Better Sex Through Chemistry

A guide to the new prosexual drugs & nutrients

by John Morgenthaler and Dan Joy

Copyright © 1994 - Smart Publications
POB 4667 - Petaluma, CA 94955
http://www.smart-publications.com
ISBN: 0-9627418-2-5
$14.95 softcover, 224 pages

Table of Contents

Introduction
Some Basic Physiology

Part I: Natural Substances
Prosexual Nutrients
GHB
L-Dopa
Yohimbe & Yohimbine

Part II: Synthetic Substances
Bromocriptine
Deprenyl
Other Prosexual Substances

References
Index

Introduction

This is a book of real, modern-day, pharmaceutical breakthroughs for enhancing your sex life. These discoveries will benefit people in good sexual health as well as those with specific sexual dysfunctions. We believe that almost everyone can have better sex thorough the use of the new prosexual drugs and nutrients.

A prosexual drug or nutrient is any substance that can improve sex or sexual health. The compounds covered in this book can enhance sex drive, erection, frequency of orgasm, intensity of orgasm, stamina, vaginal lubrication, skin sensitivity, personal enjoyment of sex, and even intimacy and emotional intensity. They may also effectively treat sexual difficulties such as premature ejaculation, loss of interest, impotence, and difficulty achieving orgasm.

We do not propose a method of hyping up your sex drive with drugs at the expense of some other aspect of your health. Our orientation is more holistic. In fact, the new prosexual drugs and nutrients usually improve overall health. Many of the compounds discussed have a wide range of health benefits and have been shown in scientific studies to: enhance immune function, slow aging , alleviate depression, assist fat loss, improve memory, and more.

Better Sex Through Chemistry will be particularly useful for those of you who are healthy but just don't function as you once did (when you were, presumably, a wild, uncontrollable animal.) In other words, you have some degree of age-related sexual decline. This is where prosexual drugs and anti-aging medicine overlap, and is the most exciting material we cover.

Better Sex Through Chemistry will also be useful to those of you suffering from the negative sexual side effects of common prescription drugs (such as the antidepressants). Prozac, for instance, often causes some decrease in sex drive and interferes with the ability to achieve orgasm. There are some interesting possibilities for using prosexual drugs or nutrients to compensate for this side effect. You might also take a close look at the chapter on deprenyl, a prosexual drug that is also used to treat depression. (These issues should be discussed with your doctor.)

Better Sex Through Chemistry is a practical and scientific book. We explain how each drug or nutrient works, how to use it, and how to obtain it, including detailed discussions of dosages, possible side effects, and precautions. We have also included many colorful stories of people who have used prosexual drugs to improve their sex lives and overall health.

Sex and Overall Health

Sexual health is inseparable from overall health. If you improve your general state of health, you will invariably improve your sex function. In this book, we propose ways to improve your overall health and, in the process, enjoy the positive sexual "side effects."

We believe, however, that the connection between sex and health is a two-way street. In other words, enhancing sexual vitality and improving your sex life will also have a positive impact on your overall health. While we can't prove this proposition, there have been many individuals and cultures throughout history whose approach to health has reflected a similar point of view.

The ancient Chinese Taoists, for example, used an extensive array of herbal aphrodisiacs to increase sexual energy, believing that this practice would enhance overall health. In fact, the Taoists understood the flow of sexual energy within the human body as the very basis of physical and mental well-being. The intricate and exquisite Chinese ars erotica based on this principle were intended originally not to increase pleasure in sex, but to generate vitality for practitioners and extend lifespan. Channeling and modulating the flow of sexual energy was, in fact, believed to be the key to immortality. This belief in the primacy of sexual energy is expressed in the yin/yang symbol portraying the interplay of masculine and feminine forces as the fundamental principle of cosmic creation.

In Tantric Yoga, the locus of latent universal life-force in the human body is depicted as a snake coiled three times around a lingam, or phallus, at the base of the spine. Many schools of Yoga center their practice on the release and distribution of this energy, known as kundalini, for purposes of bodily purification and spiritual enlightenment. Tantrists view the kundalini as closely connected to sexuality. One of the ways it is activated and channeled is through ritualized sexual conjugation; and the culmination of the kundalini process is imaged as the union of a lover and her beloved.

The renegade psychologist Wilhelm Reich viewed blockages to the free flow of sexual energy—which he called orgone—as the origin of neurosis. He eventually put forward the idea of orgone as a universal, pervasive cosmic energy.

