Female Libido and Herbs

Folk knowledge indicates that many herbs help stimulate sexual desire. Four such herbs may increase female libido specifically; they are damiana leaf, muira puama, black cohosh and wild yam. Although universities have produced encouraging preliminary studies on some of these herbs, the FDA has not approved herbal supplements and thorough tests have not been performed on any of them. Always use caution when taking herbal supplements, and never take them without a doctor's approval.

Damiana Leaf

• According to HealthLine, folk cultures traditionally used damiana leaf, also known as Turnera diffusa, to stimulate the female libido. Some preliminary tests with rats seem to indicate that damiana may actually live up to these claims. However, no group has yet officially tested the libido increasing powers of this herb on humans.

Muira Puama

• Muira puama grows in Brazil, and native peoples have used the roots of this tree as a sexual aphrodisiac for many years. Although trial studies show that Muira puama may increase sexual vitality in males, no medical studies exist on humans to indicate the herb's effectiveness on female desire or its safety.

Black Cohosh

• According to the National Institutes of Health, black cohosh, a member of the buttercup family, can cause estrogen-like effects when used on menopausal women. Although known historically to increase libido, the NIH reports that minimal evidence exists to prove this herb's effectiveness in increasing sex drive.

Wild Yam

• Folk culture has long held that the roots and bulbs of the wild yam plant stimulate female libido when prepared into a liquid extract to be taken orally. The NIH states that not enough evidence exists to support a conclusion that wild yam does indeed stimulate the female libido or consistently exhibit estrogen-like effects on users. Additionally, findings show that although the plant steroids found in wild yams can be converted to estrogen in the lab, the body does not have the ability to do so.