Science Says Marijuana Might Be Nature’s Aphrodisiac

It’s no secret that marijuana is one of the best natural remedies for humans. It is currently being investigated for its ability to heal nearly all the more serious diseases and its capability to relax and destress people is well known. This is because THC mimics a compound in the human body, meaning it is completely benign. The name of the molecule which it mimics is called anandamide, Ananda being the Sanskrit name for bliss. This molecule works on the endocannabinoid system to stimulate everything from temperature, mood, pain, pleasure, sleep and appetite.

Nature’s Aphrodisiac

And now another benefit of marijuana has been found. Many users were aware that cannabis can stimulate libido in certain instances, though the effects are not always consistent. But a study recently published in the Pharmacological Research journal has suggested that marijuana could actually be a proven aphrodisiac. The research found that those who smoked more than 50 joints a month had significant increases in libido as opposed to those who smoked less than one joint a week.

The results did not depend on whether or not the subject was a man or a woman, but served to boost libido for both groups of people. Cannabis is the most commonly used illegal substance, and its ability to boost libido has been well known to people of all origins for thousands of years. Because weed has always been illegal, it is only recently that it has garnished so much research activity.

The findings of the study were that 50% of users noted aphrodisiac effects and there was increased pleasure in 70% of all subjects. This are huge figures which essentially mean that marijuana is an extremely effective treatment for low libido. Even some of the expensive chemical counterparts don’t work on as many people, not to mention all the horrendous side effects associated with chemical prescription libido enhancers.

Another study produced in 1983 found similar results as the more recent study conducted by University of Catania in Italy and Charles University in the Czech Republic. The 1983 study found that roughly 50% of users reported an increase in desire for partners that they knew, and 70% said they experienced increased sexual satisfaction and desire after marijuana.

Study Intricacies

There are some intricacies to the study findings. One is that how often people smoke matters. The people who reported an increase in desire and satisfaction were nearly all those who smoked quite a lot of marijuana. Further, while a single joint may be stimulating, more than one joint can lead to decreases in arousal for the smoker. There are a number of other factors which doubtless play a role. THC has different effects for everyone and the amount of marijuana in a joint may vary considerably. So, asking users how many joints they smoked might not actually be the most accurate method of measurement. Different strains have different THC levels which also skew the results somewhat. However, it is as good as we can get at this stage and no study designs can be perfect. There are merely indicators, and the indication is that generally speaking, marijuana seems to be good for sexual desire and pleasure.

There are numerous other confounding variables. For example, it could be that Sativa dominant strains are better at stimulating arousal than Indica dominant strains. This could also vary person to person, and most strains are hybrids containing a mix of Indica and Sativa. The method through which cannabis is consumed may also have an effect – by a bong, joint, vaporizer, cannabis edible or topical.

Not just Yet

It is difficult to say how marijuana actually works to give these effects. This is because the effects vary from person to person and sexuality is a very individual thing. There are no real definitive markers of increased libido that can be measure, so all research findings are essentially based on people’s subject opinions as well as how often they engaged in sexual activities. But this is not quite the same as measuring definite biological markers. For the time being, it will be a long time before you can go to the medical dispensary and a libido marijuana prescription. There is not enough research done on the matter and many of the few completed studies are decades old. If cannabis joins ginseng and other natural aphrodisiacs in the erectile dysfunction market, then it could be disrupting a huge industry. But it can only do this when many studies have first been conducted. And the wheels of science move incredibly slowly, even to prove something that everyone already knows to be true.

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