This post is brought to you by EstroGem. I’m so excited to be partnering with this company! All text and opinions are my own.
Are there natural products, like supplements and essential oils, that can help improve your sex life?
I get asked this all the time. Now, I’m not a big supplement person. But as I’ve been nearing menopause, I’ve realized that I need SOMETHING, and I don’t want to take hormones. And as I’ve been researching it, I’ve learned that there are a lot of supplements that apparently can affect libido, energy, and mood, too. And sometimes that can be the push we need to get out of a sexual rut.
Sometimes your libido is just always in the toilet. Or you never feel energetic. Or you’re always bloated.
And who wants to have sex when they always feel bloated?
Then, of course, there are times that you just are so crampy and PMS-y that you don’t want anyone to touch you. And who wants to live like that?
There are natural products that can help with that. So today, for Top 10 Tuesday, I’d like to share with you six ingredients (which can all be found in one awesome supplement), plus some essential oils, that can make us feel so much more like a woman.
(I can feel the Shania Twain song coming on–Man, I feel like a woman! Don’t we all want that?!)
If you’re looking for supplements to help with your sex life, we women really need two big picture things: help balancing hormones and boosting libido on the one side, and then help with stress, nervousness, and fatigue on the other. Since fatigue and anxiety are the two biggest mood killers for women (since sex for us is mostly in our heads!), we need something which balances those out.
Of course, I’m not a doctor, and if you have specific health concerns you should check with your physician. But in November I met Jason, whose family manufactures EstroGem, which has been called the #1 libido enhancer for women. He asked me to try it for a few months and then write a post on it. So I’m happy to share what I’ve learned from that (and I thank Jason for sponsoring this post–and for sending me the supplements which I have been taking!)
When I looked at the ingredients of EstroGem, which is all natural and vegan and gluten-free, too, I found some that I’d been hearing so much about already, and even some I was already taking (so I stopped doing that and took it all in one supplement instead!). Here are the active ingredients which are really helpful:
6 Supplements to Help Women’s Sexual Health
Maca Root
Maca kind of looks like a turnip. But it’s considered the world’s next big superfood! It’s super high in antioxidants, but the reason it’s taking off like crazy is because it can balance estrogen levels, enhance energy, mood, and memory, and best of all help overall female sexual health. One study done with maca root on women in menopause who were on antidepressants (now that’s a recipe for a low libido!) found that maca root significantly helped libido.
Damiana
Damiana is a wild shrub growing in Mexico that has for centuries been used to boost libido. (I guess those living near it found that women were more in the mood when they took this tea!). It seems to work by relieving anxiety and boosting mood as well. I used to drink a damiana tea, and I’m excited to find this again.
Black Cohosh
Okay, I am such a huge fan of black cohosh. When I started getting hot flashes almost constantly last spring I started taking this, and it helped significantly. I forgot it when I went on vacation to Ireland, and boy did I notice! But black cohosh doesn’t just help with menopause; it’s also great for calming PMS and menstrual pain.
Catuaba
Here’s another herb that boosts libido! It’s the bark in the tree that is used, and it’s been known to help with male sexual dysfunction, too. It also helps with nervousness and agitation.
Suma Root Powder
Suma root, from a plant in Brazil, is another one that targets certain hormones and helps with hormonal balance. It’s been known to help the body produce progesterone and estrogen. It’s best known for helping impotent men get over their issues, but it’s also been known to help with female fertility. With all of the toxins that can interfere with hormonal production, suma root counteracts that and helps balance the body. It’s also got some other great effects, such as helping with inflammation and even with black circles under the eyes!
Ashwaghandha Root Powder
Here’s a really interesting herb that’s known for its ability to energize and calm at the same time! If that sounds weird, here’s how it acts: stress can cause fatigue, which weighs the body down. This helps deal with the fatigue, giving you a boost. But as your body regulates, you’ll find that it actually helps you feel calm and less nervous. It’s also revered for its ability to help regulate the reproductive system.
