Excessive Sex Drive
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Trudy
Posted on: August 17, 2000

I desperately need help. My husband is oversexed – extremely oversexed – 7-8 times a day with me and then 2-6 times a day masturbating. This is causing tremendous problems with us.

Is there a herb that will decrease his libido?

He denies a problem. I am disabled with a bad back and the muscle and nerve in my leg all give me a great deal of pain; he does not seem to care; all he cares about is the sex.

By far, most of the questions we get concerning sexual desire are about how to increase it. Most herb books do not seem to address the problem of excessive sexual desire adequately.

There are some herbs that are thought to be anaphrodisiacs, meaning they decrease the sexual urge in some way. The chastetree, also known as chasteberry, is one. It is so named because the berries apparently subdue sexual urge. It is most commonly taken by women to reestablish hormone balance and normal menstruation and ovulation. But it was also taken by monks to depress their urges. There are, however, conflicting reports as to whether the herb always works this way. Chasteberry is also known as Vitex, but it is important to realize there are several entirely different herbs known by that name. The botanical name of chastetree is Vitex agnus-castus.

John Lust, in his book, "The Herb Book" (available from Richters), has a list of herbs used to treat "erotomania" but he does not give details on the treatment. Some of the herbs are known to be sedative and calming to overexcited nervous systems; herbs such as hops, valerian and skullcap. These herbs may not offer a direct or long lasting solution, but rather they may help in cases of transient "erotomania".

Well known herbalist, Christopher Hobbs, in his book, "Herbal Remedies for Dummies" (also available from Richters), has this to say about "abnormal interest in sex":

"A person who thinks about sex all the time and has on-going fantasies is usually suffering from a severe hormone deficiency. It can be from the body feeling threatened by the continued and fundamental weakness and wanting to reproduce before time runs out. This condition clears up when the deficiency is removed. Use hormone tonics like ligustrum, rehmannia and the formula Rehmannia 6."

"Rehmannia" is Rehmannia glutinosa, a Chinese herb available from Chinese herb shops. "Ligustrum" is Ligustrum chinense, the Chinese privet, which we carry in seed and plant form, but not in dried herb form. You can obtain Chinese privet from Chinese herb shops also.

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