Is this a case of Kama Sutra meets korma sutra?
An herb commonly used in Indian curry dishes just might make your stalled sex life more appetizing, researchers say.
The plant called fenugreek — whose fragrant seeds and leaves can be found whole and powdered in your grocer’s spice aisle — may help naturally boost women’s libido, according to a study published in BMC Women’s Health.
A research team at the Palacios’ Institute of Women’s Health in Spain asked 29 women — all of whom had entered menopause — to consume an herbal supplement called Libicare, which contains fenugreek, for two months. As a result, the women reported an increase in sexual desire and arousal, improvements in vaginal lubrication and better orgasms.
The team’s finding supports past research that said the sweet, nutty spice was a boon for men’s sexual health as well.
Study authors found that the increase in sexual satisfaction also promoted a positive “domino effect” in other areas of the women’s lives.
Researchers focused on women (ages 45 to 65) who have by now undergone a decrease in reproductive hormones, causing vaginal dryness and low sex drive. At the start of the trial, the participants completed a questionnaire called the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), which uses a scale of 0 to 36, to gauge their base level of sexual desire. Their average score started at 20 — falling within the sexual dysfunction range of 26 or less.
But after 60 days on Libicare, their average score was bumped up to 25.
“The administration of this product is associated with a significant increase not only in desire and arousal, but also in vaginal lubrication and orgasm,” study authors wrote in their report, published earlier this year in BMC Women’s Health.
They continued, “This occurs as part of a domino effect which makes other sexual domains improve when one of them does, and also has a double effect of this product on increasing free testosterone and local vasodilatation [increased circulation].”
Libicare contains plant extracts, selenium, B vitamins, ginkgo biloba and fenugreek, and, although not available in the US, can be purchased online via international retailers for about 20 to 25 euros ($22 to $28). It was also noted that some scientists working on the study have professional and financial ties to the product’s manufacturer, Procare Health, a Spanish company specializing in feminine hygiene products.