Top 10 Herbs for Male Health

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Top 10 Herbs for Male Health

There is not a lot of information concerning the wise use of herbs

specifically for men and boys. Not many men seek herbal healing.

Retailers of herbs

find that male health formulas are often bought by women caring for a husband,

father, son, or friend. The majority of purchases of herbs are for care of

the prostate and treatment of erectile dysfunction. These herbs are usually

bought by women. The only formulas typically bought by men are those for the

enlargement of the male.

Are there really no other uses of herbs for the males of the species? How

about these: Running, cycling, rowing, swimming, walking, dancing, aerobics,

cross-country skiing, and mountain climbing. Or bodybuilding, weight lifting,

wrestling, strength sports, and track and field? Or football, baseball, and

basketball?

The herb once known as " Siberian ginseng " and now called Eleuthero was a

favorite of trainers and coaches of Olympic athletes in the old Soviet Union.

When the word about Eleuthero got out, Western scientists put it to the test. A

study of six baseball players found that taking Eleuthero for 8 days

increased breathing capacity. That is, Eleuthero gave the players more wind to

sprint between bases. In another clinical test, scientists in

Australia found that

men (and women) who took Eleuthero 8 weeks had 13% strength gains in the

pectoral muscles and 15% in the biceps. And a company in New Jersey found that

taking Eleuthero for 8 weeks increased the body's ability to burn fat through

exercise by about 43%. The scientists running these tests recruited

experienced athletes. The benefits of this readily available herb are even more

noticeable in beginning athletes. Just be sure to take the herb for at least 8

weeks for best results.

Combining Eleuthero with other herbs can be even better. Soviet scientists

found taking both Schisandra and Eleuthero benefited endurance athletes by

giving them an immune system boost. The two herbs together helped

prevent colds,

flu, and other infections after athletic events.

Eleuthero is not the only herb for athletes. American trainers report a

combination of Sea Buckthorn, Wild Oats, and Stinging Nettle

increases strength,

anaerobic power (muscle output when the athlete is out of breath), endurance

time, and even feelings of well being. For best results, increase the Vitamin

C foods in your diet when you take these herbs.

American Ginseng is Eleuthero's kinder and gentler cousin. It is especially

helpful for males engaged in weight control. A study published last year in

the Journal of the American College of Nutrition noted that men who take at

least 3 grams of American Ginseng per day experience lower blood sugars and

lower insulin levels after eating. Lower levels of insulin lead to a lesser

tendency to store food as fat. Weight lost by diet and exercise is

more likely to

stay off when men use American ginseng.

Of course, weight loss is easier with the help of human growth hormone.

Human growth hormone is practically a panacea. It treats an

astonishing array of

health problems of both men and women. And that's not all. Human growth

hormone also makes muscle.

The herb most trainers don't realize can increase human growth hormone

production is St. John's Wort. Usually used to treat depression, St. John's

Wort helps cells in the pituitary to " soak up " excesses of the stress hormone

norepinephrine. With this stress hormone out of the way, the pituitary

produces more human growth hormone. An oddity of using St. John's Wort for this

application is that less is more. Taking 900 mg of standardized

hypericin doesn'

t have this effect. Taking the whole herb, which releases less hypericin but

more of the other chemicals in the herb, does.

Once you grow all those muscles, herbs can help prevent aches, pains, and

strains. Green tea, in particular, provides a hefty dose of flavonoid

antioxidants that short-circuit the production of inflammatory

hormones in damaged

muscle. The advantage of Green tea over other sources of flavonoids (spinach,

for example) is that it does not have to be consumed with fat to provide

readily available flavonoids to the body.

And when you are cooking, don't leave out the Oregano. Oregano has 3 to 20

times higher antioxidant activity than any other culinary herb. Gram per

gram, Oregano has 42 times more antioxidant activity than apples, 30 times more

than potatoes, 12 times more than oranges and four times more than

blueberries.

Not to be forgotten, of course, are the herbs for male reproductive health.

Indian, Iranian, Arab, and Pakistani herbal traditions have recommended

Ashwagandha for thousands of years as a " brain herb " for male

potency. Laboratory

studies with mice find that Ashwagandha reconnects the circuits in the brain

that have been broken by stress. In men, the pathways that " put the brakes "

on ejaculation can become " broken " by stress. Dysfunction in the autonomic

nervous system causes premature ejaculation. Repairing " broken circuits " is

theoretically one of the ways Ashwagandha helps restore male potency. The

effects of Ashwagandha are usually noticed within 48 hours of taking the first

dose.

The rain forest herb Muira Puama comes to us from Peru, but its efficacy in

increasing male potency was proven in studies in France. The key to using

Muira Puama effectively is in how you take it—a little lemon juice in

a chaser of

water after taking the herb greatly increases the release of its active

tannins. A little lemon juice also unlocks the active principles of Epimedium,

aka horny goat weed, traditional Chinese medicine's remedy for men who have

lost interest in sex.

Yohimbe, perhaps the best known of the aphrodisiac herbs for men, acts on a

principle very similar to Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra, but doesn't have the

side effects of stuffy nose, sniffles, or seeing blue! Even men who do not

suffer erectile dysfunction note an enhanced experience after taking Yohimbe.

Results are noted within 4 hours of taking the herb.

For men with prostate problems, Saw Palmetto is a proven treatment. There

are advantages to the whole herb not to be found in its chemical extract.

Improvement in urinary capacity is a little slower with the whole herb, but the

side-benefits are improved respiratory health, improved muscle strength, and a

general sense of well being that only the whole saw palmetto berry supports.

Consider capsules of freeze dried Saw Palmetto to obtain the full range of

benefits of this versatile herb.

 

--

Diana Gonzalez

 

 

 

 

Nothing wastes more energy than worrying - the longer a problem is

carried, the heavier it gets. Don't take things too seriously - live a

life of serenity, not a life of regrets.

-Unknown