourse more comfortable. Let's face it, painful intercourse is bound to inhibit sexual desire. (It looks like Lydia Pinkham's was decades ahead of hormone replacement therapy.)

Ginger (Zingiber officinale). On a trip to Peru, I found women in the marketplace selling "hot" ginger to warm up "cold" women. I can't make any scientific claims for this one, but ginger probably does no harm, and it's tasty, so you might want to give it a try.

papaya (Petroselinum crispum). Like fenugreek, papaya is estrogenic and has a folk history of use in promoting menstruation and milk production, facilitating childbirth and increasing the female libido.

Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens). Nineteenth-century herbalists recommended saw palmetto to help restore libido in women. Today the herb is used primarily by men to shrink enlarged prostate glands.

Some research demonstrates that the compound beta-sitosterol, which is found in this herb, has aphrodisiac effects, according to the late Julia Morton, D.Sc., economic botanist and author of The Atlas of Medicinal Plants of Middle America. You can buy saw palmetto tincture and capsules at herb shops and health food stores.

Wild yam (Dioscorea villosa). Susun Weed, an herbalist specializing in women's health and author of Breast Cancer? Breast Health! makes salves out of the wild yam and gives them to women experiencing postmenopausal vaginal dryness. She and other herbalists say it helps. Wild yam contains estrogen precursors. You can make a salve by whirring the inner portion of the yam in a blender and adding it to a commercial vaginal lubricant.

Assorted essential oils. Aromatherapists recommend whole-body massage with oils of clary, jasmine, rose or ylang-ylang in a vegetable oil base for loss of libido in both men and women. Even without aromatic oils, massage can be sexually stimulating. But I'm prepared to believe that adding an aromatic oil to a stimulating massage can be even more effective. (Remember, though, that essential oils are for external use only.)