All three of these schools of thought place sexuality at the very root of well-being; and to one degree or another, even at the root of being itself. And all of them suggest using sexuality as a starting point for improving overall health.

In conventional medical circles, sexual health is understood to be a key indicator of an individual's overall health. Some doctors ask patients about their sex lives (along with questions about sleep patterns, eating habits, etc.) when seeking a picture of their general condition.

The close relationship between sex function and other aspects of health is dramatically demonstrated by several of the prosexual drugs discussed in this book. For example:

Deprenyl is a prosexual drug. It also slows the progression of Parkinson's disease, enhances the mental acuity of Alzheimer's patients, extends the lifespans of laboratory animals, effectively combats depression, and more. How does it perform such a wide range of functions? By enhancing the activity of dopamine, a brain chemical that plays key roles in sex, aging , mood, cognition, and many other processes.
Bromocriptine is another prosexual drug. It can also help you lose weight. How? Largely by reducing levels of prolactin in the body. Prolactin naturally increases with age and is often to blame for age-associated impotence in men.
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a prosexual drug for most people. It can also help you build muscle tissue, burn off fat, and sleep better. It works partly by triggering the release of growth hormone from the pituitary gland.

There are, incidentally, some drugs which may temporarily amplify certain aspects of sex function but are not particularly good for you in the long run. For example: amphetamine (speed) to increase sex drive, methaqualone (Quaaludes) to facilitate male erection, alcohol to release inhibitions, and MDMA (ecstasy) for intimacy and bonding. These substances may have their place, but would probably result in detriment to overall health—and therefore to sexual function—if used more than intermittently.

Love Potions—Not!

Many readers will already have noticed that we have not referred to prosexual drugs as "aphrodisiacs." This decision reflects our desire to avoid the limitations and negative connotations of a term that we feel is largely obsolete.

Most dictionaries define an "aphrodisiac" as a substance or preparation that increases sexual desire. While most of the compounds discussed in this book can have this effect, this definition is far too limited to encompass the wide variety of effects and benefits that can be obtained from prosexual substances.

Furthermore, the word "aphrodisiac"is closely associated with the phrase "love potion." The latter term, which brings to mind images of witchcraft, magic, and foul-tasting brews, refers to a concoction which causes the person who ingests it to become sexually or romantically inclined towards the person who has prepared it. We know of no substances that can function in this manner.

Our Research Methods

The research for this book included a large number of on-line searches of computerized medical databases for references to the "sex effects" of various drugs. In the process, we downloaded over ten megabytes in summaries of scientific papers—a volume of information that would fill about fifty books of this size. Additionally, we tracked down and read stacks of papers in full text, interviewed about 100 people for their personal anecdotes, and, of course, experimented on ourselves.

To our surprise, there is quite a bit more hard scientific data than we expected. Nevertheless, there are many substances that seem very promising in terms of prosexual properties that have not yet been fully explored in a scientific manner. Because we feel that our readers should know about these substances too, we have chosen not to base all of our entries in this book on purely scientific evidence. However, we feel strongly that readers should also know what kind of evidence is being used whenever a claim about a substance is made. We have therefore attempted throughout this book to state clearly the type of the evidence upon which all claims are based.

In deciding whether a substance was worthy of inclusion, we considered the following types of evidence:

Controlled studies

The double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with human subjects is accepted by the scientific community as the most reliable and conclusive method for gathering information on the properties of drugs. Unfortunately, relatively few studies of this kind have been performed in the area of prosexual effects.

In this type of study (hereafter referred to as a controlled study for brevity), researchers attempt to control as many factors and conditions as possible that might effect the outcome of the experiment and the objectivity of the data gathered. This kind of study attempts to account for the well-known placebo effect, a phenomenon in which some subjects report a drug effect even though they have merely been given a dummy pill or injection—a placebo. In this scenario, the subject only believes they have been given the actual drug.

Double-blind studies divide experimental subjects into two groups: those receiving placebo, known as the control group; and those receiving the medication being tested. Consider the example of an experiment designed to test the efficacy of a substance in treating depression. A certain percentage of people suffering from clinical depression will improve without treatment over a given period of time. To the extent that the placebo effect applies to depression, a slightly greater percentage of subjects administered placebo will report signs of improvement. In order for a medication to be proven effective by the study, the percentage of subjects taking the drug that show improvement must be significantly greater than the percentage showing improvement in the control (placebo) group.

