Through the ages, men and women have desired to increase their sexual performance and have used certain foods and herbs for this. Scientifically, there are foods that have been proven to improve sexual appetite.
A number of such foods may contain nutrients that increase the levels of testosterone in the body. Others contain dopamine, which is known to cause sexual excitement. A few others improve blood flow to the sex organs thereby reducing incidences of erectile dysfunction or lack of lubrication in women.
It should, however, be clear that these foods are not medicines for treating sexual dysfunctions. I explained this to James when he came to the Sexology Clinic. He was 57 years old and had been married for 22 years to one 53-year-old Mercy. They had four children. His sex life had been relatively okay till he hit 56 then things started falling apart.
“Sometimes my erections fail. At other times, it is premature ejaculation and my desire for sex has totally died off,” he explained when he came to the clinic. As a result of the unpredictable sexual performance, he became anxious whenever he thought of a possibility of attempting sex. The anxiety in itself made his erections fail.
“As a result, what I am doing these days is to find a reason to avoid the bedroom when my wife is awake,” he said. “I work or stay out late with friends and leave the house early before she wakes up and this seems to have worked for me.”
He burst out laughing cunningly. The result was that the couple was in a sexless marriage, attempting sex on average once every two to three months and most of the time not succeeding because the erections would fail or premature ejaculation would happen.
“I have eaten all manner of foods, chewed some bitter roots, eaten private parts of animals all to no avail,” he said, gazing into space, desperation painted all over his face.
“So, just tell me for a start if there are foods that can help because I do not want to resort to medicine for acts which are meant to be natural,” he went on.
Well, there are many people who are like James and think that food can treat sex problems. This is not the case because many times sexual failure is a symptom of other deep-seated medical problems which can be a physical or psychological in nature. Other times, it is the result of an unresolved social or relationship issue. Many times, it is a mixture of many factors.
To be fair to the food story, however, it is true that some foods can enhance sexual feelings and performance — but only if a person has no disease affecting sexuality. The foods are really nothing out of the ordinary. An example is a watermelon. It is known that up to 92 percent of this fruit is water but the remaining eight percent contains some very important chemicals. Citrulline is one of the chemicals and is known to work the same way as the “blue pill” by increasing blood flow to the penis and causing stiff erections.
If watermelon is not in season, then go for avocado. Incidentally, the term avocado is derived from a South American language meaning testicle because of its shape. The fruit contains folic acid, vitamin B6 and potassium — all of which are important in the production of testosterone thereby improving libido in both men and women.
If you fail to get a watermelon or an avocado, then go for bananas. They are also rich in vitamin B and potassium and are important in testosterone production.
Then there are those foods that are rich in zinc. Zinc is quite important in testosterone production. If you can get pumpkins, go specifically for the seeds. Most people throw away the seeds, not knowing that they are rich in zinc. Cashew nuts and almonds are similarly rich in zinc. Additionally, they have a high content of selenium and vitamin E. This combination of chemicals not only boosts libido but also increases fertility.
If you are a lover of tea, then go for ginger tea or ginseng. These two are stimulants that enhance libido. In one study in the University of Hawaii, women taking ginseng supplements had a marked increase in their libido in just one month of use. What is critical as you use ginseng and ginger products is that they should be of good quality. A number of products that claim to have the two have been found to have other harmful contents, such as excessive sugars, thereby causing more harm than good.
Then there are proteins that you should always eat. Eggs are very important in boosting libido. Apart from the general richness in proteins that is critical for vitality and libido, they have L-arginine which has been shown to treat erectile dysfunction. Further, eggs contain vitamin 6 that is needed for synthesis of sex hormones.
If you like seafood, then go for the oysters. Eaten raw with lacings to make it tasty, oysters have been used as aphrodisiacs for ages. They contain zinc necessary for testosterone production. In addition, they contain dopamine which causes excitement during sex. Salmon is rich in omega-3, an important libido booster and is a good alternative to the oyster. Omega-3 is also found in walnuts and herring.
“Well put, doctor”, James interjected, “I take it that I first treat the sex problem then use food to boost your performance when I am fine.”
I nodded in affirmation as we transitioned to the next phase of medical consultation — to work out his diagnosis of the sex failure.
