No desire, no time, too tired, ...Libido at half-mast, lack of sexual vigour ...?
Whether temporary or prolonged, a drop in sexual desire is a common problem today, affecting both men and women at some point in their lives.
There's no doubt that sexual activity is essential to emotional and physical balance, and many factors can destabilize this equilibrium.
Sexual desire, which is unique to everyone, comes and goes throughout life, depending not only on hormone levels, but also on lifestyle, family, professional and social context, and emotional and physical state (fatigue, stress, etc.).

Testosterone, the hormone of sexual strength, libido, and arousal

Better known as the male hormone, testosterone is essential to the sexual health of both sexes.  The main hormone for male sexual functioning, testosterone deficiency is said to decrease by 1-3% per year from the age of 30 onwards, leading to reduced or absent sexual desire in both men and women. Estrogens (estradiol, estriol and estrone) are produced from testosterone by aromatase enzymes.
It should be noted that it is from cholesterol that our bodies synthesize male and female sex hormones. The anti-cholesterol diet should therefore be reserved for people with abnormally high levels of LDL cholesterol or low levels of HDL cholesterol.
There are a multitude of reasons why women and men can have low testosterone levels: chronic stress, age (menopause, andropause), metabolic disorders (obesity, diabetes, ...), excess estrogen (pathological or use of oral estrogens) aggravated by xenoestrogens and endocrine disruptors, so abundant in the modern diet and environment. A detox cure is recommended 2 or 3 times a year, to help the liver eliminate toxins and excess estrogen: milk thistle, artichoke, black radish, dandelion, boldo...
And if you're taking medication, be sure to read the instructions for all your medicines, as the list of those that don't go well with sexuality is a long one: anti-depressants, anti-hypertensives, neuroleptics, treatments for prostate hypertrophy, statins, the contraceptive pill, etc.

So how do you boost your libido naturally?

1. Diet and nutritional deficiencies.

Dietary adjustment
A healthy, balanced diet with a variety of nutrients is essential for maintaining optimal energy levels, which in turn has a positive impact on sexual health.
As such, it is strongly recommended to avoid or even eliminate:

• All sugary and ultra-processed foods and beverages, and increase your intake of vegetables, fruit, and proteins, preferably organic to avoid pollutants, pesticides, xenoestrogens and other endocrine disruptors that damage sexual health and libido.
• All forms of stimulants, tobacco, drugs, alcohol, coffee... Certain substances contained in tobacco have harmful effects on sexuality, even in the case of low consumption. Cigarettes reduce libido.

Nutritional deficiencies
One of the possible and unsuspected causes of low libido is often simply a lack of vitamins and minerals. Certain nutrients and micronutrients are essential to our sexual equilibrium.

• Deficiency of vitamin D is associated with a variety of sexual dysfunctions, including lower testosterone levels in men and lower estrogen and progesterone levels in women. Numerous studies have shown that proper vitamin D supplementation can reduce this hormone deficiency and improve sexual desire.
• Omega-3 fatty acids improve blood circulation, reduce chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, and help maintain good nerve function. This has a positive impact on sexual health. They are also essential precursors in producing the sex hormones testosterone, estrogen, and progesterone.
• Zinc is necessary for producing estrogen and progesterone in women, and sperm and testosterone in men. It is found in good quantities in oysters, hence their reputation as an aphrodisiac food.
• Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that acts on the vascular causes of erectile dysfunction: in particular, it enables nitric oxide (NO) to play its role as a vasodilator. Its deficiency has been implicated in depression, which often goes hand in hand with a drop in libido, in both men and women.
• Magnesium is nature's great stress remedy. In times of stress, the body depletes its magnesium reserves, leading to mood disorders, fatigue, and heightened sensitivity to stress. Magnesium supplementation (citrate, bis-glycinate, etc.) can help alleviate these problems.

 2. Managing stress and emotional balance

Chronic professional or personal stress, a powerful cellular oxidant, has a direct impact on the body and mind, leading to reduced secretion of the pleasure hormones dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin (neurotransmitters involved in well-being, sexuality, and libido) and excess production of the stress hormone cortisol, produced by the adrenal glands (adrenal exhaustion).
To regain nervous and hormonal balance, you need to start by taking a break and reviewing your lifestyle to identify repetitive stressful situations in your daily life.  Numerous stress management techniques are available to help you regain nervous and hormonal balance.  See our stress quiz.
Here are a few tips to implement:

• A healthy, balanced diet is essential.
• Get enough restful sleep, as cortisol levels fall during sleep. See our quiz on sleep.
• Regular practice of moderate physical and/or manual activities (art, coloring, etc.).
• Using alternative anti-stress techniques and therapies such as chi-gong, meditation, sophrology and cardiac coherence, which can help you approach life's events with greater serenity and let go.

3. Plants to boost libido

You may not know it, but Mother Nature is our natural sex shop, and she offers us a range of tonic and relaxing plants with aphrodisiac virtues, particularly adaptogenic plants, traditionally used by Ayurvedic medicine to rebalance the nervous system and libido.

• Ginseng and maca are plants recognized for their beneficial effects on physical and intellectual functions. Anti-stress and vitality boosters, are traditionally used as aphrodisiacs to combat impotence, reduced sexual desire and fertility in both men and women.
• Ginkgo Biloba a vasodilator, is particularly well-suited to libido problems associated with antidepressants. According to some studies, it stimulates desire, improves erection, and facilitates orgasm in both men and women.
• Ashwagandha and Shatavari are two plants particularly recommended for women, to help balance major physiological and hormonal functions, tone the body, support the physical aspects of women's sexual health, and increase stress resistance.
• Schizandra used in traditional Chinese medicine as an aphrodisiac, alone or in combination with other adaptogenic plants, is a berry that stimulates and exacerbates the senses of five senses (taste, smell, hearing, sight and, above all, touch), optimizing sensuality, desire, and pleasure. Which is why it's known as the Fruit of Love! According to Chinese tradition, Schisandra berries can "possess ten women for a hundred nights".
• Tribulus terrestris considered to be the aphrodisiac plant for men, is beneficial both to men for improving their physical and sexual performance, and to women for its positive effects on the female reproductive system (ovary, uterus) and enhancing their libido.

So why deprive ourselves of this natural pleasure of life, which is an integral part of our well-being?

The Adrien Gagnon team