While the use of turmeric has been prominent in the Indian kitchen, it is also used in traditional medicine, religious rituals, and home remedies for illness and beauty.
As awareness of its numerous health benefits became more popular, turmeric is now being used, all over the world, in lattes, teas, smoothies, and so on.
Recently, the role of turmeric in enhancing men’s health and specifically in treating common sexual health issues have been confirmed.
Let’s take a closer look at turmeric and how it helps men improve their sexual health.
Turmeric: Benefits for Men’s Sexual Health
Turmeric is a versatile spice that belongs to the ginger family. The roots of turmeric, or Curcuma longa, are bright yellow or orange in color and have been used as a spice in the Indian subcontinent for ages.
Turmeric is usually available in the form of dry powder, which is made by grinding its root.
The plant gets its vibrant color and multiple health benefits due to the presence of curcuminoids. The most common of these is curcumin, which may make up to 3% of turmeric (1).
Turmeric for Erectile Dysfunction
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a common yet ignored sexual health challenge faced by many men.
As per one estimate, almost half of all men between the ages of 40 to 70 experience ED to some degree or the other. Furthermore, using a stimulant (like Viagra) is effective in only about 70% of the men who seek treatment (2).
In 2014, a study was conducted at the University of Cairo to compare the effect of viagra and curcumin. The results showed that curcumin was much more beneficial in ED caused by diabetes (3).
More recently, a study published in 2018 shows that turmeric might be the most effective solution to ED discovered to date (4).
Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine used curcumin, the compound found in turmeric, to make an ointment and used it on male rats. They found that the ointment was active for 24 hours.
However, since the ointment was absorbed directly by the skin and consuming the same orally might not have the same effects as it will be digested in the stomach.
Nonetheless, turmeric has emerged as a simple and effective cure for ED in recent times. It awaits more clinical research, paving the way for a turmeric-based sexual stimulant in the future.
Summary: Turmeric has shown promise in treating erectile dysfunction. However, further studies are needed to create the right medicine and supplements for human consumption.
Turmeric for Improving Prostate Health
The prostate is a small yet essential gland just behind the bladder in men. However, with age, the chances of challenges with the gland increase and prostate cancer also becomes a cause of concern. Nearly one in nine men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer (5).
Curcumin has been found to have anti-cancer properties and is known to prohibit tumor growth in our body (6).
Furthermore, turmeric has also been found to be beneficial for people undertaking radiotherapy to treat prostate cancer as well (7).
This is because curcumin shields healthy cells, making cancerous cells more vulnerable to radiation and medicine.
Summary: Turmeric has shown to have cancer preventative and curative properties, helping prevent prostate cancer in men.
Improves Sperm Motility
Sperm motility describes the movement of sperms. Poor sperm motility is a common cause of male infertility.
For conception to take place, the sperm has to move efficiently, with speed and endurance, through the woman’s reproductive tract to reach their destination and fertilize the waiting egg.
A 2017 Chinese study evaluated the effects of curcumin on sperm quality in patients with leucocytospermia (excess of white blood cells in the semen) (8).
The antioxidative and anti‐inflammatory properties of curcumin are believed to play a role in mitigating damage to the sperm. Treatment with curcumin was found to significantly improve sperm motility in study subjects with leucocytospermia.
Summary: The antioxidative and anti‐inflammatory properties of curcumin reduce oxidative damage to sperms and improve their motility, thus improving male fertility.
Other Health Benefits of Turmeric
There are innumerable health benefits of taking turmeric regularly.
Here our focus is on the sexual health benefits for men, so we’ll mention just a few of the other benefits that improve your overall health which, in turn, benefits your sexual health as well.
Curcumin plays a protective role in cardiovascular diseases and reduces the risk of stroke. curcumin also lowers serum cholesterol levels (9).
These benefits are vital as they tackle some of the most common causes of ED, namely, heart diseases, high blood pressure, injury, stress, anxiety, and depression.
A 2006 Chinese study confirmed that curcumin has been effectively used in Chinese traditional medicine to manage stress and depression-related disorders (10).
Besides, turmeric is beneficial for people who have arthritis and in fighting age-related diseases. It has antioxidant benefits as well. (11, 12).
Summary: With its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric helps tackle triggers of erectile dysfunction, such as heart diseases, high blood pressure, stress, and depression, thus improving your sexual health.
