Rekindle Your Spark with Ancient Chinese Secrets for Better Love Life

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) focuses on a holistic approach to improving sexual function and performance by boosting your “essence of life” and addressing the interconnectedness of health aspects. By understanding jing, qi, and the various factors affecting sexual function, this article examines dietary adjustments, herbal remedies, and principles for improved libido and sexual health.

Understanding Jing and Qi

In TCM, jing is a fundamental material of the human body and the material basis for various physiological functions. There are two types of essence: congenital or innate essence and acquired essence. The congenital essence is inherited from your parents, stored in the kidney, and is crucial for growth, development, maturity, and reproduction. On the other hand, acquired essence is developed through organ functions and diet.

Qi, in TCM, derives from the basic particles that constitute the universe and produce everything in the world through their movements and changes. In a physiological sense, qi refers to the motive force or energy required for the body’s functional processes.

Identifying Factors Affecting Libido

Impotence and loss of libido can be offset by rebalancing forces within the body. Common sources of libido problems include:

• Too Much Sex: Overactivity drains the body of life-essence (semen), making self-repair and recharging difficult or impossible.
• Decline of Kidney Yang: The kidneys store the essence of life (jing) and are crucial for the reproductive system, growth, and development. A decline in kidney yang can lead to fatigue, low back pain, weakness in the knees, and low libido.
• Blood Stagnation: Caused by poor blood circulation, usually linked to deficiency or stagnation of qi.
• Qi, Blood, and Yang Deficiency: Little life force, blood, or active energy results in reduced sex drive, difficulty in arousal, and erection problems.
• Anxiety: Overthinking impairs the heart and spleen, making it challenging to become erect, stay erect, or have an orgasm.
• Damp Heat: An increase in blood temperature obstructs blood flow, causing flaccidity of the penis.

The Importance of Diet for Sexual Function

By eliminating or significantly reducing consumption of foods that cause heat and dampness and consuming those that nourish blood, energy and yang, dietary adjustments can enhance male sexual functions. Foods to avoid include:

• Animal dairy products such as milk, cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and cottage cheese.
• Dampness-inducing foods like bananas, fatty or fried foods, nuts, and oils.
• Diuretic beverages like coffee, black tea, soft drinks, and alcohol.

Increase consumption of the following:

• Chinese chive seeds.
• Gruel with walnuts and wolfberries.
• Stewed pig’s kidney with walnuts.
• Sticky rice gruel with lotus root.
• Eel soup.
• Ginseng root or extract.
• Cinnamon.
• Licorice.

TCM Herbal Remedy

In TCM, herbal formulas are usually customized to treat specific syndromes causing imbalance. Gu Ben Fu Zheng is an herbal remedy often used to treat loss of libido resulting from kidney yang deficiency. In TCM, this formula strengthens and warms kidney yang, nourishes blood, and supplements qi. In Western terms, it is seen as a stimulant, tonic, and adaptogenic, strengthening adrenal function, warming the body, and stimulating the libido.

Finding Solutions

Many causes can contribute to loss of libido. Consulting a TCM practitioner may be beneficial in finding a solution, and dietary adjustments can be a fundamental factor in improving libido and sexual function.