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Full Text of ...
The Smart Guide to Better Sex
From Andro to Zinc
Supplements and Herbs to Fire Up Your Sex Life
By John Morgenthaler and Mia Simms
$9.95 - 128 pages, softcover
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Chapter 6
Other Prosexual Substances
(Pheromones, Deprenyl, GHB and GH)
Pheromones —
The Scent of Desire
Osmology, or the science of smell research, has determined that men and women are attracted to each other via selective chemical messengers called pheromones. These are arousal-stimulating chemicals that signal sexual desire, sexual readiness, hormone levels, fertility and the deepest emotions. When released by the body, certain pheromones can work like magic to attract members of the opposite sex.
The term pheromone was coined by two hormone researchers, Karlson and Luscher, who created the word from two Greek origins: pherein, meaning to bring or transfer and hormon, meaning to excite. Pheromones are primarily perceived through olfactory sensors, and studies suggest they are excreted by several areas of the body, including the skin glands, saliva, urine, vaginal discharge and feces.
Subconscious Sexual Attraction
Pheromones can act as powerful catalysts of sexual attraction. As humans secrete these chemicals through perspiration, they are subconsciously detected by the nose, brain and nervous system. Only about 10 percent of men give off significant amounts of androsterone, a select pheromone that seems to give them what many call "sex appeal." These men may not even look sexy — yet through pheromone-release they send out powerful signals of attraction.
Men primarily release androsterone through their skin and hair. And while both men and women excrete trace amounts of it through their urine, men excrete up to four times as much as women do. This particular pheromone, which is produced by the adrenal glands of both sexes, is also present in sweat under the armpits of both sexes. In addition, it is present in smegma, the substance secreted by the sebaceous glands of the penis and vagina.
Researchers have found that women secrete at least one other attracting pheromone from their vagina. Studies of the vaginal secretions of sexually alluring women have demonstrated the presence of copulin, a pheromone which is mainly present in these fluids. The appearance of these chemicals appears to correlate with hormonal variations corresponding with changes in the female menstrual cycle.
Therapeutic Applications
According to Masters and Johnson, products containing pheromones can be used for correcting sexual dysfunction. The researchers say that the sense of smell is underused in the treatment of sexual problems, and they admit to utilizing pheromone-scented lotions in their clinic to help couples benefit from the therapy offered there. The research group conducted a 10-year study that confirmed the sexual "turn on" aspect of these chemical attractors.
Sexual Applications
One study confirmed that pheromones are commonly used by the perfume industry. Although companies claim to use these compounds as a "carrier" of the fragrance, the added pheromones are most likely the secretly seductive ingredient. Since perfumes are primarily marketed based upon their ability to appeal to the opposite sex, the pheromone-perfume combination makes perfect "scents"!
Safety and Precautions: Pheromones are generally considered safe and have no known [objective] side effects; however, they may cause subjectively unwanted effects. For example, the use of a pheromone formula may result in the attraction of undesirable members of the opposite sex. Thus, we suggest careful and calculated use of these compounds at all times.
Dosage and Timing: Perfumes may or may not contain pheromones (marketers are not required to list them on the product label). Therefore, initial applications may be tested in small dosages of one or two quick sprays. When pheromones are purchased separately, they can be added to a favorite cologne or perfume in amounts recommended by the manufacturer.
To heighten the passion of the sexual experience, pheromones may be strategically applied in erogenous zones just minutes prior to the encounter. They may also be used to build up to sex, in which case they should be applied an hour or two beforehand. If the desired effect is not noticed, the amount can be increased in small increments.
Hot Tip: For those who are single, pheromones can be used to seduce members of the opposite sex. For this purpose, pheromone products should be applied in key areas of the body at a time and place that is appropriate to the individual seeking the attraction.
Availability: Pheromones are considered cosmetic items and are primarily available in high-end perfumes; although most companies will not disclose their use. Pheromones are also sold individually and are primarily available through specialty shops, magazine advertisements and over the Internet.
Deprenyl —
Prosexual Extraordinary
Deprenyl is a remarkable prosexual agent and is also one of the most impressive and well-documented life-extending substances known. While it is not generally considered to be a nutritional supplement, it could very well be considered one. In fact, the Oregon Board of Naturopathic Medicine has recently determined that deprenyl is a dietary supplement! It has potent anti-aging properties, and through various modes of action, works to preserve, protect and enhance the overall health and physiology of the human body.