The Side Effects of Turmeric
Although it has been used for centuries in cooking and medicine, turmeric might post certain side effects to those who aren’t used to consuming it. These side effects are:
1. May Lead to an Upset Stomach: Large quantities of turmeric can cause irritation and digestion-related issues as it boosts the production of gastric acid in the stomach. Many studies have seen subjects dropping out due to adverse impacts on their digestion (13).
2. May Result in Blood Thinning: Turmeric leads to blood thinning and makes it easier to bleed, which scientists suppose is due to lower cholesterol and blood pressure that is caused by it. People who are already on blood-thinning medication must not take turmeric in large quantities.
3. May Impact Contractions: Turmeric is found to ease the menstrual cycle’s symptoms and may also help stimulate labor and contractions during childbirth (14). We do require more studies to establish this effect.
4. May Cause Kidney Stones: Since turmeric has oxalate (roughly 2%), it may lead to kidney stones in people with preexisting conditions (15).
5. May Lead to Liver Problems: Extremely high doses of curcumin have shown to increase liver size, or even increase the risk of intestinal or liver cancer (16).
6. Adulteration: Since turmeric is an expensive spice, it is vulnerable to adulteration and addition to artificial and harmful fillers. Sometimes, producers add toxic colors or heavy metals to enhance the color of turmeric.
Consumption of adulterated turmeric will naturally lead to a variety of side effects. There is little evidence that small doses of turmeric consumption have any significant negative impact on the human body.
However, pregnant and breastfeeding women, people with gallbladder disease, kidney stones, bleeding disorders, diabetes, and iron deficiency should not take it (17, 18, 19, 20, 21).
Summary: High levels of turmeric have shown to result in indigestion issues, blood thinning, nausea, liver problems, or other issues in a few cases. However, small doses of turmeric do not cause any adverse side effects, and the bigger challenge stems from turmeric adulteration.
FAQs on Turmeric for Male Enhancement
How to Include Turmeric in Your Diet?
You can begin by adding a small quantity of turmeric to your food to test if it suits your body. You can add it to soups, curries, stews, stocks, pastes, chutneys, vegetables, or even smoothies.
Remember, it leaves a bright yellow stain on the clothes and hands, so handle it carefully.
There are also several turmeric supplements available in the form of capsules in the market. They usually come with added compounds (like piperine) to increase absorption and ensure that you get the maximum benefit.
What is the Daily Recommended Dosage of Turmeric?
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 1.4 mg per pound of body weight as an acceptable daily intake (22).
While there is no broad consensus on the daily dosage, studies using doses between 500-2,500 mg or turmeric have found no significant side effects.
Even studies with 1,200-2,100 mg of curcumin per day for a few weeks have not found any intense adverse effects (23).
Remember that most supplements will give you a higher dose of concentrated curcumin than including turmeric in your diet. However, be sure to ascertain the quality of the supplements and the spice before purchasing it.
Why Should I Take Black Pepper with Turmeric?
Curcumin is the most beneficial compound found in turmeric that is beneficial for us. However, it is not absorbed very well naturally in our bodies (24).
On the other hand, black pepper contains a compound called piperine, which, along with having its health benefits, helps significantly boost the absorption of curcumin in our bodies.
As per a study, it can help increase the absorption of curcumin by up to 2000% (25).
Thus, it is recommended that turmeric be consumed with black pepper. Most curcumin supplements also have such additional compounds to increase their absorption.
How Much Turmeric Should I Take for Erectile Dysfunction?
We’ve seen that when applied directly to the skin, turmeric-based ointments have shown positive results in rodents.
However, further studies need to be conducted to determine the quantity and methodology of taking turmeric for treating erectile dysfunction in humans.
Thus, we need to study the relationship between turmeric and ED more closely, and turmeric viagra might take some time to become a readily-available medicine.
Until then, you can start, including turmeric in your diet plans and food. If you aren’t used to its taste and aroma, you should begin by using a very small quantity and gradually increase it.
Try to purchase certified organic spices or supplements to ensure that their quality is uncompromised.
The Final Note
Turmeric has shown to be an effective solution for ED in a few studies. However, these studies used it directly on the skin instead of administering it orally.
Thus, we need to explore how turmeric and curcumin can better their sexual health and well-being. Furthermore, we need to study the best way to consume turmeric, in what quantities, and if we can improve its absorption in our bodies to obtain maximum benefit.
Turmeric-based viagra and sexual stimulants might become a popular drug in the future. From the evidence we have seen so far, they have the potential to help men worldwide improve their sexual wellness without any significant side effects.
