Herbs that enhance your sexual environment

This may sound like a very strange approach to sexual dysfunction as we tend nowadays to think of the single tablet, or the injection, or the procedure that can be used to 'adjust' us and we forget that with a condition such as sexual dysfunction an appropriate environment could be essential, and possibly, the only requirement to help the individual case.

We seem to have forgotten we are just like other animals in many ways and respond to subtle and often unseen chemical messages that pass between individuals in the process of mate selection and sexual function. Firstly, as we have mentioned, the sexual cycle inside the body is orchestrated by several steroid hormones, testosterone, oestrogen progesterone etc. However, it may well be the case that there are steroids that influence our sexual activity that arise from the outside of the body, from the surface of our skin and other areas. We've probably all heard of pheromones, which in other animals are an essential part of fertility, arousal and sexual activity. The connection to pheromones and human sexual activity is not so well understood but we do know that humans are the most scented of all apes and our sweat contains steroid components such as androstenol. Also, our sweat producing glands become more active at puberty, suggesting a sexual role. These human body steroids have a musky or urinous aroma and it is known that humans do have some response to these subconscious chemical signals. Take the case of groups of women who share the same environment day and night, they tend to experience menstrual synchronicity after a sort while. It would also appear that women are more sensitive to steroid aromas at ovulation.

Next we have to factor in our noses. The nerve endings of the nose are really interesting in that they lead directly from the membrane lining the nose, to the brain. This is the only place that the brain is in direct connection to the outside world like this! The nerve from the nose that senses smell is called the olfactory nerve and the part of the brain it feeds into is called the limbic system which is an area responsible for producing emotional responses to various stimuli. The nerve endings in the nose that sense smell also have receptors for steroid shaped molecules. So, you can probably see where I am going here... we smell steroid shaped molecules they affect the part of our brain that controls emotional responses! Even more interesting is that an integral part of the limbic system is the hypothalamus which is a sort of brain monitoring area in that it receives signals from all over the body regarding how well things are set or regulated. One of the ways it can act to regulate the balance of different body areas is to get the pituitary to increase or decrease hormone production. The pituitary of course controls all the sex hormones.

Now, this is where it gets really interesting. For centuries, millennia even, a group of 10-20 herbs has been used as incense and some have even persisted into our modern day perfumes. Even in ancient times the aromatic incense type herbs were used as perfumes. If you then look at what incense and these perfumes were used for, it can be summed up by saying that they were used either in religious rituals or to attract the opposite sex. In other words, sex and God! Some of the herbs used in these ancient formulas include:

• Frankincense (olibanum)
• Myrrh (stacte, bedellium)
• Cistus ladaniferus (onycha, ladanum)
• Ferula galbanifula/Asafoetida (galbanum)
• Styrax officinalis (styrax, balm of gilead)
• Cinnamomum zeylanica/camphora/cassia
• Acorus calamus
• Auklandia costus (costus)
• Sandalwood
• Nardostachys jatamansi
• Saffron (crocus sativa)
• Benzoin (styrax)
• Cedar (Juniperus virginiana)
• Mace (Myristica fragrans)

What is most interesting about these herbs is that they contain resins that consist of steroid like chemicals once again! It has also been found that most of the incense ingredients have a stimulating effect on humans. So, why not incorporate these herbs in processes to enhance your sexual environment such as in using sandalwood oil for body massage, or as bath oils or perfumes or to simply use them as incense in order to gain the stimulation offered by the aromatic steroids.

To back up the use of these incense herbs you can also use some of the herbs that contain essential oils having a more floral scent and do not rely upon steroid-like chemicals for their activity. Examples would be the essential oils of jasmine, gardenia and orange blossom. All these oils contain indole, another chemical that is responsible for certain human aromas! These are the oils that are often described as 'urinous' by professional perfumers. Try jasmine, take time to really study the aroma, you'll see what they mean.

Finally, if you want the ultimate in sensual mood setting, you have to use damask rose essential oil. This oil is in a class of its own, being described often as 'narcotic'. It comes from the flower most often associated with love of course.

Finally, the herbs and oils etc mentioned in this section are to be used as massage oils or in burners and diffusers and not to be taken internally like the herbs in the other sections.