Sexual dysfunction?

[Edward]

Ok fellas (and ladies feel free to contribute too of course), delicate subject here... I am coming up to my mid forties, drank alcohol for 25 years, switched to kava a few years ago albeit on and off with the alcohol but just gone kava only. I've noticed things "slowing down" a little downstairs, less desire, less strong erections, etc. This is fairly natural given my age but I wonder firstly if it could be anything at all to do with my kava consumption? I do tend to go quite heavy and I am a daily drinker. Has anyone else of my sort of age or older noticed an effect? Secondly I wonder if there is anything I can do to improve my situation? Supplements, exercises? I'm not at the stage where I am too concerned, it all works and I can still please my wife, but I'm thinking about the future.

 

[Noname]

Here's a list of testosterone foods

Onions
Eggs
Garlic
Broccoli
Asparagus
Almonds
Pomegranates
Avacados
Dates
Figs
Eggplant
Jack fruit
Bananas
Pumpkin seeds
Watermelon
Beets
Pineapples
Mangos
Black seeds
Vanilla beans
Chocolate
Peppers
Eggs
Probiotics
Peanuts
Ginseng
Honey
Oatmeal
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Salmon
Beef
Ginger
Honey
Celery
Lamb
Sheep
Oysters
Clams

It's wrong to eat a living thing but I including meat in the list because it may be hard for some people to go vegan right away so slowly cut meat out.

 

[Edward]

@Noname thank you very much for the info. Is it likely to be solely to do with lower testosterone though?

 

[PepperyPyrone]

I think the best thing to do in this case is to have your testosterone level checked by your primary care doctor. I can tell you I have not experienced this with kava. I find it to be quite the opposite. I drink mostly balanced and heady kavas, heavy kavas on rare occasions. Not sure if this matters or not? Another thing to consider is that kava in general is supposed to have aphrodisiac qualities. Process of elimination says to start with your testosterone levels.

 

[schatz]

I also have noticed that to Edward, I am 54 and started kava last year and right away I noticed less of a desire. That is actually good for my purposes because I have always had too much desire for that and kind of calmed me down so I can take it or leave it. Not bragging here I am just kind of liking the fact that I do not get frustrated so much if my wife is not in the mood.. You could also try Ashwaganda or maca (black) is supposed to help with that issue. I have taken both for other issues and noticed as a side effect desire came into play. Good luck Edward.

 

[Edward]

I think the best thing to do in this case is to have your testosterone level checked by your primary care doctor. I can tell you I have not experienced this with kava. I find it to be quite the opposite. I drink mostly balanced and heady kavas, heavy kavas on rare occasions. Not sure if this matters or not? Another thing to consider is that kava in general is supposed to have aphrodisiac qualities. Process of elimination says to start with your testosterone levels.

I tend to go for heavy kavas and today I am particularly feeling "washed out" shall we say... I've had super heavy kavas for the last 3 or 4 nights. Could be something in that? I'm on a more balanced to heady kava tonight and going to keep on those for a few days just to see if I notice any difference at all.

 

[sɥɐʞɐs]

A Tannese guy told me it's a bit of a problem in the village, that even the young men lose interest in sex in favor of kava.

 

[ObiWan]

Welcome to the club.
I have similar experience. Sexual desire crashed to nearly zero in the last 6 years of daily Kava drinking. My testosteron level is inside the regular range, even a bit higher than for a 50 year old guy usually. So it seems it is only Kava-related.
I really hope that this is reversible and not similar to Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD).

 

[Edward]

@ObiWan so do you tend to drink heavy kavas? I think it could be the heavier kavas that cause most trouble? I wouldn't say my desire was diminished that much, just the ability... the strenth of feeling shall we say ;-)

 

[ObiWan]

No, mostly Tongan. And no more than 30g daily, Usually 5-10g in the morning and 20g before the evening lunch.

 

[Edward]

No, mostly Tongan. And no more than 30g daily, Usually 5-10g in the morning and 20g before the evening lunch.

Ok, that's about my amount for a strong kava, for weaker kavas I'll go up to 70 or so grams a day but all in the evening. I think I'm going to take some time off and just drink kava for the occasional medicinal dose, see how it goes.

 

[Kava Wolf]

@Edward...as you already know, when we age our testosterone levels decrease. There are good natural T-boosters on the market. Prosource.net has some really good T-builders, but they aren't cheap. Their product ZMA is relatively cheap and works well because of the zinc, and if zinc levels aren't up to snuff it can cause problems. I've used many of their products in the past during my powerlifting/bodybuilding days, so I can say a lot of the products for increasing T work. Also, make sure magnesium levels are up. 80% of the population suffer from low magnesium and this causes a variety of problems. Testing can help to see if this is a problem. The RBC test is much better than the "normal" serum test they will want you to have, and it's not accurate. Also, I created a thread last weekend about the herb, Damiana. It's touted as an aphrodisiac, but also has other benefits. It's also a very good tasting tea from what I've read. I haven't ordered any yet, so can't say it works for sure. You might check out the thread in "Off Topic Forum". One other thing...the amino acid, L-Arginine, is a good supplement for increasing blood flow, which helps for the purpose discussed. I can't really say about the use of Kava because I just started drinking it in January, but haven't noticed any ill effects in that area. Hope this helps.

