“Sex is the most fun you can have without laughing!”

– Oscar Levant

Sexy supplements

Viagra (sildenefil), and its competitors Cialis and Levitra, treat Erectile Dysfunction (ED) by inhibiting an enzyme called phosphodiesterase-5. Theoretically, this causes an increase in available nitric oxide, a biochemical that increases blood flow by dilating arteries. Increased blood flow to the penis, in turn, causes firmer erections.

You can get results equivalent to those produced by commercial pharmaceuticals from dietary supplements! Gingko biloba, widely used in an effort to maintain brain function, is also a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor. By itself, gingko is about half as strong at 50 mg. of Viagra. Unlike Viagra and its cousins, gingko should be taken every day for best effect.

As gingko also inhibits platelet aggregation, it should NOT be taken by those with prolonged clotting times or those taking anti-coagulants (e.g., coumadin). It should NOT be combined with other supplements that effect clotting, such as Natto-Kinase.

Large doses of gingko are NOT needed to get Viagra-like results – combining ONE 120 mg. daily dose of gingko (taken with or before a meal) with a moderate dose of L-arginine, the direct precursor of nitric oxide, will have the same effect as Viagra (or better!) in most healthy people.

One to two 500 mg. Tablets of L-arginine an hour before sex (OR one to two 500 mg. tabs. At bedtime and again first thing in the morning) should provide the desired result.

Younger subjects have found that L-arginine alone, taken in larger doses (3 grams) at bedtime and again on awakening, can increase their desire for sex as well as their ability to perform.

How about women?

Pfizer, which brought us Viagra, tried to make it work for women too, and spent millions of dollars on the project before concluding that it did not work. Increased blood flow to the genitals is part of sexual arousal in women as well as men – so why did Viagra not work?

Unlike men, women are not sexually responsive every day of the month. During the first part of the menstrual cycle, the estrogenic phase, women become increasingly excitable – due to the effect of estrogen on the areas in her brain that control sex drive, AND on the smooth muscle of the uterus (the myometrium). Although she is not consciously aware of this, the uterus pulses rhythmically when primed by estrogen. The pulsations become stronger and stronger – as does the desire for sex – up to the point of ovulation. Once the egg is released, the body produces progesterone, which acts on the estrogen-primed uterus to STOP it from pulsing [so the fertilized egg, if present, has a chance to implant in the wall of the uterus].

In the progestational phase of the cycle, sexual responsivity is minimal. UNTIL. . .the progesterone block comes off, suddenly, a day or two before the start of the period. Most women become VERY excitable during this phase, as the uterus, which has been quiet for a weeks or so, starts pulsing madly all at once.

Women might benefit from taking a nitric oxide enhancing chemical on the days just before her period, and on the day or two just before ovulation. The risk of increased bleeding presented by gingko generally makes it not usable in menstruating women. L-arginine, however, is VERY much worth taking.

One young lady of our acquaintance, who was very upset by her lack of sexual desire, took 3 gm. (Six 500 mg. tablets) at bedtime and on awakening was pleasantly surprised: “I caught myself thinking about attacking the mailman!” she said, “and he’s a chubby, bald, 60 yr. old!”