Vitamins that add zest to love life

Vitamins that add zest to love life

    "All mankind love a lover.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays

Dr Abe V Rotor 

"The authors have embarked on this task of providing people with more information about the many uses of some plants. While herbal plants have long been recognized because of their nutritional and medicinal qualities, their other uses are not fully exploited... May we continue to promote alternative medicine... The prices of medicine and health products remain unaffordable to most of our countrymen and herbal plants are the best alternative as most of these have been proven to be effective."

(Excerpt from the message of Dr Juan M Flavier, former senator and secretary of health)

 What we eat greatly affect our energy and behavior, thus people who eat proper food with the needed vitamins and minerals are more active, and they generally lead happier lives. They have lesser problems with health and sex. A healthy body has the energy and positive disposition to a zestful sex life.

 Let us examine what these vitamins are and what specific roles they play in enhancing a healthy love life.

Vitamin A. This vitamin helps in the production of sex hormones, and fights inflammation and infection of tissues. Acute deficiency may lead to atrophy of the testes and ovaries. Soft skin and healthy look may be attributed to a good supply of Vitamin A which comes from carrot, broccoli and other crucifers, yellow fruits and green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin B Family. This vitamin complex may be derived from unpolished rice, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Milk principally gives riboflavin, a type of Vitamin B2. Its deficiency may lead to the development of arthritis.

 Vegetables and fruits - key to a happy love life

Niacin or Vitamin B3, on the other hand, is derived from asparagus, mungo sprouts, lean meat and fish. This vitamin improves memory, and together with Vitamin A and minerals, gives the flush and glow in the person. Its deficiency may result in skin eruptions and pellagra.

There is pyridoxine, which is vital to the functioning of our brain and nerves. Pyridoxine deficiency is manifested by a general feeling of weakness, neuritis, insomnia, irritability, and anemia. These lead to loss of sex appetite and failure of experiencing sex orgasm. Most of the Vitamin B rich foods contain pyridoxine and pantothenic acid.

Pantothenic acid is classified as Vitamin B. It is needed in the production of body energy. Choline, which is allied to Vitamin B, enhances sexual arousal and performance. Choline is an ingredient of lecithin, a rejuvenator. Lecithin also contains inositol. Inositol, pantothenic acid, and para-amino benzoic acid (PABA) constitute what is termed as “youth vitamin." Sources of this vitamin other than those mentioned are eggs, crucifers like cabbage, liver, legumes, whole grain nuts and seeds like sesame.

These also provide another Vitamin B member, biotin, the lack of which could lead to depression, indigestion, slow healing of wounds, frequent colds and infections, shortness of breath. 

Most nutritious vegetable - malunggay (Moringa oleifera) 

Mango, avocado, citrus, tomato, guava, and strawberry are among the rich sources of Vitamin C. Doctors recommend a daily intake of 1000 milligrams although some people go as high as 2000 milligrams when exposed to toxins, infection and chronic illness. Taking Vitamin C is a practical way of preventing colds, and some people take it with two cloves (not heads) of raw garlic once they start feeling cold symptoms.

Vitamin D. Although there is no known direct effect on sex, the lack of this vitamin which is actually a hormone complex known as sterols, adversely affects calcium-phosphorus balance and metabolism. Bone deformity in children and osteoporosis are the chief manifestations of its deficiency.

 

 Regular outdoor exercise and sunlight exposure, and taking in of calcium-phosphorus rich foods protect us from deficiency disorders. Calcium supplement, mainly in milk, becomes a necessary part of the diet of older people. Aside from slowing down the aging process,

Adobong kangkong with chili

Vitamin E adds zest to sex life. It prevents the oxidation of fatty acids which are important in the production of sex hormones. It is found in most of the vitamin-rich foods, but some people may still need Vitamin E supplement often marked tocopherols [Greek: to bring childbirth) (Jensen).

Another vitamin is Vitamin F, which is needed by the thyroid, adrenal and prostate glands. It promotes calcium absorption, buffers cholesterol, helps keep our hair and skin look healthy. Most of the vitamin-rich foods provide us with adequate Vitamin F.

