|
Every one knows about the paradoxical effect of exercise. Short term, the heart races, and you are out of breath. The long term effects are just the opposite - The heart becomes stronger, it beats with a slower rhythm, and you are less likely to get out of breath.
Other paradoxical effects have been found for some aphrodisiacs. The difference between the short term and long term actions (or between a low dose and a high dose) may surprise you.
|
Alcohol The paradoxical nature of alcohol's effect on sex is almost understood by the public. The common perception is that alcohol makes the mind more eager but the body less able. That is definitely true when a person gets drunk. At a low dose of 1-2 drinks, alcohol increases nitric oxide release in the body (somewhat like Viagra, but using a different chemical mechanism). At these low doses, alcohol can actually increase erections and sex flushing. But after a night of drinking (or even 3 drinks for some people) the body can deplete its nitric oxide reserve, and male duties become difficult or impossible. The technical term for this phenomenon is whiskey dick.
Impaired performance is also seen with chronic use of alcohol - while a drink or two of alcohol generally lowers blood pressure, drinking more than 2 drinks of alcohol per day increases the risk of high blood pressure.
Alcohol also acts to psychologically disinhibit a person, replacing some of the normal 'nah, I couldn't" with "yaah, baby!" The disinhibition is often accompanied by faulty judgement and perception; technically, this is known as beer goggles by learned men.
Testosterone is another famous libido booster. Taking exogenous testosterone (from an external source) can definitely ramp up sexual desire. And make the testicles shrink, as hard-core body builders can tell you. The body has a thermostat for testosterone, and when levels get too high, it turns internal production down to near zero. This doesn't mean that a testosterone patch or gel won't help the man with low testosterone ... it often does. But too much T in an otherwise healthy man will lead to dependence, and stopping can cause a withdraw symptoms.
Progesterone - a 2006 study showed that progesterone given to lab animals was a strong sexual stimulant in the first day of administration. After that, the animals' sexual response (as measured by back-arching and other indicators) went to levels lower than the baseline before progesterone. Some doctors believe that progesterone levels in the pill may depress libido.
Ashwagandha has a long history of use as a libido booster - ashwagandha is mentioned in the Kama Sutra. And mentioned in the Asian Journal of Andrology, where it was found that after 3 days of administration, Ashwagandha impaired sexual performance in male lab animals. This was at very high doses, and might be from a sedative or toxic effect. I haven't seen any reduction in libido after taking Ashwagandha daily for several months - the effect was just the opposite. But I took a more reasonable dose.
Ginseng has made the nerves in my back and, uh, other areas more sensitive, even extremenly tingly. When I take it every day, that effect dissappears. Maybe its like coffee - for the person who drinks the occasional cup, java can be a definite stimulant. For the heavy coffee drinker, a cup does little. (While the ginseng tingles dissappear with regular use, other studies have shown that regular use does lead to increased libido, even if the hypersensitivity is temporary).
...
The world is not always simple and straight forward. More is not always better. For many aphrodisiacs, occasional use and moderation appears to be the wiser choice.