Double-blind studies are devised to prevent psychological factors from affecting the way subjects report data and the way that researchers gather and document it. Neither the researchers conducting the experiment nor the patients themselves know which people are receiving placebo and which are receiving the substance being tested (hence the phrase "double-blind"). The placebo effect is thought to result from the patient's belief that he or she is taking a medicine that will have a particular effect, and would therefore not occur if the patient was aware that the substance was a placebo. Furthermore, the ignorance of the researchers prevents their prejudices and assumptions from biasing the information they report—for instance, tending to dismiss or overlook signs of improvement in the placebo group while exaggerating such signs in the group being administered "the real thing."

Animal studies

In many cases scientific studies have been conducted which demonstrate the effects of certain substances on sexual behavior in animals. In the absence of equivalent human studies, there is no certainty that these substances will have similar effects in humans. Nonetheless, such evidence is sometimes strongly suggestive.

For example, Deprenyl, a relatively new drug gaining in popularity as a smart drug and life-extender, has been scientifically proven to have marked effects on the sex lives of rats. Deprenyl significantly increases the mounting frequency of middle-aged and older male rats (meaning that they have sex more often). Furthermore, rats given Deprenyl remain sexually active for a much longer portion of their lifespan, and the drug even revitalizes the sex lives of older rats who had previously ceased to be sexually active. This scientific evidence for prosexual effects of Deprenyl derived from animal studies is accompanied by a large body of anecdotal evidence suggesting that the drug's sexual properties do in fact extend to humans; many corroborative reports have come from those who originally began using deprenyl for other purposes. Deprenyl is therefore a substance worthy of inclusion in this book in spite of the lack of scientific evidence regarding its sexual effects in humans.

Anecdotal evidence

Anecdotal evidence consists of stories, reports, and personal testimonies. Such evidence can come from books, magazine articles, letters, journals documenting informal personal research, and verbal communications. The authors have also gathered a great deal of new anecdotal evidence in their research for this book by way of the numerous, often extensive personal interviews already mentioned. Some of the original impetus for this book came from the large number of anecdotal reports received in response to the smart drugs books concerning the beneficial sexual effects that readers had derived from many of the substances featured in those books.

Informed speculation

Sometimes a substance has been proven to affect the physiological systems that underlie and support our sexual interests and capacities. For instance, a substance may increase the levels of one of the hormones involved in sexual attraction and arousal. Such evidence is strongly suggestive that the substance in question would have prosexual properties, but scientific studies conclusively demonstrating effects on sexual function and behavior may not yet have been performed. This category alone offers somewhat indirect evidence for prosexual effects, but can constitute part of a strong argument that the substance will be found to demonstrate such properties. When this kind of evidence is accompanied by strong evidence from another category—such as anecdotal evidence—we have chosen to include it in this book.

An Example of How a Substance was Selected

Sometimes there is strong anecdotal evidence that a substance has prosexual value—and even a theoretical basis for understanding why or how it could function in this manner (informed speculation)—but no direct scientific confirmation. Such situations apply to many substances which seem to hold great promise as prosexual drugs.

For example, we have found no controlled studies investigating GHB for prosexual properties. However, those who have used GHB consistently report powerful prosexual results (anecdotal evidence). Additionally, we know from controlled studies that GHB boosts levels of acetylcholine, considered to be one of the body's natural prosexual chemicals. From this evidence we can infer that GHB is likely to have prosexual qualities (informed speculation). Taking into account all of these categories of evidence, we decided that GHB was clearly worth including.

Other Considerations

Various factors in addition to the categories of evidence discussed above also played significant roles in our selection process. Those substances which appeared to be potentially beneficial to large numbers of people were favored over those which seemed likely to benefit only a relatively small group. Safety issues, of course, were of paramount importance: all of the compounds included feature extraordinarily high safety profiles. Other aspects of overall desirability were also taken into account. For instance, most men would no doubt prefer to take a few pills every day to enhance their erectile capacity than risk the eventual scarring of their genitals through long-term use of anti-impotence compounds that must be injected. (Several of these are currently being researched and publicized). Availability and legality were also important factors.

