We've been having a love affairย with Schisandra for some timeย now, ever heard of her?ย
One of the most revered anti-ageing herbs ofย the Taoist tonic system, Schisandra enters intoย all five major organs and twelve meridians,ย promoting radiance from within. Another one of theย amazing benefits include its ability toย enhance one's sexual function by:
- Getting you in the mood by supporting the nervous system
- Supporting erectile function
- Enhancing physical endurance, sensation and sensitivityย
- Improving Water Qi to the sexual organs
- Supports sperm and egg qualityย
- Supports hormone regulation and ovulationย
1. No Stress in the Bedroom
Most of us know that the number one killer of a radย s*x life is stress, and our HPA-axis has a lot to explainย for this. When we feel stressed (either consciously or not)ย this has a cascading affect on our Central Nervousย System (CNS) which in turn can impact a multitude ofย different hormones in the body that can impact yourย libido and sexual function. As a powerful adaptogenicย herb, Schisandra can support stress adaptation andย regulate our nervous system.
ย2. Get It Up
Schisandra offers great assistance to thoseย suffering impotence and erectile dysfunction viaย its ability to dilate the blood vessels, thus helpingย men achieve erections and sustain them.ย We have an awesomeย podcast on male's sexual health (but ladies, tune in too, it's a goodie.) As a side note: our Deer Antler can also help with sexual energies and libido, ashwagandha is also super potentย for men and their sexual performance.
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3. Staying the Distance
Schisandra was used by hunters and nomads to improve endurance and reduce fatigue - aka to increase stamina and power. The Russian Army fed their soldiers a combination of schisandra, eleuthero and rhodiola to improve their resilience and performance, and Russian pilots took schisandra to enable them to withstand crazy altitudes. While itโs unlikely youโll be having to hike for days on end through Siberia and Afghanistan, or fly high in the sky, maybe you can use your schisandra-stamina for having fun in the bedroom!
As an adaptogenic herb, Schisandra can help toย improve endurance and stamina, whilst reducingย fatigue. In Chinese Medicine, Schisandra is usedย to treat Premature Ejaculation. It is also knownย to increase warmth, sensation and sensitivityย in female genital organs.
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4. Get Those Waters Flowing
At different times in their cycle, postpartum and around menopause, women can experience vaginal dryness that inhibits their sexual function. Schisandra directly helps to reduce vaginal dryness by increasing the โWater Qiโ in the sexual organs. Tune into our podcast episode with Kim Anami on Life-Changing Sex for more vaginal explorations. Schisandra's astringent action conserves sexual fluids until the appropriate time for release. (It does the same for men, too, by keeping their sperm free and floating in a sea of perfect sperm juice).ย
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5. Improves Sperm and Egg Qualityย
Schisandra berries are high in antioxidants,ย which have been shown to help increase spermย motility and morphology, ejaculate volume, andย sperm concentration as well as DNA integrity.ย Antioxidant intake is equally as important forย women, as they help to protect a fertility eggย from free radical damage as well as preventย premature ageing and dying.ย ย ย
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6. The O Word - Oestrogenย
The primary active constituents in schisandra are lignans. Lignans are a type of phytoestrogen that are found in a variety of plant foods. Bacteria in the human intestines convert lignans to lignan precursors which are known to have weak, but beneficial estrogenic activity within the body. These lignan precursors and the plantโs fibre attach to excess estrogen so it can be removed via the bodyโs systems of elimination. Basically the more toxic estrogens that are removed, the more balancedย your sex hormones, and the more chance you have of your libido soaring! If you want to explore more about hormones and living long and vibrantly, check out this podcast episode 'Female Hormones', you're going to love it.
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7. Ovulation Station
Schisandra is traditionally thought to be an ovulation inducer. This is most likely because Schisandra supports the HPA axis, which as we spoke about earlier, can support hormonal balance, which in this case would improve the most important hormones associated with fertility, and ovulation - Luteinizing hormone (LH); Follicule-Stimulating Hormone (FSH), and Oestrogen. Theย hormones that increase during the fertile window (just before ovulation) create aย sexualย boost.ย Good to know, right?
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The standard Taoist prescription for schisandra is to take approx.ย 1 tsp every single day for three months and see what happens.
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