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Boost your libido this Valentine with ‘foods of love’

By Chukwuma Muanya, Assistant Editor (Head Insight Team, Science and Technology)
11 February 2016   |   7:09 am
Valentine is here again! It is a season of love. Love Birds tend to mingle more on Valentine’s Day. But with increasing cases of flagging libidos, some men are seeking help on extra boost to their sex drive to make their partners happy in bed. Some go as far as taking expensive drugs like Viagra…

Bananas

Valentine is here again! It is a season of love. Love Birds tend to mingle more on Valentine’s Day. But with increasing cases of flagging libidos, some men are seeking help on extra boost to their sex drive to make their partners happy in bed. Some go as far as taking expensive drugs like Viagra and others go for local concoctions, with their attendant dangerous side effects.

But scientists have found that Nigerians can in fact boost their libidos with common food materials such as watermelon, unripe plantain, onions, nutmeg, ginger or tonic root, saffron, date palm, tropical almond, goat head, alligator pepper, tomatoes, banana, velvet bean (werepe in Yoruba and agbala in Ibo), fluted pumpkin (ugu in Ibo).

Indeed, researchers have identified and explored scientifically proven local herbal aphrodisiacs for treating sexual dysfunction.

Sexual dysfunction is an inability to achieve a normal sexual intercourse, including premature ejaculation, retrograded, retarded or inhibited ejaculation, erectile dysfunction (ED), arousal difficulties (reduced libido), compulsive sexual behavior, orgasmic disorder, and failure of detumescence (uncountable).

An aphrodisiac is an agent (food or drug) that arouses sexual desire.

A review on herbal aphrodisiacs by Indian researchers from the Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Jamia Hamdard, Hamdard Nagar, New Delhi, India, has identified plants, which exhibited significant pharmacological activity.

The study published in Pharmacognosy Reviews is titled “Exploring scientifically proven herbal aphrodisiacs.”

The researchers concluded: “Demands of natural aphrodisiacs require increasing studies to understand their effects on humans and safety profile. Due to unavailability of the safety data, unclear mechanisms, and lack of knowledge to support the extensive use of these substances, uses of these products may be risky to the human being. With more clinical data, exact mechanisms of action, safety profile, and drug interaction with other uses of these aphrodisiacs plant materials, treating sexual disorder can become fruitful.”
Unripe plantain

A meal of unripe plantain with local spices like cloves, onions, garlic and ginger could be the answer to erectile dysfunction, low sperm count, ulcer, kidney problems, diabetes, and high blood pressure.

Unripe-Plantain-BananaUnripe plantain cooked or roasted has been proven over the years to induce, sustain and maintain erection. It also helps to make semen thick and increases sperm volume.

“Roasted plantain fruit is good for men with weak erection and low sperm count. Make a habit of eating one or two roasted plantain daily. If you wish, you can eat it with vegetable soup. Enjoy yourself while you improve your health the natural way. The ripe plantain fruit can be used to treat indigestion. Mash some ripe plantain to make a paste. Take one tablespoon twice daily,” said Director, Pax Herbal Clinic and Research Centre Ewu, Edo State, Rev. Fr. Anslem Adodo.

Adodo added: “Take more plantain or unripe bananas. They help to rejuvenate the sexual organ with high level of potassium. Include garlic in every meal. Garlic is generally a good anti oxidant and a good remedy for impotence in particular. Include ginger in every meal too. Ginger has healing properties to treat erectile dysfunction. Include onion as much as possible in all your meals. It has been taken fresh by ancient Greece to lighten the balance of blood and to firm up their muscles. Fresh green vegetables, all kinds of nuts, grains and fresh fruits, which are rich in mineral are generally good to impotence cure.”

Some naturopaths recommend: “Unripe plantain, pure honey, cloves and walnuts will be grinded, mashed or pound together to make a gel or paste. After this, the gel will be sun-dried to form a cake or flakes. During sun-drying, the materials should be protected either with tiny, spacing wire mesh or iron mosquito nets from flies. Once totally dried and has become a flake, it has become a “drug” referred to as sex enhancing drug capable of improving penile-erection, cure sexual coldness in women and also prevent early or premature ejaculation in men during sexual intercourse.”
Watermelon juice

Alligator pepper

Alligator pepper

Men who suffer from erectile dysfunction may benefit from drinking watermelon juice, “nature’s Viagra,” to improve blood flow to the penis without the side effects of the blue pill.

