Fenugreek: A Spice To Spice Things Up In The Bedroom

An herb commonly used in curry dishes has powers beyond the taste buds -- it also has the potential to amp up your sex life.

Researchers from the Australian Centre for Integrative Clinical and Molecular Medicine found that 25- to 52-year-old men who took fenugreek extract twice a day for six weeks scored 25 percent higher on a test gauging libido levels than men who took a placebo, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Men who took the placebo saw their libidos either remain the same or fall during the six-week period.

Low libido is a common scourge of couples, affecting about 18 percent of men, according to the Daily Mail. It differs from impotence and infertility, and instead has to do with a lack of interest, urge or desire to engage in sexual activity.

Scientists aren't completely sure why fenugreek seems to have such an amorous effect on men, but it could be because the herb's seeds contain compounds, called saponins, that affect hormone levels. One particular saponin, called diosgenin, could affect production of sex hormones.

"It probably works to increase testosterone or androgen levels, which decrease with age," Dr. Raj Persad, a consultant neurologist, told the Daily Mail. "If it’s proven to be safe, this is good news. Men with good sexual health live longer than those ... without."

Fenugreek is not a new herb to hit the scene -- it's historically been used for treating menopausal symptoms, inducing childbirth and solving digestive problems, according to the National Institutes of Health. Today, it's still used to stimulate the production of milk in breastfeeding women, as well as formed into a paste to treat skin inflammation. It's also been shown in studies to lower blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.

Comments

[mrsreid1976]

05:30 PM on 06/21/2011

It smells like maple syrup, too.

[caprawalie]

02:06 PM on 06/27/2011

Are you sure you know fenugreek. I have lived in it since childhood and the least of its attributes is the smell....it verges on the nasty

[mrsreid1976]

01:42 PM on 06/29/2011

Oh yes, I know. I took it when I was breastfeeding my first son & I started to smell like maple syrup after about a couple of weeks. It itself does not TASTE like maple syrup, but it is used for making artificial maple flavor. Not everybody likes the smell of maple syrup. I don't.

[zzyxx]

04:48 PM on 06/21/2011

oh great ...thats all we need more lefties propagated....screw dont chew, spit, smoke or choke.

[conscookin]

01:54 PM on 06/21/2011

I agree with panamagal, why is it always about the men?? Products are constantly being advertised on tv for for men, but nothing for women, all we get is these stupid creams and lotions, which really does very little. We can use some help too. After all, without women, men would only have righty and lefty to keep them company.

[invmartyc]

12:34 PM on 06/21/2011

I wonder if the carry this at GNC?

[panamagal]

12:14 PM on 06/21/2011

Oh yeah, that's all we need, more horny men. When are they going to find something that increases the drive of women??

[Myshkin57]

01:37 PM on 06/21/2011

Try maca.

[BamaRainbow]

04:29 PM on 06/21/2011

They have. It's been around for centuries but can be difficult to acquire. It's called CASH. Large amounts of cash. You'd be surprised how accomodating women can be when presented with large amounts of cash.

Then, there's the other thing that women actually prefer to cash (even in large quantities) but seems to be almost impossible for any man to give them--romance.

[Jimmy Hollis]

11:42 AM on 06/21/2011

show me a man with a woman that has lost interest in sex and I'll show you a man that does not smooch cooch.

[RobTheBl0gger]

10:59 AM on 06/21/2011

The reason for the low libido is that couples get tired of having sex with each other after a while. Just like a new toy, it's fun to play with at first. Besides, women are 100x more likely to have less interest in sex than men are so there needs to be a focus on them.

[mac102751]

05:37 PM on 06/21/2011

I disagree, when I was young I banged the wife 12 times one day. Only the years have slowed me down, not the lady.

[360Dunk]

09:57 AM on 06/21/2011

Maybe if there were more commercials at the top of each hour? With that extra 60 seconds, there might be enough time to pound the Sealy Posturepedic with a few seconds left over to hunt down the remote control.

[phunyuns2]

09:24 AM on 06/21/2011

They didnt mention if this works for women..Isnt it common knowledge that male low libido is like 2% of marriage problems and female low libido is like 98% of marriage problems. Throw US a bone please...

[MrCool]

10:46 AM on 06/21/2011

Funny ma'am. Older research says yes. Saponins are common in many plants as well as some seafood.
Eat your veggies.

[RobTheBl0gger]

11:00 AM on 06/21/2011

It's always our fault even if it's theirs.

[dickn2000b]

09:17 AM on 06/21/2011

How does it work? Do it make it longer or thicker or harder? Does it make it last longer? Do you eat it or snort it or rub it on? This article doesn't provide enough information.

[RbeforeP]

04:00 PM on 06/21/2011

I Agree ... I wanted more Information ... Like Where can I buy it ?? And at a Reasonable Price ??? Can it help Your Girl get horny Too ??? I have had Friends tell Me some of these $100*00 dollar + Male Enhancement pill bottles don't do anything ??? There is NO Valid Definition for the Term Male Enhancement??? And I also Believe that a comfortable active sex life with Your Women is 1/3 of a Marriage ....

[littlebrowngirl]

09:32 PM on 06/20/2011

I have never even seen this spice in any store.

[Xacomo]

02:07 AM on 06/21/2011

It is sold in East Indian grocery stores. Kind of bitter to taste by itself, but great in cooking certain Indian dishes and achars (pickled condiments) as it releases its flavor in the process.

[Goliadkin]

05:26 AM on 06/21/2011

Herb stores carry fenugreek seeds in bulk. You can buy them on Amazon.com. They're easy to get.

Fenugreek seeds are easy to sprout. The sprouts have a strong flavor which may not appeal to everyone, but they are terrific mixed with other vegetables, or in salads. I enjoy them in my sauteed greens. They are delicious combined with clover, alfalfa, and radish sprouts.

[soopershrink]

02:45 PM on 06/21/2011

God bless you Galiadkin! But more info please on how to get the little suckers to sprout!

[Hildagard Witherspoon]

06:17 PM on 06/20/2011

Just send me the Greek and keep the fen.

[AmberLights]

05:41 PM on 06/20/2011

There are many thing that have an amorous effect on men, I could think of one or two things that taste a lot better than this if you want to liven things up.

[tick-food]

06:05 PM on 06/20/2011

...proving once again that there is no aphrodesiac even remotely as effective as the old standby, 'hot woman.'

[Hildagard Witherspoon]

06:28 PM on 06/20/2011

LOL as if that's her real pic like that is really yours.

[atmosphere1823]

08:50 AM on 06/21/2011

You're right- women have more of a problem with libido than men do. Why are so many potential treatments researched with men first? This research was obviously backwards; they ought to have begun with women.

But why do something out of the ordinary, right?

[BankOfHell]

05:23 PM on 06/20/2011

Save your money and get breast implants.

[soopershrink]

02:56 PM on 06/21/2011

If so, don't fall asleep too close to the camp fire or they could melt! I know a girl who did once, now one is an ash tray and one is a replica of Mt. Rushmore. She was a midget and I was nuts over her!

[Luketalks]

04:43 PM on 06/20/2011

One night while me and the ex were on mushrooms, I got out a bottle of cinnamon and sprinkled that all over him. He still talks about that night years later and all someone has to do is say, "cinnamon" and he glows:)) I can't imagine having as much fun with fenugreek.

[Hildagard Witherspoon]

03:16 PM on 06/21/2011

add sugar and melted butter to that and all they'd find the next day was his toes, if''d it'd been me. Wait, nevermind, nothing like cinnamon toest and tea.