The New Sexual Chemistry

By no means do we intend to address sex as if it were an exclusively biochemical issue. For many if not most people, love, intimacy, bonding, communication, tenderness, and even spirituality are essential for good sex. (It is not without reason that sex is called "making love," even when there is ostensibly no love involved.) We recognize that sex occurs in this broader context. We intend this book to be just as useful for people who find these elements important as for people who wish to concentrate their drive towards better sex in the somatic, sensory, hedonic dimension.

While we do not believe that sex is purely or exclusively biochemical, we do wish to emphasize that even the elements of sexuality that are usually thought of as non-physical do have a physical dimension. When this book deals with the more psychospiritual aspects of sex, it will do so mostly—but not exclusively—from the perspective of their largely neglected biochemical angle.

As science is clearly demonstrating, we can no longer ignore the biological aspects of the psychological and spiritual dimensions of human experience. For example, as a Time magazine cover story from early 1993 explains, scientists have made breakthroughs in understanding the biochemistry not just of sex, but of love and romance. And in the bestselling book Listening to Prozac, a prominent psychiatrist convincingly argues that this popular new "wonder drug" not only alleviates depression, but changes personality itself. This chemical is clearly acting as an effective biochemical agent of change in an arena of human existence previously relegated to the realm of the "purely" psychological.

As you will see, particularly in the case histories in this book, it is even possible to access and alter, biochemically, realms of sex such as intimacy, communication, and bonding.

While popular endeavors towards better sex have explored psychology, culture, and even spirituality, they have tended to ignore the inner workings of the body. This oversight, of course, has not been absolute. But even the exceptions tend to prove the rule: the ways in which physiology has been included in our search for better sex only reveal the extent of its general exclusion. Medical science has addressed sexual dysfunction with drugs and penile implants for male impotence, but its vast reserves of relevant information are usually forgotten when the goal becomes one of moving beyond the rudimentary competence of our sexual hardware towards a deeper level of sexual fulfillment. The "discovery" of the G-spot was perhaps most remarkable for the fact that this anatomical font of female pleasure had for so long been overlooked—and the professional debate as to whether it actually existed raged on even as untold numbers of women were already enthusiastically exploring its benefits!

It is clear, then, that biology and biochemistry have been at best unwelcome guests in our considerations of sex and romance. This is probably because science, at least in the eyes of most, is just not sexy, and certainly not romantic. When someone says something like, "love is just a chemical reaction" (hoping, perhaps, to put the pain of heartbreak into some sort of perspective), we usually consider him or her to be expressing a cold, cynical, and pessimistic viewpoint. The equation of love or sex with biology is thought to take the mystery, the romance, and the nobility out of sexuality, leaving lovers the hapless victims of inflexible, impersonal physical laws.

As it was put in the Time magazine article mentioned above, "most of us would just as soon not know" about the biological underpinnings of our romantic and sexual lives. But even as we attempt to avoid the unavoidable, we implicitly acknowledge it in a myriad of ways. Recognition of the biochemical dimension of our sexuality is deeply embedded in colloquial vocabulary. When we ask a friend for a report on last night's first date, all he or she has to say is "no chemistry," and we nod sagely, knowing exactly what is meant: this first date will also be the last.

When it comes to an issue as important to us as our sex and love lives, we like to believe that we're in control. And if we can't convince ourselves that we are, apparently we'd prefer to believe at least that we're being buffeted about by mysterious spiritual or mystical forces that are more exciting and romantic than equations on a blackboard or the latest issue of Scientific American.

"Biology is destiny," reads a famous aphorism. When it is applied to sexuality, the truth that this quotation expresses has apparently been widely equated with pessimism. This reaction is based on the assumption that we're "stuck" with our biology—so if sex and love are in any fundamental way biological matters, there's little we can do to take charge of or improve these arenas of our lives. Such reasoning is no doubt the primary source of our tendency to deny the biochemical dimension of sex and romance. The Time article mentioned above perpetuates this point of view, stating that scientific knowledge of the biological underpinnings of love raises the "specter of determinism," implying that if our sex and love lives can be scientifically understood, somehow they can't be changed.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. Ironically, by refusing to consider, let alone embrace, the chemical element of love, we throw away the key to a sexual treasure chest whose inventory of potential gifts to our sexuality continues to expand as time passes.

These gifts to our sexuality are the new prosexual drugs. May they serve you well.

Copyright © 1994 - Smart Publications
POB 4667 - Petaluma, CA 94955
(www.smart-publications.com)

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