A cold slice of watermelon is devoured to satisfy our thirst and hunger during the warmer months, but the juicy fruit could even satisfy us in the bedroom in between the sheets. Coined as “nature’s Viagra” by Italian scientists, watermelon juice can provide a big benefit to men who suffer from mild to moderate erectile dysfunction.

According to a study published in the journal Urology, citrulline- an amino acid found in high concentrations of watermelon- is found to improve blood flow to the penis without the side effects of Viagra.

Made up of 92 percent water, a great source of vitamin C, and only 71 calories per serving, watermelon juice has become a fad that has attracted both weight-loss hopefuls and those who want to treat their impotence.

In 2008, a team of researchers at Texas A&M found ingredients in watermelon that deliver Viagra-like effects to the body’s blood vessels may even increase libido. “Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, the same basic effect that Viagra has, to treat erectile dysfunction and maybe even prevent it,” said Dr. Bhimu Patil, director of Texas A&M’s Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center in College Station, according to Science Daily.
Fluted pumpkin (Telfairia occidentalis)

A study published in the African Journal of Biotechnology suggests that aqueous extract of Telfaira occidentalis could improve haematological parameters and sperm quality, and could be a potent hypoglycemic agent.

The study titled: “Aqueous extract of Telfairia occidentalis leaves reduces blood sugar and increases haematological and reproductive indices in male rats” was published by Toyin M. Salman, Luqman A. Olayaki and Wahab A. Oyeyemi of the Department of Physiology, College of Health Sciences, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State.

According to the study, the significant increases in the sperm motility, viability and counts could also be attributed to the actions of some of its active ingredients, which have well-documented spermatogenic activities.

 

Velvet bean

Velvet bean

The researchers noted that the ability of T. occidentalis to increase sperm motility, viability and counts, as observed in this study, is of great interest because these parameters are determinants of the fertilising capacity of sperm cells.
Velvet bean or Cowhage (Mucuna pruriens, werepe in Yoruba and agbala in Ibo)

Another study published last year in BioMed Research International identified Mucuna pruriens as one of the plants used for improvement of sexual performance and virility.

Mucuna pruriens belongs to the plant family Leguminosae. The velvet bean plant is notorious for the spiky hairs on the mature bean pods that are very irritating to the skin.

It is a popular Indian medicinal plant, which has long been used in traditional Ayurvedic Indian medicine.

Researchers have shown that Mucuna pruriens enhances fertility by producing a dose dependent increase in follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone which in turn increased the number of eggs released at ovulation possibly through its rich source of L-Dopa and its metabolite, dopamine.

The total alkaloids from the seeds of M. pruriens were found to increase spermatogenesis and weight of the testes, seminal vesicles, and prostate in the albino rat.

M. pruriens stimulated sexual function in normal male rats which was observed by increase in mounting frequency, intromission frequency, and ejaculation latency.
Alligator pepper

Another 100 per cent natural product from Alligator pepper or Grains of paradise (botanically called Aframomum melegueta) has shown promise in resolving erectile dysfunction and delaying ejaculation.

A preparation from Alligator pepper has received a United States patent as a potent aphrodisiac.

It has been shown that Alligator pepper is more effective when used with Piper guineense (Uziza in Ibo)), kola nut and bitter kola. In a research, this combination was used on male rats. The results showed that this combination has an ability to “turn on” male rats.

Indeed, the patented invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions based on the use of Aframomum seeds to solve the problem of male erectile dysfunction as well as premature ejaculation in men.

 

Nutmeg

Nutmeg

A summary of the U.S. Patent 5879682 reads: “One aim of the present invention is to provide a painless therapy for male erectile dysfunction as well as for premature ejaculation in male without the drawbacks of the prior art techniques. The composition of the present invention provide a painless and safe medication to patients suffering from erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation as well as to men wishing to improve their sexual performance.”
Nutmeg (Myristica fragrans)

The dried kernel of broadly ovoid seeds of Myristica fragrans (Nutmeg) of the family Myristicaceae has been mentioned in Unani medicine to be of value in the management of male sexual disorders. In a study by Tajuddin et al., it was found that administration of 50 per cent ethanolic extract of a single dose of Nutmeg and Clove, and Penegra resulted in the increase in the mating performance of the mice. It was found that out of six control animals only two males mated (inseminated) two females and the remaining four males mated one female each during the overnight experimental period. Whereas, Nutmeg treated male animals mated three females each except two, which mated five females each. In the Clove treated male animals three mated two females each, two mated four females each and remaining one mated three females each. In the Penegra treated animals four mated five females each and two mated three females each.

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