Sex Drive Support - L-Arginine, Choline, Vitamin B5 B-5, DL-Phenylalanine

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Sex Drive Support - L-Arginine, Choline, Vitamin B5 B-5, DL-Phenylalanine

L-Arginine
In the 1990’s, scientists discovered that l-arginine, a non-essential amino acid commonly found in the diet, is an oxidative precursor of nitric oxide (NO).  L-Arginine works to increase both the levels and activity of nitric oxide, leading to increased cGMP resulting in increased blood flow to the genitals.  Researchers at New York University School of Medicine gave L-arginine to a group of impotent men, and found that six out of 15 men receiving the amino acid claimed an improved ability, while none of the 15 men in the placebo group reported any benefits.

Choline and Vitamin B-5
Sexual arousal occurs not just in the genitals but in the whole body and, especially, in the brain.  For men, it actually begins when the brain sends impulses down the spinal cord and out to the nerves that serve the penis.  These impulses trigger the production of nitric oxide (NO), which causes penile arteries to dilate and the spongy core of the penis to relax and become engorged with blood.  The neurotransmitter that carries the sexual message is acetylcholine (ACh) which is important for women, too.

Numerous studies confirm a key role for cholinergic nerve transmission in sexual responses.  Simply speaking, with too little ACh, sex drive / sexual health can decline.  Increase ACh levels, and sexual activity goes up.  ACh is involved in the build-up toward orgasm and the urethral and vaginal contractions that occur during orgasm as well as the subjective perception of orgasm intensity and duration.

In addition to its direct role in sex drive support, ACh is also the primary chemical the body uses to transmit signals from nerves to skeletal muscles, the muscles that move the body.  You need this chemical for muscular control and proper muscle tone.  There is reason to believe that enhancing cholinergic neuromuscular transmission will enhance your energy and stamina by raising your ACh levels and that this can provide indirect sexual benefits.

While drugs can enhance the body’s cholinergic activity, these drugs not only have unpleasant or even dangerous side effects but are available only by prescription.  One way to safely and effectively enhance ACh levels is to take supplements of choline / vitamin B5.  Or, the full menu of Life Extension Mix (a multi-vitamin/mineral formula) contains generous amounts of B5 and choline (as phosphatidylcholine).  Another form of choline can be found in Cognitex under the name Glycerylphosphorylcholine (GPC).

Vitamin B5, also known as pantothenic acid or calcium pantothenate, actually seems to enhance endurance by two routes.  The first is if a person is in a deficiency state which is likely for most people who depend on food for nutrition.  Second, is the already-mentioned role in creating ACh from choline and its role in the energy-producing Krebs Cycle, which is vital for all living cells.  An early indication that vitamin B5 might enhance physical endurance came from a study in which rats were placed into a tank filled with cool (64°F) water and forced to swim until they became exhausted.  Prior to their swim, the rats’ diets had included either high, adequate, or deficient levels of vitamin B-5.  The high dose rats lasted more than four times as long as those whose diet had been B-5 deficient.  In another experiment, pieces of frog muscle were stimulated electrically to make them twitch.  The stimulation continued until the muscle became exhausted.  Muscle tissue that was bathed in vitamin B-5 had double the work output as the control muscle. [Ralli, 1953].

Dosage and Timing
Experienced users recommend taking choline plus vitamin B5 (or B-5 by itself) about 20 to 30 minutes before sex in order to get the full effect right from the start.  But, notes one user, “Don’t worry if you start too soon, it’ll kick in as you’re going.”  He adds, “Not everybody will notice it, but if you set a clock, you’ll notice that you have the energy to go longer.  Pretty much everyone I’ve told about B-5 has experienced that effect.”

Combinations that many people have found effective include three times as much choline as B-5 (for example, 500-1,000 mg of B-5 in combination with 1,500-3,000 mg of choline).  It is probably wise to begin with lower doses in this same ratio, and gradually increase the dose as tolerated.

DL-Phenylalanine
Several lines of evidence link activity of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain with sexual behavior.  Generally, it appears that higher levels of dopamine are associated with more sexual interest and vice versa.  Increased brain dopamine activity caused by taking the drug L-dopa is believed to be the cause of a “hypersexuality” syndrome in people who take the drug for Parkinson’s disease.

L-dopa is a chemical precursor of dopamine (which in turn, is a precursor of norepinephrine).  In other words, the body uses L-dopa to make dopamine.  L-dopa is available only by prescription, but you can also increase your brain dopamine levels by taking the nonprescription amino acids that the body uses to make L-dopa -- tyrosine and/or phenylalanine.  L-Theanine, an extract from green tea also is a dopamine enhancer to consider.

People who have lost interest in sex because they are depressed may benefit from taking doses of 100 to 500 milligrams of DL-phenylalanine for two weeks.  Supplements of vitamin B-6, vitamin C, folic acid and copper in addition to the phenylalanine, may help maximize the conversion of L-dopa to dopamine.

Others to Consider for Sex Drive Support:  

• Super Mira Forte -- This one contains natural testosterone enhancers and estrogen suppressors.
• Catuama -- A formula from the Amazon Rain Forest that contains ingredients that promote physical endurance, mental clarity, and sexual health.
• Avena Sativa (green oats) -- Can turn bound testosterone into the usable "free testosterone."
• Tribulus Terrestris -- An extract from the puncture vine that enhances testosterone levels.
• Lady-Vi Pleasure Cream -- A 2 ounce jar of cream containing L-Arginine and other ingredients that give the male and female genitals that tingly feeling -- not to mention, increasing nitric oxide levels.
• Pleasure Pill -- A combination of L-Arginine and Yohimbe, Horny Goat Weed, Xanthoparmelia Scabrosa, Ginkgo Biloba, MACA, and Cnidium Monnier, among others.
• Stamina-Rx -- The old standard of Epimedium Extract, Yohimbe Extract (Bark - 8mg Yohimbine Alkaloids), Cnidium Extract, Xanthoparmelia Scarbrosa Extract, Gamma Amino Butyric Acid, L-Arginine.
• L-Theanine -- An extract from green tea that enhances dopamine levels in the brain.
• OptiZinc -- Helps to keep testosterone levels elevated.
• Yohimbe / Yohimbine HCL -- Increases the flow of blood through arteries into the penis, while at the same time decreasing the flow of blood from the penis through veins.

Another Sex Drive Article

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