Many of the ladies that we work with in our Healthy Hormones Group Program come to us with the complaint of low libido.
It’s a taboo subject to begin with and our modern expectations of women make the whole thing worse.
Expectations for the Modern Lady
After all, we’re supposed to be the best employee ever, a professional chef, have the most beautifully organized household on the block, and be a baby-making machine.
Oh, and we’re supposed to end each day just chomping at the bit to throw down in bed.
We don’t know about you…but that doesn’t exactly happen for most women.
The hectic and unreasonable pace of modern life isn’t kind to the endocrine and hormonal system for women. Too little sleep, not enough nutrients, and waaay too much stress are constantly pushing us towards imbalance.
The Feminine Cycle
Additionally, us women have been pushed out of touch with our natural feminine cycles. Healthy female physiology is a beautiful dance of rise and fall, building and destroying, creating and taking apart.
When we live out of touch with these cycles, the hormonal system–and all related signaling pathways (think thyroid, inflammation, detoxing, and gut health)–becomes dysfunctional. This leads to symptoms such as weight gain, fatigue, and of course, low libido.
The Role of Damiana
While living more in sync with your cycles is the long-term answer to these health concerns, we all like to have some tips and tricks up our sleeves to help give us a boost.
In enters: Damiana!
Damiana is an unassuming little plant that has been used for millenia for a variety of female related issues and for stress release. The leaves are the most commonly used part of the plant. They contain the flavanoids and a compound called apifenin that give Damiana these mojo-boosting and stress-busting properties.
Important and obvious note: as with all herbs, do your research and talk to your provider before trying anything new. This article isn’t intended to be a comprehensive description of damianas properties, interactions, and side effects…but you can, and should, find all of the information on it elsewhere on the internet before beginning to use it. We would hope that people wouldn’t need us to say this but alas, here it is.
Damiana Libido Improving Tea Recipe:
- ½ teaspoon dried Damiana leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried Rosemary leaf
- 1 teaspoon green tea (or any other herbal tea that you like the taste of)
Instructions:
- Combine all ingredients in a small teapot.
- Add hot water to the herbs.
- Let steep for 10-15 minutes (this allows all of the active compounds to be released)
- Add some honey for taste (if you’d like) and drink!
Damiana isn’t intended to be used to long periods of time without breaks. This is something to be enjoyed now and again for a little boost while you work on deeper hormone-and-libido-disrupting issues.
Happy sipping! And all that follows 🙂
XOXO,
