Experts in a new study say that the common practice of using herbal sexual stimulants with prescribed drugs to increase sexual performance may not always be beneficial. Taking sex enhancers with white onion and garlic bulbs significantly inhibited the effects of the standard drug, while kola nut and bitter kola did not affect this orthodox drug.
Some age-long plants are currently used as aphrodisiacs. White onion, garlic bulbs, bitter kola, and kola nut are used ethnomedicinally in Nigeria for the enhancement of libido and erectile dysfunction.
Onion and garlic are commonly used in preparations of spicy African and Asian cuisines, and kola nut and bitter kola are usually consumed as spicy nuts in Nigeria.
Sexual problems are widespread and may adversely affect mood, well-being, and interpersonal functioning. In marriages and relationships, the absence of libido would mean no procreation (reproduction) and ultimately the extinction of the human race. So, it has assumed the status of a serious medical and social problem.
Various regions of the brain have been implicated in mood and sexual behaviours. In both men and women, the body responds by releasing a cascade of chemicals that direct blood flow into the genitals.
Studies have shown that mostly menopausal women suffer from reduced libido and men from erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction has been defined as the difficulty or the inability to attain or sustain an erection adequate for satisfactory sexual intercourse at least 50 percent of the time for six months.
For the study, the researchers at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, and the University of Uyo evaluated their aphrodisiac properties and use in the management of sexual dysfunction using Wistar rats to justify the ethnomedicinal claims.
Different amounts of the water-ethanol extracts of white onion, garlic, bitter kola, and kola nut were subcutaneously administered to six groups of male rats. Normal saline and testosterone were negative and positive controls, respectively.
The study, published in the Annals of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, was titled “Evaluation of Aphrodisiac Activities of Four Nigerian Ethnomedicinal Plants.” It involved Adeleke Clement Adebajo, Oluwole Isaac Adeyemi, and Samuel Akintunde Odediran at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, in collaboration with Paul Alozie Nwafor, Ekema Ufot Genesis, and Sola Tunde Dare at the University of Uyo.
Testosterone induced increased sexual frequencies were comparable to those of bitter kola, but significantly higher than those mediated by white onion, garlic, and kola nut. Only bitter kola consistently gave reduced latencies that were either significantly lower or comparable to those of testosterone.
Additionally, garlic extract considerably improved the animals’ sexual performance when compared to the negative control. Nevertheless, these improvements were noticeably less than those brought on by testosterone. Its effect was also dose-dependent.
Hence, the results of this study showed that the onion extracts augmented male and female rats’ sexuality, as measured by their improved behaviour.
Also, the modification of male sexual behaviours by kola nuts was attributed to enhanced production of dopamine due to their caffeine content.
In northern Nigeria, many of the adult citizens take both orthodox sexual stimulants and Burantashi, a locally prepared aphrodisiac. Also, a local delicacy named “Suya” (grilled red meat) is often habitually consumed with large quantities of onions.
However, the researchers said that people who enjoy taking suya and large quantities of onions need to be cautioned not to eat this delicacy at the same time that they are on orthodox aphrodisiacs, as such a practice or habit may not give the desired enhanced sexual stimulatory effect.
Testosterone, a standard hormonal drug as an orthodox aphrodisiac, is a commonly acknowledged aphrodisiac, and its effect is due to increased sperm production. The enhancement of spermatogenesis is believed to promote a corresponding increase in desire for sex.
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Furthermore, the report that white onion promotes sperm count in men and the similarity in the activity of the onions and testosterone by increasing sexual frequencies in rats may indicate that onions in this study have a similar mechanism of sexual stimulation as testosterone.
Recently, worldwide supplements have generated some scientific interest as aphrodisiacs. Ginseng root, an essential traditional Chinese medicine, is currently used as an aphrodisiac by about six million Americans.
Yohimbine, an indole alkaloid, is the aphrodisiac ingredient of the bark or root of Rauwolfia species. The Rauwolfia plant, used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, is native to the tropical rainforest of West Africa.
The aphrodisiac activity of the yohimbine plant has been known since the last century. Its dried stem bark is widely used in north-eastern Nigeria for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and as an aphrodisiac, while its concoction is traditionally used to treat loss of libido.