EstroGem takes all of these ingredients and puts them in ONE supplement, so you don’t have to buy multiple products. It’s the only one I’ve found that combines all of these herbs and roots into one product. You just take two pills a day! It’s been Health Canada approved, and I’ve found that a lot of my weird hormonal fluctuations, like hot flashes, have greatly diminished, and my bloating is stopping, too. My daughter is now going to start taking them because she gets horrible cramps and acne outbreaks due to hormones as well (but I won’t tell you which daughter because that’s TMI!).
EstroGem is quite an affordable supplement, too. It comes in several pricing tiers:
- 1 bottle – 39.95
- 2 bottles – 69.95 + free shipping
- 3 bottles – 89.95 + free shipping
And use the coupon Sheila20 to get 20% off all orders!
Now, I want to round out our Top 10 Tuesday post with four essential oils that can also help you with libido!
Plus they smell amazing.
Clary Sage Essential Oil
Clary sage can promote feelings of relaxation and help you sleep better at night. It is also posited that Clary Sage may help prevent infections–including UTIs. However, one of clary sage oil’s most well-known properties is its ability to stimilate sexual desire through affecting hormone levels and increasing testosterone in the body.
Ylang Ylang Essential Oil
Ylang ylang has been used for ages as an antidepressant. It has been posited that this oil’s calming properties combined with its ability to lift one’s mood may help people dealing with acute stress or depression.These same properties have also been shown to help lower blood pressure, which can be beneficial to those in high-stress jobs or who struggle with hypertension.
As well, ylang ylang has been shown to help couples regain their sex drive after burnout, depression, or acute stress have reduced their libido.
Jasmine Essential Oil
Jasmine essential oil has long been considered a romantic scent, and in some areas of India it is even used in wedding preparation and in the bridal suites of newlyweds! Its ability to make one feel “in love” can help boost your libido.
As well, jasmine oil has proved beneficial to women with painful or irregular menstruation. It can help your cycles become more regular and less painful, as well as dealing with finnicky PMS symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue, and nausea.
Cinnamon Essential Oil
Cinnamon essential oil can help boost all-around health. It helps to treat infections, prevents heart disease, cures bad breath, relieves pain through its anti-inflammatory properties, and may even help people lose weight. It is commonly considered an effective aphrodisiac for both men and women, as well.
I guess what I’ve learned in the last few years is that if I’m feeling subpar or struggling with symptoms that I don’t like–I don’t need to stand for it. I always assumed there was nothing that could be done, but when I started with Black Cohosh, my world changed. And now that I’ve added the other ingredients, too, I do feel so much better. And the oils? Well, they just help me feel luxurious!
Again, for big health issues, always check with your doctor, and never take things that affect hormones when you’re pregnant. But if you want to just try something to see if it makes a difference, Estrogem is a great place to start because it contains all of these awesome ingredients, all in one!
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Sheila Wray Gregoire has been married for 29 years and happily married for 24! She loves traveling around North America with her hubby in their RV, giving her signature "Girl Talk" about sex and marriage. And she's written 7 books. About sex and marriage. See a theme here? Plus she knits. Even in line at the grocery store.
Maybe someone can answer a question for me.
As some know, I am in essentially a sexless marriage, though last year we hit 12 times, which is a record for us (by far).Only after months of pressure from our counselors did we get here, and one of the things they did was recommend for my wife to take supplements and try essential oils (they have a family member who is in these industries). So, they got her the supplements, and the oils, and she bought a room diffuser-thing.
So anyways, she refuses to take the supplements. But she does use the essential oils, and here is where my question comes in.
This is how she uses it. On the one (or 2) times in the month we schedule love-making, she sets up the diffuser and runs it about an hour before hand in the bedroom. But we are not in the bedroom at all, except for the time (say 30-60 minutes) we are doing the deed.
So essentially she is only “exposed” to the mist of the oil for 30-60 minutes. Is this how its supposed to work? If so, how is it supposed to help with such little time? Would it? I don’t know much about it, but from what I understand you should apply essential oils or have some kind of diffuser exposure daily.
