This “loss of passion” condition affects men in the form of impotence and women in the form of frigidity. Impotence is where you can perform sexually some of the time, but not always, even when you have the best of intentions. Impotence is also recognized as a symptom of a medical condition called Erectile Dysfunction, or ED for short. Frigidity is a sexual unresponsiveness and inability to achieve orgasm during intercourse. We hear mostly about the male side because low sexual vitality and loss of libido is more noticeable in men. They just can’t hide it.
Men don’t have the benefit of being able to fake sexual performance; and when they can’t perform, they require assistance. There are a variety of treatments for impotence available today; both natured and de-natured. There are different non‐invasive, drug free things people can do to enhance their libido. But few are exercising that option. Most people (mostly men) are using denatured pharmaceuticals like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra to enhance their libido regardless of the risks involved. Allow me a few lines to elaborate on these three before expounding on the natural remedies.
Viagra is currently the most popular drug for impotence and the sexually active alike. Only qualified doctors can prescribe this drug and it sells at around $10 per pill. Viagra takes anywhere from 30 minutes to over one hour to take effect and warns of adverse drug reactions which include: sneezing, dizziness, headaches, flushing, dyspepsia, photophobia, palpitations, priapism, heart attacks, strokes, and sudden death. More recent findings have linked Viagra to blindness. These serious side effects can happen and have happened. There are many news stories about men who have experienced these side effects. Cialis is another drug that does the exact same thing as Viagra, even though they have different chemical structures. Cialis is five times stronger than Viagra. It can cost up to $22 per pill and last over 36 hours (compared to Viagra which lasts 4 hours).
It is called the "weekend pill" due to its long‐lasting “benefit”. Some of its side effects include back pain, flushing, muscles aches, headaches, stuffy/runny nose and loss of vision. Another impotence drug recently on the market is Levitra. It is very similar to Viagra and Cialis, and does anything they can do better. Levitra takes more than 40 minutes to take effect and can last anywhere from 4‐5 hours. It has a more powerful effect than the other two only because the dosage is bigger, but it also has more side effects. In addition to causing nausea, abdominal pain, back pain, eye pain, rash, palpitation and heart attacks, Levitra has the added side effect of causing permanent penile tissue damage along with permanent loss of potency. Okay that's enough of that. Now let's talk about what nature has to offer.
There are remedies for enhancing the libido made with natured ingredients that have similar effects as chemical drugs, but without side effects. The benefits of herbal alternatives are that: they are safe, affordable to obtain, more readily available, and no prescription or consultation fees required. Our Creator has provided every quadrant of Earth with its own native libido assistant. Africa has her native Yohimbe (Pausinystalia), a hormone stimulating herb effective in the production of testosterone. Yohimbe has been safely used in Africa for thousands of years to heal impotency in men, and to strengthen sexual desire and vitality in women. It is sold as an herbal supplement to improve Erectile Dysfunction.
North America has the mild aphrodisiac known as Damiana (Turnera diffusa), an herb used to balance reproductive hormones, stop frigidity, and also treat impotence. Damiana contains properties that stimulate testosterone in males, energize the reproductive organs in females, and raise libido in both genders. Back in the days before pharma, a Damiana infused liqueur was the active ingredient in the "original" Mexican margarita drink. But that was before tradition was commercialized and Damiana was displaced by triple sec.
In Belize and the rest of Central America, we have a whole litany of powerful plant based libido assistants. For the purposes of this article however, we will confine the discussion to one plant. The “Strong-back” (Desmodium adscendens), also known as “Amor Seco” (dry love). Strong Back is the preferred remedy used to restore moisture in lovemaking when things begin to “dry” up. Garifuna Shamans believe Strong Back has magical powers in all matters of love. They use it in love potions and to improve love making in marriages. Traditional Herbalist make a tincture especially for couples who are looking to rekindle a waning romance. This is an intelligent herb that works only when you love the person, as it is known to “awaken” only what is already there. Strong-back has been used for thousands of years by traditional herbalists to treat a variety of other health issues. The leaves can be made into a tea and taken to alleviate muscle pain and backaches. Today it is more commonly used as a nervine tonic to calm edgy nerves and nervousness. It can be said that the only side effect from taking this remedy is better health. Not a bad herb to have as an ally when re‐claiming your potency, since many healing traditions interpret low libido as a sign of declining health.
