Men with erectile dysfunction may find benefit from an extract of ginger-like root called Kaempferia parviflora. Kaempferia parviflora has been used to improve males sexual function in South Asia.
How Does Kaempferia Parviflora Enhance Your Sexual Health?
Again, Kaempferia parviflora is a ginger-like plant. How does it enhance your sexual health? The plant increases blood flow to the penis as do prescription medications like Viagra®, Cialis®, Levitra®, and Stendra® (PED5 inhibitors). These medications and Kaempferia Parviflora inhibit an enzyme called PDE5. PDE5 through a series of reactions breaks down nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps dilate blood vessels improving blood flow throughout the body including the penis. Thus, inhibitors of PDE5 (drugs and herbs) improves blood flow and erectile function.
See our articles on nitric oxide including What is Nitric Oxide?, Nitric Oxide Foods, and Boosting Nitric Oxide with Exercise,
But, the Kaempferia Parviflora works a a second way that prescription medications do not. The plant also enhances the brain response to sexual stimuli. In doing so, sexual pleasure is enhanced.
How Common is Erectile Dysfunction?
Mild to moderate erectile dysfunction affects 10% of men per decade of life. So 50% of men over 50 will suffer from mild to moderate ED and 60% of men over 60, and so on. About 10% of men ages 40 to 70 suffer from severe or complete ED and that number rises to 15% for men over age 70. So as you can see, erectile dysfunction of one degree or another is not an infrequent problem.
Studies on Kaempferia Parviflora
This study reported improved erections in 61.5% of the male participants. Because of the enhanced brain response to stimuli there was also improved response time to erotic stimuli and increased satisfaction of sexual intercourse – benefits the prescription medications do not provide.
In the study participants received 100 mg of a Kaempferia extract daily for 30 days. The active compound in the plant is 5,7 dimethoxyflavone. The International Index of Erectile Function questionnaire was utilized to assess the severity of erectile dysfunction and assess improvement with the Kaempferia extract. This is a 15 item questionnaire linked to above.
Another study showed that men who took 90 mg of Kaempferia extract had a quicker time to erection following erotic visual stimuli than men given a placebo. The time from stimuli to erection was cut 50% in the men receiving the 90 mg extract. Men who received the 90 mg extract also experienced a one-centimeter increase in penile length and a 1.5 centimeter increase in penile girth or circumference.
Kaempferia Versus Medications
Kaempferia Parviflora is safe and can cost much less than the prescription PDE5 inhibitors. The effects of Kaempferia extracts are longer lasting compared to the short lived effects of the prescription PDE5 inhibitors. Prescription PDE5 inhibitors can cause visual disturbances, skin flushing, headache, hearing loss, back pain and other adverse effects. These adverse effects have not been seen with Kaempferia extracts.
So if you have issues with erectile dysfunction which is mild to moderate and you want to enhance your sexual health, and you want something that has a good chance of helping without seeing a doctor you may want to consider Kaempferia Parviflora.
