by TC Luoma
Healthy Body, Healthy Sex Life
Some sexual health supplements for men work equally well for women. Here's one for healthier hormone levels and better orgasms.
Listen, I need to tell you something. (Inhales and exhales deeply.) Okay, here goes. Your mother? She has a penis. Same with your wife or girlfriend and sister. They all have one. They even have a kind of prostate. It’s perfectly normal for them to have those things or, at least, a version of those things that align with those sported by men.
And those female penises I mentioned? Well, this is a little indelicate, but they get a kind of erection, too. Their “penises” are more commonly referred to as clitorises, but aside from lacking a urethra and containing roughly double the nerve endings, they’re very similar to penises, experiencing the same kind of blood engorgement when mentally or physically stimulated.
It makes perfect sense, though, because all of that genital stuff, the clitoris, the labia, and even the female “prostate” all arose from the same tissues as the male versions – the same basic genetic blueprint. One set of genitals went one way and one went the other, compliments of the X chromosome or the Y chromosome.
I’ll draw it out for you.
Girl Lego vs. Boy Lego
We used to think that all mammals started off as females, but it looks like we might have been wrong. More likely, we all had the underpinnings of both sexes. We all had male sperm-carrying reproductive tracts (Wolffian ducts) and female egg-carrying reproductive tracts (Mullerian ducts).
Depending on the chromosomal complement of the embryo, one of the tracts usually disintegrates as development progresses. Presto! Born is a physiological male or a female.
The same tissues that develop into the penis in men develop into the clitoris in women. The same tissues that develop into the scrotum in men develop into the outer labia in women. And the same tissues that develop into the prostate in men develop into what are called Skene’s glands in women (which may correspond with what’s commonly called the “G-spot”). These female prostates even contain prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and PSA phosphatase, just like the male versions.
It’s kind of like nature took two sets of Legos and used one to build a facsimile of the Death Star from Star Wars and used the other to build a statue of Garfield, complete with a plate of lasagna. They’re different, but both still made of Legos.
If all this is true – and it is – it’s not much of a stretch to think that the same drugs or supplements men use to support their reproductive systems would work the same way in women too.
The Supplement for Lady Parts and Man Parts
People are usually puzzled when I suggest that women use supplements targeted at men – things that raise testosterone, make orgasms more powerful, or that support reproductive and urinary tract health in general. They shouldn’t be surprised. As I think I explained pretty convincingly, we’re all remarkably similar.
Take Biotest’s P-Well (Buy at Amazon), for instance. The ingredients have all been found to have fairly profound positive effects in women as well as men:
- Punicaligans (from pomegranate whole fruit extract)
- Lycopene (from natural tomato fruit extract)
- Cranberry (whole fruit concentrate)
I’ll start with the most well-known – at least to women – first.
Cranberry Whole Fruit Concentrate
There probably isn’t a grown woman alive in America who hasn’t at least heard of using cranberry juice to treat or reduce the recurrence of cystitis or urinary tract infections in general.
The science is fairly simple. The phytochemicals in cranberry protect the urinary tract surface and lining by making it difficult for bacteria to take a foothold in urinary tract epithelial cells. No adhesion, no infection.
But cranberry concentrate has another, less publicized benefit to both men and women: it promotes complete bladder emptying by strengthening “bladder detrusor contraction and relaxation,” which is a technical way of saying that it makes the bladder muscles more effective in doing their job.
Punicaligan for Natural Hormone Therapy
Punicaligan is a phytochemical, a polyphenol to be precise, found in large amounts in pomegranate fruit (mostly the rind). Men are interested in it because it’s a powerful inhibitor of aromatase activity, which means it thwarts the conversion of testosterone into estrogen, thereby elevating testosterone levels naturally.
This same process occurs in women, too, and this elevation of testosterone levels appears to be substantial. One study of men and women found that punicaligan raised levels of the hormone by an average of 24%. And, generally speaking, elevated testosterone levels convey the same benefits to women as they do to men:
- Less body fat
- Increased muscle tone
- Increased energy/libido
But punicaligan from pomegranate fruit isn’t just about testosterone and sex. It has a lot of health benefits that are gender-neutral:
- It reduces cholesterol.
- It improves the health of blood vessels through its powerful antioxidant capability. Multiple studies have shown them to enhance blood flow in general and even reverse arterial plaque growth (roto-rooter out the plaque and you automatically improve blood flow).
- Like cranberry, it has an antimicrobial effect against urinary tract infections.
It appears to improve anaerobic exercise performance. - It reduces inflammation in coronary arteriosclerosis.
- It can prevent the absorption of carbohydrates. Punicaligan inhibits alpha-glucoside, which leads to a decrease in glucose absorption, thus ameliorating diabetes and helping ward off obesity.
Lycopene, the Female Viagra
Lycopene, a carotenoid famously found in tomatoes and watermelon, is often called “Nature’s Viagra” because it elevates levels of nitric oxide (NO), which relaxes the smooth muscle fibers of both penile and clitoral blood vessels so that more blood can flow into the organs.
More blood flow in penises allows intercourse to proceed. More blood flow to the clitoris means more pleasure and quicker, more powerful orgasms. And that’s exactly how drugs like Viagra work, which is why many doctors are now prescribing it to female patients.
But like the other substances in P-Well (Buy at Amazon), lycopene has plenty of other superpowers that pertain to both men and women:
- Among all the carotenoids (over 600 of them), lycopene has the highest free-radical scavenging ability.
