Comedian George Burns said something that rings true…
Unfortunately, this is true for many people that aren’t yet 90. Whether you call it impotence or erectile dysfunction it is a problem for most men at some point in their life.
Is there something you can do about it?
YES!
If you need to turn your rope into a hard piece of wood, there are a few things you can do.
First of all, there is our Thor’s Hammer Formula, but you can get a number of other herbs that can help in this regard. As discussed with Dr. William Wong, there appear to be four main factors in turning rope to wood. Below, I’ve added an additional fifth one to that discussion.
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1 – Testosterone
Libido is one of the many functions of testosterone. There’s a little bit of a trick that nature seems to play on us. Often times, you might not have enough T to “get it up,” though the desire might still be there.
Although testosterone naturally declines with age, there are lots of things that you can do to restore it towards optimal and youthful levels. These include steps like diet, working out, sleep, having sex and much more. Be sure to check out this article on Men’s Hormone Health for more details, including the related hormones, enzymes and other factors at play.
Our two most popular herbs in this regard are Pine Pollen and Tongkat Ali. Though they work through different mechanisms both herbs help to give you better testosterone levels and help in sexual function in some other ways as well.
It was with pine pollen that we first noticed the morning wood effect. And if it’s happening more and better then that means it’s likely to work better at other times as well.
2 – Dopamine
Another aspect of libido appears to be the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine has a lot to do with desire, sexual and otherwise.
Dr. William Wong told an amazing story of Parkinson’s patients, at 60 and 70 years old, having sex like rabbits. This was because Parkinson’s has been treated with a drug called L-DOPA to restore dopamine levels.
The good news is there is a natural herb for this too. Mucuna is rich in L-dopa, the precursor to dopamine. For this reason, it appears to be great for getting your dopamine levels functioning better (and in a moment you’ll find out a couple reasons they can be disturbed from modern-day living).
Whether it is through this dopamine-precursor or through another mechanism, Mucuna pruriens has been shown to support both testosterone and growth hormone levels. This is a very exciting herb.
Many natural foods can also support dopamine. Precursors to L-dopa include the amino acids L-tyrosine and L-phenylalanine. So a good supply of these, which you can get from many foods, also will help support dopamine.
L-Phenylalanine → L-Tyrosine → L-DOPA → Dopamine
So why might your dopamine be disturbed? Dopamine is triggered to help you have a drive towards something. Once you get that something, dopamine is released. From hearing the ‘ding’ on your phone with social media, or with specially designed games meant to trigger dopamine addiction, this once helpful neurotransmitter can be hijacked to not work correctly.
One of the worst pieces of this problem in regards to our current issue is what is called Porn-Induced ED. With the simple access to porn of any and every type readily available with a click of a button online you can live out your fantasies even several times a day. And clicking from one video to another just to release a little more dopamine and get more excited further fuels this.
As bigger and bigger surges of dopamine get released in this way, your body and brain become resistant to its normal levels.
Eventually, you may get to a point where you can’t get it up without that same porn. Even “normal” sex may not be exciting enough. You’ll need to wean yourself off or go cold turkey in order to help get your dopamine-release around sex back in order.
Lots more could be said on this issue, but I just wanted to introduce it to you, in case it happens to be a problem for you.
3 – Nitric Oxide
So we’ve talked about hormones and neurotransmitters. Next, we move onto blood flow for our next to components.
Here’s a quick anatomy lesson. In order for the penis to become erect the spongy tissue in it, called the Corpus Cavernosum, must relax. Yes, that says relax which may seem counter-intuitive at first, as things appear to be anything but relaxed in that moment. This relaxation is triggered by nitric oxide (NO) in the endothelium of the blood vessels, which then allows blood to flow into the penis. Voila, you have an erection.
NO is important in more than just erections too. It acts as a vasodilator and thus plays a major role in exercise as well as general cardiovascular health.
One of the often used ways to support NO production is the amino acid L-arginine. This amino acid is a precursor to NO so many people take 2-10 grams before sex.
Herbs can also support NO. Cistanche is a likely candidate. Although there isn’t too much science to back it up, I’m sure it would be if studied. Historically, it’s always been used in sexual formulas and is said to direct blood flow to the genital area.
Some other foods and herbs that can support this function are garlic, cayenne, cacao, ginseng, pomegranates, Beets, amalaki, green leafy vegetables and Horny Goat Weed (which will be talked about more in the next factor).
4 – PDE5
NO is a gaseous molecule that only has a short half-life. What that means is that it can go away quickly. This may be responsible when you have no problems getting hard but then go limb.
PDE5 means phosphodiesterase type 5. We might not even know about this enzyme except for an accident with a drug. Sildenafil citrate was being investigated as a heart medication when they noticed a peculiar side effect. The men had raging boners! And thus, Viagra® was born and changed the face of medicine making significant amounts of money.
This drug and many of the others are classed as PDE5 inhibitors. Inhibiting this enzyme is useful as it primarily is used in the breakdown of factors, derived from NO, which keeps your erection.