Its sexual benefits were discovered quite by accident and seem to apply equally for men as for women. For men, its prosexual attributes include increased libido, more frequent sexual interest and the enhanced subjective experience of sex. For women deprenyl increases sexual desire and enhances the subjective experience of sex.
A Brief History of Deprenyl
Deprenyl was first developed by Dr. Joseph Knoll, a research professor at Semmelweis University in Hungary. Also known as "the father of deprenyl," Knoll was primarily focused on the clinical uses of stimulants, including amphetamine-like substances. His original interest in deprenyl began in the 1950s, with hopes that the compound was a potential treatment for hypertension. While it did not prove effective for that condition, it did show promise in other areas, especially in brain health.
Deprenyl has since been proven to be a favorable treatment for Parkinson's disease and has already been used by millions for this condition. It was also shown to be effective against symptoms of depression, and more recently, of Alzheimer's disease.
Modern Mythical Love Potion?
Deprenyl's chemical name is selegiline hydrochloride, and it is often referred to as "selegiline" among researchers and physicians. Its chemical structure closely resembles that of phenethylamine, a natural chemical also known as PEA. PEA is the active component in chocolate that reputedly causes lovers to be consumed with desire and has the power to soothe the cravings of premenstrual women. Prevalent throughout nature in plants and animals, PEA represents the mythical love potion that stimulates the passions, and deprenyl is its modern-day cousin.
The Sacred and Fragile Substantia Nigra
Somehow, through means which are not entirely understood, deprenyl has the uncanny ability to synchronize and enhance the dopamine system in a small area of the brain called the substantia nigra. This special region retains the most potent concentration of dopamine in the body. It is in this area that dopamine neurons also age more quickly than do any other group of brain cells.
Parkinson's disease has come to be understood as due to the deterioration of this brain region and has been referred to as the "premature rapid aging" of the substantia nigra. It is now accepted that the gradual decay of the dopamine system in this area is also implicated in normal aging.
Deprenyl and MAO
As you may recall from earlier chapters, sexual desire can be squelched by the dark psychological cloud of depression. While so many factors can contribute to this condition, one thing is sure: Depression entirely dampens the sexual fire. Deprenyl can work wonders to lift the spirit and to relight that fire, but to understand how, a brief biochemical review is helpful.
Monoamine oxidase (MAO) is an enzyme present in both the brain and digestive tract. In the digestive tract, MAO initiates the metabolic breakdown of chemicals from foods. In the brain this same chemical initiates the process of disintegrating for elimination of certain neurotransmitters, including serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.
When MAO levels are in balance, the chemical plays an important role in regulating brain neurotransmitters by metabolizing them. It also plays a part in regulating the mental, endocrine and metabolic functions that these brain chemicals affect.
However, when MAO brain levels run high, these neurotransmitters can decrease to unhealthy levels, causing an overall shortage of them. In the case of dopamine, this can result in depression, low sex drive and decreased motivation, motor control and mental functioning — all of which are dopamine-related. Indeed, aging is characterized by increased MAO activity and also by many of these symptoms.
Drugs that Block MAO
Some of the first antidepressants were MAO inhibitors which worked by blocking MAO activity. Unfortunately these drugs fell into disfavor because some patients experienced mysterious "acute hypertensive crisis:" painful, potentially dangerous episodes of high blood pressure. Researchers traced these symptoms to a cross-reaction between MAOs and the amino acid tyramine. Tyramine is present in various foods, and is especially concentrated in aged cheeses and red wines. As a result, the syndrome was dubbed the "cheese effect."
Enter Deprenyl -
Selective MAO Inhibitor
Deprenyl, however, is in a class of its own. It is the only widely prescribed pharmaceutical MAO inhibitor that does not present this problem. Upon closer examination it was eventually found that there are two types of MAO. The first, MAO A, appears primarily in the digestive system. The second, MAO B, is found predominantly in the "glial cells" of the brain. Glial cells have been described by Ward Dean, M.D., as "small brain cells which surround and metabolically support the neurons which conduct the electrical signals throughout the brain."
MAO B Associated with Aging
MAO-B is the enzyme most responsible for several factors associated with brain aging. Its level of activity, along with the population of glial cells containing MAO B, both increase with age and contribute to the age-associated decrease of dopamine levels and dopamine activity in the brain.
