Prologue – Supplements
By Johnathan P Cumberwell
An herb is simply any plant that is used for food, flavoring, medicine, perfume, etc. Meaning, a plant that we use for some kind of purpose.
The parts of the plant that we normally use are the leaves, the root, or the seeds.
Before modern medicine and the pharmaceutical industry came around, the only remedies for illnesses were prayers and plants.
Plants were in some cases effective.
They had (and still do) the ability to treat many illnesses and ailments such as colds, fevers, diarrhea, pains, digestive problems, etc.
In fact, many modern pharmaceutical drugs are today based on plants, where one or a few very specific components are extracted from these plants.
Herbs have been used for medicinal purposes for a very long time, and we believe the use have stretched at least as far back as 5,000 BC. That is more than 7,000 years.
Plants have also been an essential part of Traditional Chinese Medicine, which is a discipline that has flourished for more than 2,500 years, and is still practiced by millions of people worldwide today.
Ayurvedic medicine of the Indian subcontinent, another practice that has prospered for thousands of years, also has plants as a foundation of its practice.
Herbs have in fact been used by pretty much every civilization through history for medicinal purposes, including the Persians, Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, Incas, Aztecs, Mayans, Vikings, etc.
In other words, herbs have a very long history of medicinal use, and many of these plants are still widely used to this day.
By the way, this section is not only about herbal supplements.
Today, there are also many supplements that are not plant based. For instance, ZMA and L-arginine are very interesting supplements, which are synthetic.
Let me share some of my experience with supplements.
My Experience With Supplements
It took me years of experimenting and researching, and in fact an almost desperate last-resort effort, until I discovered what these supplements can really do.
Now that I understand how to take these supplements, I have become not only a big admirer, but also an avid user.
Why?
Because of their sexual effects.
Supplements give me the following three effects:
I had my supplement epiphany when I took a high dose of a high quality Tribulus Terrestris powder. I could hardly believe how incredibly well it worked. It completely opened my eyes.
And after this epiphany, I have also experimented with a number of other supplements.
Some have not had much effect on me. Others have worked super well.
In this section, I have created in-depth profiles of those that have worked incredibly well for me, on a consistent basis.
These profiles provide background and history about the supplements, explain which active ingredients they contain, what effects they are supposed to have, scientific research documenting these effects, and also my personal experience using them.
These supplements are: Fenugreek, Horny Goat Weed, L-arginine (L-citrulline), Pine bark, Maca, Tongkat Ali, Tribulus Terrestris, and ZMA.
But how exactly do these supplements work? How can they help with erectile dysfunction?
How Do These Supplements Work?
Different supplements have different effects on the body and to different degrees.
However, their effects on sexual functions come mostly through three pathways:
- An increase in testosterone production
- An increase in nitric oxide production
- An increase in dopamine production
Some supplements increase one of these elements, however there are also those that increase two, or all three.
Before continuing, I want to add an important note:
These supplements will typically only have a strong effect if you are already deficient, or at least have room to improve your production, of any of these elements.
So for instance, if your testosterone level is already very high, you would probably not get much (or any) benefit from taking a supplement to increase your testosterone.
Only if you are testosterone deficient, will you normally get a boost in testosterone production from such a supplement.
In other words, these supplements will typically only restore your deficiencies to baseline (or normal) levels.
Let’s quickly summarize the importance of testosterone, nitric oxide and dopamine.
Importance Of Testosterone
Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone. It’s job is to govern, control and support anything sexual that happens in your body.
Therefore, you need adequate testosterone in order for your sexual functions to work well.
If you don’t produce enough testosterone, you will normally find it difficult to get erections. And your libido will typically be low.
You will often also have less energy, feel less alert and be more sluggish.
Importance Of Nitric Oxide
Nitric oxide is essential in order for you to get erections.
In order for a penis to go from flaccid to erect, nitric oxide needs to be produced. Nitric oxide is needed to open the the blood vessels to and inside your penis.
When your blood vessels are expanded, blood can flow into your penis and make it erect.
Without inadequate nitric oxide production, you will normally find it very difficult to get erections.
Importance Of Dopamine
You also need dopamine to get erections. Because dopamine is the messenger molecule that sets off the process that leads to your penis becoming erect.
When your brain realizes that there is an opportunity for having sex, your brain starts to produce dopamine.
Dopamine then sends signals to the back of your brain, which travel down your spinal cord and to your penis. There, it instructs nitric oxide to fill your penis with blood.
With low dopamine production, this signalling will normally be weaker. As a result, you may not get an erection.
Dopamine is also required for having a sex drive.
When we crave something, whether it be chocolate or sex, dopamine is produced in our brains to motivate us.
For instance when you smell the sweet scent of chocolate coming out of a chocolate store, dopamine is produced in your brain to motivate you to eat chocolate.
Similarly, if you see a super hot woman at the party, dopamine is produced in your brain to motivate you to have sex with her. Hopefully, you won’t walk over to try to have sex with her, but that it what your brain really wants.
With low dopamine production, you may just see her and think nothing of her. In other words, your sex drive is likely to be low.
Let’s look at how supplements compare to pharmaceutical drugs.
Comparison Of Supplements To Pharmaceutical Drugs
Pharmaceutical drugs like Viagra, Cialis or Levitra will normally only have one effect.
And that is to make your penis erect. Because they only work via the nitric oxide channel.
These drugs normally do nothing to increase libido or amplify sensations from sex.
These drugs often also deliver side effects such as a flush red face, distorted vision, a runny nose and headaches.
I have never had any negative side effects when taking supplements.
In addition, many of the supplements can have positive health effects, such as restoring hormonal imbalance, being antiviral, being antibacterial, etc.
And:
As mentioned above, the supplements can also increase sex drive and make the sexual experience even more enjoyable.
Also:
When I combine certain of these supplements, I achieve erections that are so strong and full, that they are on par with erections I got from taking pharmaceutical drugs.
When I take supplements now, I normally always take them in combinations. Meaning I take more than one at the same time.
Normally I always take a combination of four supplements.
I normally always take a base that consists of 7 grams of L-citrulline, 7 grams of Pine bark, and 0.75 grams of ZMA.
On top of this, I also take 7 grams of one herbal supplement, such as Tribulus Terrestris, Tongat Ali or Horny Goat Weed (or others).
Let’s talk about safety for a moment.
Safety
Is it safe to take supplements in these doses? Can it cause health problems or side-effects?
The answer: I don’t know.
I am not a doctor and I have not been able to find research studies on the safety on the doses I have been taking.
There is a chance it is not safe. There is a chance it can cause health problems.
What I can say however, is that I have been taking large doses of these supplements for several years, and I have never had any side effects or any problems.
Now, I haven’t taken these supplements every day, but sometimes up to 3 times a week.
But even though I have never had any problems or side effects, your body may react differently.
Therefore, should you want to experiment with supplements in large doses, you do this 100% at your own risk.