In other words is she only doing this to say she did it, but not really doing it, like if the doctor says take this medicine 3 times a day, but only take it once a week?
I don’t know. I’m struggling with my own depression over it all and am thinking of trying essential oils for mood.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I would think that your wife would need more exposure to the essential oils for them to have any chance to work. She could apply diluted essential oils to her skin, use them in a warm bath, or spend time in the room where they’re diffusing.
Can this be beneficial to men as well or do men have to rely on something else
Some of the herbs would help men, too, but I would look for a formula that’s suited mostly for men!
I would encourage your readers to research the ingredients themselves both for side effects and potential medication interactions.
I looked at the Estrogem site which claims the product is side effect free which is doubtful,
A simple search reveals that black cohosh is contraindicated for those with a history of breast cancer, unexplained uterine bleeding, endometriosis, uterine fibroids, fibrocystic breast disease, liver and gallbladder disease and pancreatitis. While black cohosh may not be a hormone itself it almost certainly exerts hormone like effects, like soy does. Black cohosh is also used as an abortifacient.
I’d encourage you and your readers not to consider natural as better or safer.
Someone I know has decided to skip Western medicine’s recommendations for cancer treatment. They’ve decided on a “natural” remedy…which contains cyanide along with the alleged beneficial substances.!
Hi K,
I am so sorry about your friend. As my readers know, I’m a BIG proponent of western medicine. My husband, after all, is a physician, and it was modern medicine that saved my mother’s life when she had cancer. I am certainly not saying that we should abandon modern medicine!
At the same time, I do think that there are some natural things that we can take that will also help with our health. Let’s remember that digoxin, for instance, which is used in regulating the heart, is simply foxglove. Many modern “medicines” are derived from plants.
As for Estrogem, if you look at the ingredients individually, they really don’t have severe side effects that medical bodies have warned against. Black cohosh “may” cause some things; but only in large quantities, and not any more than taking actual estrogen would (and, in fact, taking actual estrogen is WORSE in terms of those effects than black cohosh). Also, many of the side effects from medicines are not actually from the active ingredients, but from the fillers that go into the medicines. That’s where Estrogem excels, because it doesn’t use the fillers that commonly cause problems and allergic reactions.
My mother and I both can’t take traditional hormonal therapy because of cancer risk, but these have far lower cancer risk than traditional hormones.
As for the abortifacient, yes, that is true, as anything that regulates hormones may do. That’s why it’s important not to take it when you’re pregnant. Again, though, it should be noted that straight hormonal pills, like estrogen or progesterone, are actually worse in this regard.
As I said in the article, it’s important to talk to your doctor about these things. And as I said, I am pro-Western medicine. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t also take some help from plants, which is what people have been doing for thousands of years. I think there’s a healthy partnership we need to find, where we don’t abandon Western medicine (and we definitely vaccinate!), but at the same time we recognize that some plants can also be helpful. To me, Western medicine has not done a great job of helping with menopause, since the only options are taking hormonal therapies. Finding something that stimulates your own body to produce hormones, rather than adding synthetic hormones, seems like a good compromise!
Hi Sheila and readers,
I was wondering if anyone has a good source for which essential oils are safe for use during pregnancy. I find so many contradicting sources and I would love to try some of these things out to help with my lowered libido during pregnancy right now!
I appreciate this information. I too have found that maca root powder has helped perimenopausal symptoms and seems to also enhance libido. I take it in capsules – for me 4 per day seems to work well. YMMV but I wanted to echo that this is a good supplement to try. Also, I have most of the oils you mentioned and am wondering which is deemed better, direct use on skin or diffusion (or both)? I don’t much like the smell of some of them on me (clary sage in particular) but I am thinking that I can put them on the soles of my feet for absorption. Another supplement that I have found helpful is called Femaprin (active ingredient is Vitex) – one capsule per day. I use bioidentical hormone creams daily as well and those have been helpful (I can notice if I forget for a few days). I am not anti-Western medicine in every way, but I have found that more naturopathic solutions seem to work best with fewer side effects, for the most part.