Libido Enhancers

 Did you know that you can improve sexual performance without drugs? Recent studies suggest that exercise and appropriate weight loss are effective bedroom boosters. According to the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, regular physical activity appears to reduce impotence risk by nearly a third. When obese men lose weight, many regain their sexual functioning.

No surprise that running whittles your waistline, but it can also boost your sex drive. "Exercise is an incredible arousal mechanism," says Dr. Harry Fisch, Director, Male Reproductive Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia. He explains that exercise will increase blood flow to the lower half of the body, which is especially important in terms of desire and arousal.

Like Viagra, ginseng relaxes the muscles in the penis and allows it to fill with blood. In one study, nearly two-thirds of men with erectile dysfunction experienced improvement when using this herb. The trial was only preliminary -- it was fairly small and took place in Korea and Brazil, where strong scientific standards are not always in place -- but it's promising. Ginseng hasn't been subjected to long-term studies, but it appears relatively safe when taken for short periods of time.

Viagra works by enhancing the action of nitric oxide as it relaxes the muscles in the blood vessel walls in the penis, helping maintain erections. L-arginine, an amino acid that increases blood levels of nitric oxide, has been marketed to aid performance. It's too early to say whether L-arginine works and you need to ingest daily doses of L-arginine for any effect to continue. Amino acids can be powerful and their effects aren't well understood.

Chile peppers don't just add spice to meals, they can spice up your love life too. The key ingredient is the chemical capsaicin, which gives your mood a lift by triggering the release of endorphins. Coincidentally, it's also capsaicin that gives this food a hot, flavorful kick. 

Sleeping may seem counterintuitive to the goal at hand, but Dr. Fisch asserts, "REM cycle sleep is important to maintaining good blood flow to the penis." Also, the more rested you are, the more interested you are in having sex. Itall comes back to leading a healthy lifestyle. The more you can eliminate stress and improve blood flow, the higher your libido will climb.

Oysters have long been considered an aphrodisiac, even making an appearance in the story of the famous lover, Casanova. Oysters may foster passion because they contain high levels of zinc -- a mineral used to produce testosterone, a key ingredient in raising libido for both men and women. Learn to embrace the oyster and you'll soon be embracing each other.

Avocado Love In fact, the ancient Aztec name for avocado was "ahuacatl," or testicle. But the avocado has other things going for it, such as being high in omega-3 fatty acids and zinc. The omega-3 acids help to maintain your overall health and give you energy, while the zinc will up your testosterone levels.