The physiological details of how this works with PDE 5 and the NO-cGMP pathway is fairly complex which you can read more about here if you want to: The role of nitric oxide in erectile dysfunction: implications for medical therapy.
Although ED drugs are often thought of as a cure-all, they only work on this one mechanism and thus don’t work for everyone. As a drug, they also come with a list of side effects.
Horny Goat Weed, also know, as Epimedium, in addition to raising NO levels, has an “active” constituent called icariin which also acts as a PDE5 inhibitor.
Other herbs that are thought to be PDE5 inhibitors include Xanthoparmelia Powder. Cuscuta chinensis, and others.
It’s important to note that these natural herbs, unless the “active ingredient” is isolated and used in massive levels, they do not have the same powerful effects as drugs do.
Coming from that frame of mind, many people seem to expect too much right away. This should be strongly warned against.
5 – Psychological
In addition to these four physiological reasons for impotence, we also have to talk about the psychological.
For any man that has ever had things not work, perhaps based on one of the above factors, this can then set up a horrible loop where you have anxiety and worry about it not working. This surely then makes it harder for things to work.
There are lots of reasons your thinking can get in the way here that are beyond the scope of this article.
The good news is that supporting physiological function with herbs or other changes can often than help with the psychological too.
And we can’t discount the placebo effect either. If you think something might help, that can do a lot to relieve any mental pressure, and then things DO work better.
There’s also something to be said for the body’s wisdom. If things aren’t working, that can indicate too much stress in your life, lack of health in the many ways listed above, as well as relationship issues.
Special Note to Women
These factors matter for you just as much! Testosterone is a critical component in libido for women too, although progesterone and estrogen also play their role. Dopamine matters for you too.
And although it isn’t as well known, women have erectile tissue as well. For more detail, you can read Women’s Anatomy of Arousal.
Thus, NO and PDE5 will matter for you too, so the same practices and herbs can support your sexuality as well. And of course there are some women specific things to do, but that’s a topic for another time.
Putting this into Action
So, if you’re suffering from any signs of impotence what should you do?
The best bet is to try to identify the main component behind it. Is it one of the five reasons listed above? Is it a combination of them?
Try tweaking your lifestyle, and take herbs, to support that function. Notice if things get better or not. If they don’t, try something else.
Here’s a helpful guide on where you might want to start. As I said, it could be a combination of several factors.
Testosterone – Are you 50 or older? Do you see other signs of insufficient testosterone like losing strength, depression, fatigue or many more possible signs? Do you not wake up with morning wood?
You can also do blood or saliva testing for testosterone, though as mentioned here, it’s very beneficial to look at other related hormones too.
Dopamine – Be honest here. Are you watching porn regularly? Are you doing anything else that could be over-triggering dopamine, which could get in the way of your desire?
On the flip side, something you do want to see; when it comes time for sex do you get so exciting you’re almost shaking with it?
Nitric Oxide – Are you over 40? Can you not get hard in the first place? Do you not get frequent morning wood? Are you generally out of shape with a poor diet?
PDE5 – Do you get erections but they disappear? Do you have morning wood but it doesn’t last very long after you wake up?
Psychological – Do you worry about having erectile problems before or during sex?
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Steve says
I have purchased the following from you to use for my ED problem. (Tongkat Ali, Thor Hammer and pine pollen). I’m over 65 yes old. My medical history is that I have been subjected to full body x-raying and chemo-therapy for a bone marrow disease. The process left me with almost no testosterone. I’ve been taking the typical Rx for sex with difficulties in maintaining wood. No morning wood since the treatment. Some herbal supplements with tongkat Ali have provided a soft or balloon woody without being able to maintain for my wife to enjoy love making.
I’m now taking your tongkat ali, Thor Hammer and pine pollen. Third day and no effects yet. Should I use stronger doses or what. In your earlier comments, it sounds like I should be able to see something happening by now.
Charlton Merkin says
R u able to procure wild cordyceps from the snow line in Tibet?
It is extremely expensive,thus,most companies won’t even consider the pproduct
Zane Christopher says
We have found a couple sources of wild cordyceps and I know for a fact that one of them is potent (haven’t had the other one). Is it the best stuff around though? Not really sure about that and do not know the elevation that it is collected at. We occasionally offer it to our VIP program at the price of $40/gram.
Bill says
I can get( A! POUND! )of Cordyceps mushroom powder at ZNaturalfoods.com for $28.00!!!! Organic! Wow! that’s a lot of difference in price my friend!
Zane Christopher says
Better check to make sure that you are not getting a lot of grains with your shrooms my friend. At that price I would be VERY worried about quality.
Dave says
One supplement that works for me is 5-htp. I’ve tried most of the others from Goatweed to Tongkat to DAA, but 5-htp is the only one that works consistently over the long term.
