If you're having problems with your love life, a herbalist who gave a course at Olds College recently has a solution – lavender or rose petals – two plants that grow in or around Olds.
Or, you can make use of damiana leaf, a plant that grows in Mexico.
But Danielle Pyper of Red Deer says those plants are only part of the solution. You also have to deal with other things that might be affecting your libido, like stress.
On July 21, Pyper instructed a class at Olds College called Heal Thyself – Learning YOUR Constitution. It was part of Hort Week at the college.
Improving the libido was just one aspect of the class.
“The libido is a really complicated issue because it is really closely linked with stress. So stress, hormones in your body don't really coexist at the same time – like adrenalin hormones don't coexist with oxytocin, which is your love hormone,” Pyper told the Albertan.
“When you're highly stressed in your life, you've got a really fast-paced work environment and your home life is stressful, your libido naturally – with all of that – is going to not be functioning at a really high place because you've got all this adrenalin.
“If you address the other issues – you address the stress in your life and try to bring balance and your libido is still out of whack, damiana (leaf), a circulatory stimulant, also addresses your libido,” she said.
However, Pyper said rose petals and lavender, which can grow in Olds and area, can do much the same thing.
She said rose petals can be used in several ways to increase the libido.
You can make tea with them, but Pyper says other uses work too.
“I mean we all know there are rose petals sprinkled all over the bed or whatever, leading up to the bedroom (will help),” she said. “It's well known that rose petals bring a person's body and mind into a romantic feeling.”
“Rose petals – any kind of relaxing things that are going to bring your stress hormones down are going to naturally help to increase your libido, like lavender, like really floral plants,” she added. “I have lavender growing in my garden.”
"It's well known that rose petals bring a person's body and mind into a romantic feeling."DANIELLE PYPERHERBALIST
