For some time now, while the market for products containing CBD or CBD-based explodes and expands dramatically, the general public is talking with a certain insistence of the effects (both positive and negative) of this substance on both the male and female sexual sphere. CBD has many properties, and its effects on anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, etc. are increasingly scientifically established. What about sex instead? We at hempati.com are here to introduce you to the topic, to tell you where the research has come from, and to suggest how CBD can help in this specific field: in short, everything you need to know about the sexual effects of CBD. Let’s go!
What is CBD?
As always, let’s do a quick reminder of what CBD actually is. CBD (or cannabidiol) is a substance found in the cannabis plant. It does not cause the high that the other component, THC, does, but it has other benefits for the body and mind. For these properties CBD has been isolated and inserted in many products, including those that could help you in the bedroom. For example, CBD can be useful in increasing libido and lubrication. But is it true?
What products is it included in?
While relatively new to the general public, CBD has already been incorporated into a myriad of products, from oils to drinks to creams and ointments. But where do we find it in products designed for the health and the enjoyment of our sex life? In lubricants, in lotions and massage oils, in sprays to be used orally, in things to eat (so-called edibles). As we all now, marketing can be a bit malicious and mystifying, so you really have to ask yourself if these products can really help in the bedroom and what the CBD component has to do with it.
It’s hard to figure out how many people actually use CBD in the bedroom, it’s still a somewhat taboo topic, but a recent survey by the Remedy Review website, which focuses on CBD and natural remedies in general, recorded an interesting fact: 9.3% of those who participated in the survey (the target is mainly American people) admitted that they had taken some type of CBD for sex, adding that their orgasms, when they did, were more intense. It’s worth investigating.
What effect does CBD have on the body
To better understand the relationship between CBD and sexual health and enjoyment, one must first understand how this substance affects the body. Inside our bodies are tiny receptors that are part of a system scientists call the endocannabinoid system (ECS). CBD starts a chain reaction that ends up stimulating this system. The body reacts to this stimulation in different ways.
With which conditions related to the sexual sphere CBD can help
The number one reason people turn to CBD for its sexual effects is for its effects on chronic diseases and conditions, most notably endometriosis.
Other reasons include: increased pleasure, help with stress and anxiety (including performance anxiety), partners getting in the right mood, lubrication issues.
Lubrication and libido
As for the issue of lubrication during sexual activity, Ananda Hemp medical director and member of the Lamber Center for the Study of Medical Cannabis at Jefferson University Alex Capano has something to say. “There are tons of cannabinoid receptors in the reproductive organs and sexual tissues. CBD can increase blood flow to tissues, which increases their sensitivity and promotes the body’s natural lubrication process.” The presence of receptors in the sexual organs was confirmed by a 2009 article published in the annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. They are also present in the brain.
For those who are experiencing lubrication problems and therefore pain during sex, adding a lubricant can be useful on both fronts: to decrease the painful component and make everything else more enjoyable. Many manufacturers of CBD products are starting to make CBD lubricants as well. The effects of topical CBD products have been studied. CBD products that are applied to the skin, such as creams, oils or ointments, have been shown to be very effective anti-inflammatory, which could theoretically help with sex as well.
As to what happens next, studies seem to detect some controversy. Some, in fact, have recorded a certain increase in libido caused by CBD and also by THC, some have recorded the exact opposite: they could even decrease it.
Sometimes, however, the effect of CBD on sexual life is not direct but indirect. For example, CBD may help libido by reducing anxiety, including performance anxiety. Performance anxiety, and this is known, reduces libido. Remove the anxiety and sexual desire could return to its former glory. There aren’t enough studies and research to conclusively confirm this, but this road looks very promising. Of course, each person reacts differently to anxiety, sexual performance anxiety and ultimately to CBD as well.
The research is anecdotal. There are those who do not even perceive this effect, while there are those who are very satisfied. Research on CBD in any field, however, is growing, and we are sure that soon we will manage to have a non-anecdotal answer to this question: does CBD help with libido?
Erectile dysfunction
According to some studies, cannabis sativa, the plant from which CBD is derived, has been used for centuries to improve ejaculatory functions and sexual performance.
How this would happen, especially when talking about CBD and erectile dysfunction specifically, is not yet well understood by science. One could theorize that CBD helps relax the blood vessels, promoting blood circulation. Better blood circulation equals an improvement in erectile function and an overall improvement in sex and its duration. The problem is that there have been no specific tests on CBD and male sexual and reproductive organs.
Sexual desire
Another possibility to explore when it comes to the sexual effects of CBD is that this substance can influence sexual desire by acting directly on the brain, or on the part of the brain that controls sexual desire and arousal as a whole. Before drawing any conclusions there is a need for more research, even if the existing ones seem promising.
Conclusions
As usual, at the end of this summary on CBD and the sexual sphere, we are here to remind you that sex can be heavily influenced by many other things. Talk to your doctor and mental health specialist and try experimenting with CBD with people you trust and go slow and steady on the dosage. Good luck!
