Mysterious Ways: Penetrating the Aphrodisiac Qualities of Cannabis

In many cultures — and for a long, long time — cannabis has been used as an aphrodisiac.

How long, exactly?

In India it was used as far back as the seventh century. Its use for sexual health was further documented in Chinese texts, as well as amongst Germanic tribes and by many African cultures.

It’s long been as popularized as it has theorized that cannabis can help get you in the mood for sex. And, in recent years, research probing the link between the plant and sexual desire has been yielding some pretty fascinating results.

Take a 2018 study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, which scrutinized data from more than 28,000 women and nearly 23,000 men, who were asked how often they had sex in the four weeks prior to a survey and how frequently they used cannabis in the preceding year.

Women who didn't use it? They reported having sex six times on average during the four-week span. Women who did use cannabis daily? They had sex 7.1 times on average.

And men? The trend was similar. Those that abstained from cannabis claimed they had sex an average of 5.6 times in the four weeks prior to the survey, compared with the daily cannabis users who reported having sex 6.9 times, on average.

Though these are the findings of just one study, you can easily turn up a dozen more that support the same idea: that there most certainly is a connection between sex and cannabis. Except here’s the thing: it’s still unclear just how the latter might boost or enhance the former.

Do people who use cannabis have more sex because they put less pressure on themselves when they are high? Meaning they don't have the same performance anxiety as those who are sober? Perhaps.

Would a small amount of marijuana help increase one partner’s ability to communicate their preferences to the other? Maybe.

Does THC target a part of the brain that’s associated with sexual arousal — at least in females? Could be.

To that last point, our body's natural endocannabinoid system is critical in regulating everything from pleasure and pain to relaxation and homeostasis. And, when it is activated by the cannabinoids in cannabis, it can leave users feeling relaxed with increased pleasure and decreased pain. That can lead to increased arousal and more enjoyable sex.

Having said all that, it’s important to note that every person has a unique psychological and physical makeup. Which means for cannabis to help improve sexuality, you must find the type that works for you.

Of course, cannabis isn't a be-all and end-all solution. Still, if you want to experiment (legally) and discover whether it enhances libido and gives your sex life a kick, you may realize cannabis is just one more way to heat things up.

Either way, you’re bound to have some fun figuring it out.

______________________________________________________________

This article was written by Chris Metler. 

For more Blissed content please see our Instagram page @be.blissed

This article was published May 19, 2020.