Deprenyl is an ideal antidote to depression for a very good reason: it has a built-in safety element. It does not inhibit MAO A and instead allows this enzyme to be active in the digestive system. In fact, deprenyl was the first selective MAO B inhibitor described in the scientific literature and continues to remain the only such compound in broad clinical use today.
How Deprenyl Protects
the Substantia Nigra
Deprenyl's selective MAO B inhibition helps to maintain optimal dopamine levels and activity throughout the brain. It also prevents the dopamine loss associated with age-related MAO B activity. In the substantia nigra area, where dopamine loss occurs most rapidly, deprenyl is especially valuable, as it may protect against severe consequences such as Parkinson's disease.
Deprenyl Helps the Body to Produce High-Octane Sex Fuel
Both norepinephrine and dopamine are catecholamines, excitatory neurotransmitters described by Joseph Knoll as "the optimum fuel for the engine of the brain." These neurotransmitters also provide the fuel for sexual activity. In contrast, the brain neurotransmitter called serotonin acts as an inhibitory substance that is sometimes referred to as the brain's "brake" system. Serotonin can have a significant dampening effect on libido.
As deprenyl blocks the reuptake, or absorption, of norepinephrine and dopamine into the brain cells, it stands virtually alone among MAO inhibitors. It also strikes an uncanny resemblance to "tricyclic" and other antidepressants. The net effect is an increase of these pro-sexual chemicals in the very synapses where brain neurotransmission occurs.
Animal Attraction
Deprenyl's enhancement of animal libido is quite impressive. Between 1981 and 1992, Joseph Knoll and a small group of colleagues published at least eight scientific papers devoted to deprenyl's aphrodisiac properties in rats, often comparing it with other prosexual compounds, including apomorphine, bromocriptine, amphetamine, pargyline and clorgyline. The title of one of the articles sums up the sensational results: "The Long Lasting, True Aphrodisiac Effect of Deprenyl in Sexually Sluggish Old Male Rats."
It is interesting to note that much of the scientific community is still reluctant to refer to any substance as an "aphrodisiac." Yet Knoll and his colleagues were so impressed by their results they risked using the words "long lasting, true aphrodisiac effect" in the text and title of the paper.
The determination of deprenyl's aphrodisiac qualities involved dividing the sexual behavior of male rats into three stages: mounting, intromission (intercourse) and ejaculation. According to these standards of measurement, peak sexual vigor was represented by the completion of this cycle with maximum frequency.
The rats were divided into experimental groups according to their level of sexual vigor before the drug administration. For example, some rats displayed no sexual behavior, while others mounted but failed to achieve intromission, and others achieved intromission but not ejaculation.
A dramatic and long-lasting effect was observed in response to a single, low dose of deprenyl injected into the "sexually sluggish" male rats. The rats that were unable to achieve ejaculations for the four-week period prior to deprenyl, did successfully achieve it one week after deprenyl was administered. In fact, seven of the nine rats had multiple ejaculations. Furthermore, most continued to achieve ejaculation for three weeks following the trial, and one managed to complete the mating act for five weeks following the low dose of deprenyl.
It is particularly interesting that deprenyl's aphrodisiac effects were delayed. None of these rats ejaculated during the 24 hours following deprenyl administration. It was also effective in quickening the return to sexual activity of rats who had been "sexually exhausted" and stimulated at least some sexual activity for several weeks in about half of the rats who had previously exhibited no sexual behavior at all. In fact, in every test deprenyl outperformed all of the other compounds that were used for comparison.
Finally, the most remarkable outcome of the entire series of experiments occurred when a group of "sexually sluggish, old male rats" was compared with a group of younger sexually active males. In this test, sexual activity was rated according to the percentage of rats in each group that achieved ejaculation in the weekly mating tests. Within a four-week period, the sexual activity of the deprenyl-treated old rats not only caught up with that of the younger rats but far surpassed it. In fact, for the final four weeks of the study, the old rats performed about double the ejaculations of the younger rats .
Knoll and colleagues concluded that this study had demonstrated the "remarkable efficacy" of deprenyl for "restoring and maintaining full-scale sexual activity" in older, sluggish rats, who "maintained durably a level of sexual activity the height of which was comparable to the top performance of the [younger] rats." These results were apparently impressive enough to convince the researchers that deprenyl exerted a "long lasting, true aphrodisiac effect" among the rats in question.
The journal Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality has since reported on "several ongoing studies examining the effects of deprenyl on sexual function." We predict that more research in this area will find deprenyl's prosexual effects among humans to be comparable to what has already been demonstrated in animals.
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