For some reason all the experts claim it should reduce libido but it has the exact opposite effect when I take it. It works best if I don’t take it everyday – usually a dose of 200 – 400 mg twice a week with a few days off between. Within 12-24 hours of taking it I get a real boost to libido and desire which lasts a couple of days.
My theory is that a feedback mechanism detects the rise in Serotonin, and pumps up Dopamine output to compensate.
Forget morning wood, I wake up multiple times through the night rock hard and refactory period is reduced down to about 10 – 15 minutes.
Anyone not having much luck with other supps should try it.
Zane Christopher says
Interesting. Yeah definitely something to do with neurotransmitter there. Thanks for the input Dave!
atoni_15 says
hi I’m interested on black ant extract bit more information before I order
I would like to know how it effects the brain and the body
how often should be taken and what dosage
Logan Christopher says
You may find more info on this page – https://lostempireherbs.com/product/ant-extract/ and the recommended dose is half to full teaspoon twice daily.
What are you looking to achieve? There might be better options/herbs if your issue is about something written on this page.
pvc pathy says
How safe for 68year old man who underwent prostrate gland operation 2 years back. I’m getting erection daily and enjoy sex once a month. I’m type 2 diabetic,readings in normal range since 8 years.
Zane Christopher says
Most of the herbs mentioned don’t have any blood sugar effects that I know of. Best would be to try each out seperately by itself for a time and see what effects it might have on your body just to be safe. You might also want to look into Nettle Root if you haven’t already to promote healthy prostate health.
Paul says
I’m reading a lot of comments here about how herbs and tinctures have not worked for some people. After recently getting over cancer I learned that chemo absolutely hammers your gut. I was taking good quality herbs from Lost Empire, and nothing was happening. Then a naturopath made me up some gut herbs to re-balance the gut flora, and after about six weeks things started to change – big time!
My point is that it doesn’t matter how good a quality, or how strong a herb is, if your body can’t absorb it properly then you won’t get the full benefit. Prescription drugs do all sorts of things to gut flora. I’m not saying every person has major gut problems but it’s worth checking. Get hold of some gut herbs from a qualified herbal practitioner (not purchased in tab form from a health food shop) and just take them for a month – no harm in it, just to see what happens. You might find that things start to change.
Paul
Salus Populi Suprema (Health of the people is the highest order)
Zane Christopher says
Really glad you brought this up. This is totally true and I am sure why many people don’t react to herbs or foods that are healthy towards them as others might. One thing to add to that though is meat products. If you are consuming meat that is treated with antibiotics, you may be hampering your gut and not allowing it to regain the bacteria composition you are working towards. Another reason to actively take probiotics to counter this. Also a reason cleanses may do you so good is getting a break from this constant low-level antibiotic activity.
Terry says
How does one Take Thor’s Hammer? In Warm Water and How Much Or Do You Mix It Up in a Juice They say the taste is awful but I can live with that. Will it Help with ED or should I take Pine Pollen. Will it Increase my Ejaculate Volume? – What would be the best herb For That?
Thank you Kindly
Terry
Mikayla Gibson says
You can definitely take it with warm water. It also works well to mix in some of the tasty berries such as Schisandra or Seabuckthorn to the formula to mask the taste.
Sorry, can’t tell you for sure anything that will work for ED, there’s no one best herb. Check out our ED article. My guess is that if it is a hormonal issue then using something like pine pollen or tongkat ali could help but I’m not sure. I guess it is worth a shot if nothing else.
Gerry Gow says
I no longer get that morning erection as before. I have to take to your advise. The Vigrx plus with Bioperine that is male virility supplement does it really do its work?. Please, can you sent me a good natural Male enchancement product that is no equal. From all indication, herbs are more natural.
Oscar says
I am 60 with ED since my 50’s, I used to take a counter capsules (which in 2014 were banned because of having an illegal drug) named Vigor Maximum, the effect used to last quite long. Unfortunately I was not knowing that, those herbal products have a strong active ingredient like in Viagra, Cyalis, etc. which is a bust of Arginine. Every time I used to take one, I got shingles (because of having Chicken Pox when child). Recently I read that, any of those medications are strong active Arginine bust. Are your products including Arginine too? Thanks.
admin says
Some of the herbs do contain Arginine, which is an amino acid regularly produced by the human body. Arginine is also found in every source of protein (meat, dairy, seafood, flour, oats, etc…). I doubt the Arginine in the product you used to take was the problem, but rather some other substance.
It’s worth mentioning that we sell pure herbs or their extract and nothing is ever added to them.
Dr Charles Reynolds says
Hi Logan, Thanks for all the great information. I am 74 years old. How long approx. will it take for Thor’s Hammer to work, and are there any known side effects? Thank you and May God Bless!
admin says
It should work the first time you take it, although for some people it takes several attempts. Aside from an awful taste, I am not aware of any side effects.
Chuch says
Side effects from most of these herbs are increased energy, stamina, better overall outlook on life because they help more than just ed and related problems and because they are the whole herb and not just a small constituent of the herb.. Compare that to side effects from the drug companies