Black cohosh, Sage and St John's wort for sexual pleasure?
Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2024 9:52 pm
Opioid transmission at μ opioid receptors forms the basis of sexual pleasure and reward, which then sensitizes dopamine, oxytocin, and vasopressin systems responsible for attention, arousal, and bonding, leading to cortical activation that creates awareness of attraction and desire (Quintana et all., 2022).
In my search for plants that can act on opioids, I discovered plants that seem to have never been tried before in the PSSD community.
Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)
Mechanism of action in brief
Click on the names to read more about the action mechanisms.
I don't believe that a plant alone, even in high doses, will be able to alleviate severe sexual problems (don't feel any pleasure with food, body, sex or nipples).
Adopting an "ecosystemic" approach to treat complex neurological disorders, taking into account the synergies between plants (or drugs), seems to me more promising and exciting.
Recent research on anhedonia suggests that glutamate may also be involved. After all, it's the main excitatory neurotransmitter in our nervous system. I have also identified plants that can modulate the glutamatergic system (like Hops, Gotu Kola and Panax Ginseng to name but a few).
We already know from the scientific literature that St John's Wort can synergize with Black Cohosh.
I've already tried 300 mg of St. John's wort extract with NAC but I find that this plant is tiring. I imagine that to alleviate this problem, it might be possible to take St. John's Wort every other day, or to take more stimulating and pro-sex plants with it (such as muira puama, mucuna pruriens, damiana or ginkgo biloba).
That's what I intend to try over the next few months.
I'll be writing up my results, probably on this forum, but also in the interactive table I've created, so that all experiments can be centralized and organized.
If you've already tried solutions to deal with your sexual problems, I invite you to use the board and share the effects you have obtained with substances alone or in combination. This can help the community find solutions for its specific symptoms.
I wish you all the best
In my search for plants that can act on opioids, I discovered plants that seem to have never been tried before in the PSSD community.
Black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa)
- Could theoretically help with sensations and emotions of pleasure (acts on opioid receptors and in the emotional areas of the brain)
- Proven efficacy for menopausal women to manage symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats
Mechanism of action in brief
- Behaves as a mixed competitive ligand and partial agonist at the human mu opiate receptor
(scientific paper) - Scientific PET Neuroimaging Studies: 12 weeks of treatment with Black Cohosh root and rhizome (Remifemin 20 mg) twice daily with meals : there were significant increases in μ-opioid receptor binding potential (BP) in the posterior and subgenual cingulate, temporal and orbitofrontal cortex, thalamus and nucleus accumbens ranging from 10% to 61 % across regions - brain regions involved in emotional and cognitive function.
- A higher dose or a combination of black cohosh with St John's wort may give better results than a lower dose (scientific paper).
- Unlike sage (Salvia officinalis), which also has activity on opioid receptors, black cohosh does not appear to have clear activity on estrogen (so it can be safely consumed by breast cancer survivors - scientific paper)
- Black cohosh acts as a mixed competitive ligand and partial agonist of the serotonin receptor - strong binding to the 5-HT(1A), 5-HT(1D), and 5-HT(7) subtypes. Scientific animal study.
Click on the names to read more about the action mechanisms.
- Moringa Oleifera
- Passion Flower / Passiflora incarnata
- Sage - Salvia officinalis
- Angelica sinensis - Dong Quai
- Vitex Agnus Castus
- Hops with valerian
- Kratom (Green, red, white)
- Forskolin - Coleus forskohlii (the opioid/forskolin interaction is indirect)
I don't believe that a plant alone, even in high doses, will be able to alleviate severe sexual problems (don't feel any pleasure with food, body, sex or nipples).
Adopting an "ecosystemic" approach to treat complex neurological disorders, taking into account the synergies between plants (or drugs), seems to me more promising and exciting.
Recent research on anhedonia suggests that glutamate may also be involved. After all, it's the main excitatory neurotransmitter in our nervous system. I have also identified plants that can modulate the glutamatergic system (like Hops, Gotu Kola and Panax Ginseng to name but a few).
We already know from the scientific literature that St John's Wort can synergize with Black Cohosh.
I've already tried 300 mg of St. John's wort extract with NAC but I find that this plant is tiring. I imagine that to alleviate this problem, it might be possible to take St. John's Wort every other day, or to take more stimulating and pro-sex plants with it (such as muira puama, mucuna pruriens, damiana or ginkgo biloba).
That's what I intend to try over the next few months.
I'll be writing up my results, probably on this forum, but also in the interactive table I've created, so that all experiments can be centralized and organized.
If you've already tried solutions to deal with your sexual problems, I invite you to use the board and share the effects you have obtained with substances alone or in combination. This can help the community find solutions for its specific symptoms.
I wish you all the best