Pokpoklo (Codium edule) green seaweed is rich in iodine and vitamin B12 

It is important to keep always in mind that good health is the key to sexual vitality. Although it is highly recommended that we eat a lot of vegetables and fruits, particularly those specifically mentioned, it does not mean that the more we take them the more we are benefited by their nutrients and herbal values.

First, it is wise to think of certain herbs of their specific significance and the kind of illness we may be treating. There are herbs that are actually dilute forms of natural drugs, and not foods and dietary supplements.

Second is that anything taken in excess is bad. It is but proper to take these herbs with moderation, and better still, with proper consultation.

And third, avoid smoking. Smoking reduces life span to as much as 20 per cent, not considering the predisposition to smoking-related illnesses, principally lung cancer and heart attack, which may cut short a good life even before reaching middle age. Drugs, nicotine, caffeine, alcohol and menthol are known to deaden the nerves in the long run. Medical reports point to them as culprits to many kinds of potency problems both in men and women.

Another form of Vitamin B is folic acid, another form of the B vitamin folate which helps eliminate homocysteine from the blood, an amino acid linked to arterial disease and heart attack. It is also essential in embryonic development and early growth. That is why folic acid is added to milk and foods as protection against birth and childhood defects.

People who eat a lot of dark leafy vegetables, carrots, beans, asparagus, and whole grain, need not worry about folic acid deficiency.

Vitamin B6, which is derived from ginger and certain vegetables, brings relief to the so-called carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS, which is a painful and irritating condition developed by long hours at the keyboard. Carpal tunnel syndrome is characterized by swollen tendons that move the fingers. Other than this remedy, proper posture and work habits must be followed. Ginger as anti-inflammatory properties, aside from its value in toning the cardiovascular system and r educing platelet aggregation, thus helping in protecting heart attacks and strokes.

The most complex of all vitamins is Vitamin B12 or cobalamine. It is important in the synthesis of nucleic acid and myelin, the covering of nerves. Vitamin B12 was discovered in papait, derived from the chyme of ruminant animals. The chyme is heated and pasteurized (heated below boiling for a few minutes and filtered). It is then mixed with kilawen (medium rare goat’s meat or beef). This preparation is effective against tuberculosis and anemia. 

Vegetarians are at risk for its deficiency, especially among children, which may result in pernicious anemia characterized by symptoms of weakness, apathy, light headedness, shortness of breath, numbness of extremities, and loss of balance. Among older people acute Vitamin B12 deficiency may lead to loss of memory and disorientation.

 

Top, Spirulina, a blue-green alga as seen under the microscope, made into tablets; lower photos: Chlorella seen at high magnification, and Chlorella tablets.  Both are food supplements rich in vitamins and minerals. (Wikipedia)

Other food sources of this vitamin are fish and poultry, seaweeds like gamet (Porphyra), arusip (Caulerpa), and gulaman (Gracillaria). Chlorella, a green alga and Spirulina, a blue-green alga, contain high Vitamin B12. Lack of Vitamin B12 is manifested by fatigue, irritability, paleness, muscle jerking, and mild mental problems, all of which can greatly adverse sexual life.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid). Prolonged lack of this vitamin may lead to scurvy. Poor sex life is attributed to its deficiency. Its role is in the absorption of iron. Iron aids in oxygenation of the blood. A well-oxygenated blood is efficient in carrying oxygen, hormones and nutrients to the organs and tissues of the body. How do we know if we lack this vitamin?  It is manifested by the bleeding of gums.  

It is important to consider that we have to maximize the vitamins present in the food we eat. We must remember that heat destroys vitamins and other nutrients, for which reason, vegetables must not be overcooked.

It is also well to know that alcohol, nicotine, drugs and coffee prevent the absorption of nutrients, principally vitamins and minerals. This may develop into a kind of malnutrition that may be taken for granted. Thus, people who abuse themselves with these substances suffer poor health and generally lead sedentary lives.

It is also good to remember that even if we get the proper kind and amount of food, we must complement it with regular exercise and good rest, a positive disposition notwithstanding.

And lastly, both physical and mental well-being are important to healthy sex. Many experts say that the greatest aphrodisiac is the human mind.

"All mankind love a lover.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson, Essays

Reference: Philippine Herbs to Increase Sexual Vitality by Del Rosario RM, Ontengco-Castro D and AV Rotor , 2000; acknowledgement: Wikipedia for Photos.