People 1
Culture Featured Health Mental Health Wellness

Getting It up – and Keeping It up – with CBD

Written by Sarah Friedman

When it comes to the bedroom there are many fears that permeate both sides. How we look when we’re naked, whether we have the right moves, and if we will be enjoyed by the other side. But, perhaps the most prevailing of bedroom worries these days is one of the most feared issues a man can have in life: impotence!

In short, impotence – or erectile dysfunction – is the inability to get, or maintain, an erection. Though there are many factors that can cause impotence, new evidence is giving way to hope that CBD might be an emerging antidote for it.

The most common reasons for erectile dysfunction are generally thought to be related to:

  • Toxins. Whether from air pollution, smoking etc., toxins are associated with causing weakened blood flow and tissue damage, as well as free radical damage. Free radicals destroy nitric oxide which is needed for erections.
  • Endocrine related. This is your hormone system, and it regulates everything from metabolism to sex drive to your mood and so on. A malfunctioning hormonal system can cause all kinds of havoc in the bedroom, and elsewhere in life.
  • Nerve and neurological disorders. This is your body’s communication system, and nerve issues can make it difficult for messages from the brain to reach the reproductive system. Good communication in the body, just like good communication in interpersonal relationships, is a very important thing.
  • Pharmaceuticals. It has become common knowledge that many pharmaceuticals can affect the sex drive and general ability to perform. This covers several different medication classes. Check the insert to any prescription or non-prescription medication to see if what you’re taking can cause this side effect.
  • Heart conditions. Blood flow is important when getting and maintaining an erection (kind of goes without saying). Diseases of the heart can greatly inhibit blood flow, making sexual performance significantly harder.
  • Emotional issues & lifestyle. Depression and anxiety are well known to make sex more difficult (or simply unwanted). Personal lifestyle choices can also come into play, like addictions, diet, smoking, alcohol, and so on.

Medically, what we do know is the following:

  • The anti-anxiety and anti-depressive aspects of CBD can help to quell underlying issues that contribute to psychologically based sexual dysfunction.
  • The anti-inflammatory property, along with its ability to keep plaque from building in the arteries, helps contribute to better circulation, and a healthier heart.
  • CBD, as a powerful antioxidant, targets free radicals which are known to destroy nitric oxide, a necessary component for getting and maintaining an erection.
  • CBD is being examined for its neuroprotective properties, and ability to reduce symptoms of neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, where there are issues of the brain not being able to correspond with other organs and processes.

Very little research has been done specifically into this connection (yet) as cannabis has been off limits for such research for many years. This is changing as laws for its medical use become much more lax. For those interested, there is already a large body of anecdotal information very strongly in favor of CBD being useful for impotence. Though this does not take the place of medical research studies, it does show what comes from personal experience. A look across the internet can find tons of highly specific examples of CBD use in this way.

What does this all mean? It means there’s still a lot of research to be done into how exactly CBD effects this sexual dysfunction. It also means another avenue to look down for anyone suffering from this issue who is unhappy with standard pharmaceutical answers (or their side effects) and wants a safe alternative to try.

Have anything to add? Your voice matters! Join the conversation and contribute your insights and ideas below.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About the author

Sarah Friedman

I look stuff up and and write stuff down, in order to make sense of the world around. And I travel a lot too.