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Seeking to spice up your sex life? The Turmeric Co. reveals a natural aphrodisiac to lift your libido. Read on for Dr Ellis’s sensual science secrets for peaking your sexual pleasure and performance…
In today’s stressful world, it is often difficult to find the time to show appreciation for your special someone. Day-to-day stresses, let alone those compounded by the pandemic, can all have a major impact on our health, sex drive, and mood. The Turmeric Co. have teamed up with Dr Lucy Ellis, qualified nutritionist, online coach and owner of Alpha Nutrition Consultancy, to give us the low down on the link between libido and turmeric.
Dr Ellis On Turmeric As A Natural Aphrodisiac
Lack of Sex Drive?
As many of us know, not only can stress negatively affect our mood, but it can also affect our sex drive. Studies have confirmed decreases in functional connectivity and task deactivation in those of us with lower moods, meaning we are less productive and less engaged when under stress. Naturally, when you’re stressed you may not want to sexually engage at all. However, this can become doubly stress-inducing when you do want to, but your stress levels won’t let you perform physically.
When looking in lifestyle influences that cause stress, multiple studies have identified a pro-inflammatory lifestyle is also attributed to poor mood. Lifestyle factors such as excess adipose tissue (which relates to body fat), low intake of fruits and vegetables, substance abuse and lack of exercise, all contribute individually or collectively to a pro-inflammatory state and thus, can contribute to poor mood, stress and reduced libido.
Ancient Medicine
In ancient Indian culture, turmeric was long recognised as a natural aphrodisiac. Similarly in Ayurvedic medicine, turmeric has been used as an anti-inflammatory and mood booster. This evidence shows that turmeric can be used as a solution for both physical issues like erectile dysfunction and emotional stress or low mood.
Is Turmeric A Natural Aphrodisiac?
More studies are needed on the direct effects of the turmeric sex drive relationship, but as with many natural alternatives there has been some very positive indications on an individual basis.
The evidence in rodent studies on increasing libido, though, is promising. Studies demonstrate a libido enhancing effect by two main avenues – erection performance and testosterone…
Natural Remedy for Erectile Dysfunction?
The first mechanism outlined to increase libido was dosages of turmeric for erection performance. By activating genes which increased nitric oxide, water soluble curcumin extract was able to enhance erectile function in rats when administered daily for 12 weeks. Curcumin, is the active compound in turmeric that has been shown to have many health benefits.
An increase in nitric oxide increases vasodilation in arteries and allows more blood flow to areas that are “working”, suggesting these physical changes could be achieved through dosages of turmeric for erection performance or virility.
Can Turmeric Increase Testosterone?
Two groups of rats, one group with high blood pressure and the other with normal levels, were supplemented with a combination of ginger and turmeric. A further study demonstrated that a combination of ginger and turmeric reduced blood pressure in the rats where it has previously been high, increased sperm motility and notably, increased testosterone levels. The study attributed some of these beneficial effects to decreases in stress and again, increases in nitric oxide.
Repeated exposure to stress can lead to reductions in our circulating sex hormones which in turn, may impact our libido. One study treated male rats with curcumin or a control for 15 days. The rats with chronic stress, treated with curcumin saw significant improvements in levels of testosterone.
Together, these studies suggest and propose that curcumin can impact stress-related systems that reduce sex hormones and improve blood flow to those all-important working “muscles”.
Natural Aphrodisiac For Female Libido?
Sex drive and libido problems aren’t just exclusive to men, though most pharmaceutical products are geared directly towards erectile dysfunction. Around one in three women experience lowered libido in their life and 15% of menopausal women report a loss of sex drive. Small doses of testosterone have been shown to improve this, however these doses and medications designed specifically for women aren’t currently available as none have been licensed. Due to the current available products and medications treating women’s libido as an afterthought, many have been left frustrated and believing there is no help out there.
Curcumin has been shown to increase testosterone levels, showcasing it’s a natural alternative compound to male-driven pharmaceutical products. As previously mentioned, women’s bodies don’t respond in the stop-start on-off way that men’s do to libido enhancers because their hormonal systems are more complex. This is why a gradual change or incremental dosage is often employed. With The Turmeric Co. shots, for example, you could expect to see changes between four to eight weeks.
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Supplement To Boost Mood?
In a strictly controlled study, 56 individuals with major depressive disorder were treated with 500mg twice daily of curcumin or a placebo for eight weeks. Compared to the placebo, the participants treated with curcumin demonstrated a significant time interaction for results on a mood score measurement. Because low moods and decreased sex drive are intrinsically linked, it can be suggested that an improvement in one can positively affect the other.
The Libido Lowdown…
Through the research, Dr Ellis concludes that whilst the current human evidence surrounding the effects of curcumin and libido is limited, animal and mechanistic data provides an important insight into the potential mechanisms.
Multiple studies have shown that curcumin in turmeric has positively improved mental disorders such as depression, low moods, and stress levels, which are all contributors to a decreased sex drive. The evidence supports that curcumin and its compounds are highly promiscuous and could be used as a novel therapeutic aid in a multidisciplinary way.
By Helena
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