- Levels of lycopene are inversely related to plasma glucose levels and fasting insulin levels. That means it makes you more insulin sensitive, thus thwarting Type II diabetes and inefficient carbohydrate metabolism in general.
- As little as 5 to 7 mg. a day of lycopene is thought to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (but in the cases of existing cardiovascular disease, doses of 35 to 75 mg. per day might be needed).
- Lycopene seems to protect the skin against UV-B induced sun damage.
- Lycopene can inhibit platelet-derived growth factor, which inhibits the growth, invasion, and metastasis of melanoma.
- In hairless mice, lycopene improved the visual appearance of skin, made the skin moister, and even increased skin thickness. (When animals age, their skin gets thinner, allowing for more wrinkles.)
- Increased lycopene levels may be associated with a lower risk of age-related macular degeneration.
- Lycopene can activate the adaptive immune response (the T-cells and B-cells that produce antibodies that attack specific infections).
- Lycopene is thought to have promise in combating some neurodegenerative diseases.
- A meta-analysis of 12 studies found that 25 mg. of lycopene taken daily reduced LDL (the “bad” cholesterol) and high blood pressure.
- An observational study of 6,000 people found that eating tomatoes protected against digestive cancers (those of the throat, stomach, and colon).
“Honey, Where’d You Hide the P-Well?”
I can understand why something called P-Well (Buy at Amazon) might be pigeonholed as a supplement made exclusively for men. After all, one of the product’s effects is promoting healthy prostate size and function, thus allowing men to pee well, or pee better.
However, the supplement provides many other beneficial effects to vascular sexual health and urinary tract health, as well as providing a host of other general health benefits, none of which are gender specific.
References
References
Pomegranate References
- Sharma P et al. Pomegranate for Prevention and Treatment of Cancer: An Update. Molecules. 2017 Jan 24;22(1):177.
- Vicinanza R et al. Pomegranate Juice Metabolites, Ellagic Acid and Urolithin A, Synergistically Inhibit Androgen-Independent Prostate Cancer Cell Growth via Distinct Effects on Cell Cycle Control and Apoptosis. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:247504.
- Wang L et al. Cellular and molecular mechanisms of pomegranate juice-induced anti-metastatic effect on prostate cancer cells. Integr Biol (Camb). 2011 Jul;3(7):742-54.
- Chaves FM et al. Pomegranate Juice and Peel Extracts are Able to Inhibit Proliferation, Migration and Colony Formation of Prostate Cancer Cell Lines and Modulate the Akt/mTOR/S6K Signaling Pathway. Plant Foods Hum Nutr. 2020 Mar;75(1):54-62.
- Kroeger N et al. Pomegranate Extracts in the Management of Men’s Urologic Health: Scientific Rationale and Preclinical and Clinical Data. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2013;2013:701434.
- Forest CP et al. Efficacy and safety of pomegranate juice on improvement of erectile dysfunction in male patients with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover study. Int J Impot Res. Nov-Dec 2007;19(6):564-7.
- Jeranka JS. Therapeutic Applications of Pomegranate (Punica granatum L.): A Review. Altern Med Rev. 2008 Jun;13(2):128-44.
- Gur S et al. Characterisation of pomegranate juice effects on human corpus cavernosum. Andrologia. 2017 Oct;49(8).
- Azadzoi K et al. Oxidative stress in arteriogenic erectile dysfunction: prophylactic role of antioxidants. J Urol. 2005 Jul;174(1):386-93.
- Deng Y et al. The extract from Punica granatum (pomegranate) peel induces apoptosis and impairs metastasis in prostate cancer cells. Biomed Pharmacother. 2017 Sep;93:976-984.
- Bassiri-Jahromi S. Punica granatum (Pomegranate) activity in health promotion and cancer prevention. Oncol Rev. 2018 Jan 30;12(1):345.
- Chrubasik-Hausman S et al. Pomegranate juice and prostate cancer: importance of the characterisation of the active principle. Phytotherapy Research. 2014 Jun 3;28(11):1676-1678.
- Wang L et al. Pomegranate and Its Components as Alternative Treatment for Prostate Cancer. Int J Mol Sci. 2014 Aug 25;15(9):14949-66.
- Amri Z et al. Growth Inhibitory and Pro-Apoptotic Effects of Ornamental Pomegranate Extracts in Du145 Human Prostate Cancer Cells. Nutr Cancer. 2020;72(6):932-938.
Lycopene References
- Chen P et al. Lycopene and Risk of Prostate Cancer. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Medicine (Baltimore). 2015 Aug;94(33):e1260.
- Lane JA et al. ProDiet: A Phase II Randomized Placebo-controlled Trial of Green Tea Catechins and Lycopene in Men at Increased Risk of Prostate Cancer. Cancer Prev Res (Phila). 2018 Nov;11(11):687-696.
- Wang Y et al. Lycopene, tomato products and prostate cancer-specific mortality among men diagnosed with nonmetastatic prostate cancer in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort. Int J Cancer. 2016 Jun 15;138(12):2846-55.
Cranberry References
- Vidlar A et al. The effectiveness of dried cranberries ( Vaccinium macrocarpon) in men with lower urinary tract symptoms. Br J Nutr. 2010 Oct;104(8):1181-9.
- Wang CH et al. Cranberry-Containing Products for Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections in Susceptible Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Arch Intern Med. 2012;172(13):988-996.
- Luis A et al. Can Cranberries Contribute to Reduce the Incidence of Urinary Tract Infections? A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis of Clinical Trials. J Urol. 2017 Sep;198(3):614-621.
