Expert Advice

Source: Ayurvedic Healing for Women (Appendix 3: Aphrodisiacs and Fertility)
Author: Atreya

   Medically, aphrodisiacs are substances that nourish the reproductive organs.  They are not substances that stimulate a person to sexual excitement.  The best aphrodisiac, in terms of sexual stimulation, is love.  If you are looking for sexual excitement, this is the wrong book and the wrong appendix.  Ayurveda has a whole science of aphrodisiacs.  It is one of the eight branches of the medical system.  It promotes healthy women, pregnancy, childbirth, and children.

    Fertility and infertility relate directly to the seventh tissue level of the body.  Any deficiency in this level of the body can result in low fertility.  The science of aphrodisiacs in Ayurveda is the science of fertility.

    The first important factor in fertility is the proper use of your sense organs.  The vagina is a sense organ, the abuse of which affects the seventh tissue level of shukra.  The mind is also a very subtle sense organ, the abuse of which will deplete the shukra.  We can surmise that a history of abuse, sexually or mentally, can affect fertility.  Being in a relationship that has no love can also disturb the shukra tissues.  These factors must be addressed before taking aphrodisiacs and having success.

    The second factor is perhaps the most important, because it covers everything we do in our lives.  The shukra tissue level, as mentioned before, the result of the other tissues.  Lack of fertility usually shows a deficiency in all the tissues to some extent - mostly from a devitalized diet of junk or unnatural foods.  Any action or habit that lessens the strength of the body or mind falls under this category and must be addressed before treatment.

    The last factor is time, reflected in the movement of the doshas through the seasons and through the life.  There is a very precise science that deals with time in the Vedic tradition and it is intimately linked with Ayurveda.  This science is called Jyotish, or the "science of light."  Light has always been the fundamental unit of time's movement for humans.  In this sense, Jyotish can be used to find the best moment for fertility by observing the Moon.  Jyotish is a very ancient system of lunar-based (feminine) astrology.  Ayurvedic doctors never treat women for fertility without either consulting a Jyothisha or doing the birthchart themselves.

    An understanding of time also indicates karmic factors, like the health of your mother or genetic problems.  These show up in the birthchart.  This is a special study in Jyotish and I am not trained in it, so I cannot offer any advice.  However, there is an association in the United States that promotes this ancient knowledge and provides a list of qualified practitioners on request.  I suggest that, if fertility is a problem, you consult this association and find a practitioner in your area.  By understanding your chart and the movement of the Moon through your life, you can identify the best moments to conceive.  This should be done with the treatment advice I give below.  It is a valid science, used successfully for many thousands of years.  I use it medically in my own practice to help understand the movement of disease through time or to estimate the possible occurrence of disease in a patient's life.

    To balance all three factors that disrupt the doshas, herbs and foods can be used.  Before using the aphrodisiac herbs, you must have a clean system.  If the body is not clean, the results will be mixed or the treatment may fail.  if the body is too weak to clean itself, both cleansing and nourishing herbs should be used.  The best aphrodisiac herbs in Ayurveda, in order of importance, are: Shatavari, Ashwagandha, Shilajit, Lotus seeds, Amla, Dong quai, Gokshura, Guduchi, and Bala.

    These herbs should be taken in doses of 4 to 8 grams a day in warm milk or water and with raw, natural sugar or honey.  Ghee can also be used for pitta types or those with low agni.

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