 

[Edward]

@Edward...as you already know, when we age our testosterone levels decrease. There are good natural T-boosters on the market. Prosource.net has some really good T-builders, but they aren't cheap. Their product ZMA is relatively cheap and works well because of the zinc, and if zinc levels aren't up to snuff it can cause problems. I've used many of their products in the past during my powerlifting/bodybuilding days, so I can say a lot of the products for increasing T work. Also, make sure magnesium levels are up. 80% of the population suffer from low magnesium and this causes a variety of problems. Testing can help to see if this is a problem. The RBC test is much better than the "normal" serum test they will want you to have, and it's not accurate. Also, I created a thread last weekend about the herb, Damiana. It's touted as an aphrodisiac, but also has other benefits. It's also a very good tasting tea from what I've read. I haven't ordered any yet, so can't say it works for sure. You might check out the thread in "Off Topic Forum". One other thing...the amino acid, L-Arginine, is a good supplement for increasing blood flow, which helps for the purpose discussed. I can't really say about the use of Kava because I just started drinking it in January, but haven't noticed any ill effects in that area. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the info, I will look into those products. I hope it's not the kava and some better diet/supplements can help.

 

[Edward]

@Kava Wolf thinking about what you're saying, I've been taking DAA for a while, just on it's own. Does that need to be cycled or can you just take it ongoing? My logic says cycling shouldn't make any difference, it's not a steroid? Also do you think that is effective on it's own? I know it's included in a lot of the T boosting products. I'm starting to think maybe it's not kava, or maybe just multiple days of super heavy kavas in pretty strong doses could have had an effect but ongoing it won't be a problem?

 

[Kava Wolf]

I've never taken DAA, so I can't really provide the benefits, or lack thereof. Here is a good article about DAA that may help: http://dasparticacid.org/daa-supplement/
As a general rule of thumb it is a good idea to always cycle with T-boosting supplements. You do need to take them for extended periods of time to get them in your system. For example, you could take a quality T-booster for 3 months then take a month off, so your body doesn't shut down it's own production. I read tons of literature about Kava before electing to try it myself, and felt pretty confident about the benefits, but I also read it should be cycled...one month of drinking daily and two weeks off. I can't say if this is really required, but it couldn't hurt. There are many in this forum that would know the answer to that better than I. And, so many variables come in to play: what variety of Kava, how much at one time and how many times per day. So that's a tough nut to crack. It's only my personal opinion, but if you really enjoy the heavy Kavas and consume large amounts, I would guess that this may indeed make you lethargic. I know the heavy Kavas do give me the anti anxiety effect, and when I was using them I could've cared less about having sex. I still have a very high sex drive, even in my mid 50's, so using the meds probably made my wife happy. lol I tend to lean toward the heady and balanced, but that's just me. I really do feel that large quantities of heavy on a daily basis, over long periods of time surely wouldn't help your situation. You might try cycling your Kava sessions and see if it makes a difference.

 

[Kava Wolf]

A couple of more things I might add...exercise with weights helps, especially while using these supplements. I wouldn't recommend just taking them and not exercising. As with selecting reputable Kava vendors, the same goes for selecting supplement companies and the products they provide by various vendors. Also, if your problem has come on suddenly, it might not hurt to see a doctor. Underlying health conditions also play a huge part in it...heart disease and diabetes can play a major role.

 

[Edward]

@Kava Wolf excellent, thanks.

 

[Jerome]

I noticed a similar decrease in drive when I put on a sizeable beer gut my early thirties. The compass didn't quite hit North so to speak. When I got rid of the gut, and cut way back on the carbs from beer, bread and sugar, things perked up again, like in my teens. Basically the leaner I got, the harder I got.

If I drink too much kava, I have trouble performing, but that's when I drink WAY too much.

Start a low carb diet, eat plenty of good fat and meat, start occasionally lifting heavy and eat oysters!

And my the Schwartz be with you!

 

[Jerome]

http://betterbodychemistry.com/obesity/fat-cells-turn-testosterone-pink/

Here is something that talks a bit about fat an estrogen production. Its a crap article, but apparently the science behind it is sound. Midsection fat produces estrogen. Estrogen es NO BUENO for the mens.

 

[Edward]

@Jerome awesome info, thanks. I have had a fairly small beer gut since my late twenties... time for it to go I think.