Last week, I received an email from a woman asking, “What’s your number one essential oil for male arousal?” As I went to answer, I hesitated and wondered at the story behind the question. Was this the excitement of a new romance, maybe a wedding night or a big anniversary? Did she want to step up her seduction and blow his mind, lucky girl? Something about the nature of how she asked made me think, probably not. Her short sentences seemed to have sadness and fear hiding behind them. I felt like I was walking in a minefield, mindful that whatever questions I asked might trigger more pain for her. Did she think it was medical, or was she desperately trying to distract a lover she was worried may be cheating?
I answered as best as I could (without a consultation) but then set to writing a post to help her better. You will know who you are. I hope this helps.
Why There Is No One Essential Oil For Male Arousal - There Are Many
Sexual function has so many different aspects. There is more than one excellent essential oil for male arousal; Jasmine, patchouli, sandalwood, and agarwood all tap into desire. Stress and exhaustion may affect hormonal balance, so something like rose or nutmeg can be extremely useful. The fear of failing often makes failing inevitable; talking is too painful, so avoiding sex feels like the only possibility.
Sometimes desire works fine, but high blood pressure meds or diabetes don’t translate into an erection. Then something like cinnamon essential oil could be wonderful to stimulate the circulation. But if you use too much, you could be liable for a trip to the emergency department. Erectile dysfunction does require a skilled and gentle touch…pun very much intended.
Certain areas of sexual dysfunction are outside of the skills of aromatherapy. Still, nothing is better than fragrance when addressing mood, self-esteem, and intimacy. It really can touch the part of the mind that other therapies can’t.
In 2021, the Global Erectile Dysfunction Drugs Market size was valued at USD2130 million. It is projected to reach USD3250 million by 2028. (Intellectual Market Insights, 2021) This enormous pot of money means that the company that cracks it will be the goose that lays the golden egg. Since herbs like ginseng, horny goat weed, and guarana have always been used for improving sexual vitality, it makes sense that researchers would also be looking at other ways to leverage the skills of natural medicines.
It is important to note that there are no FDA-approved licenses for essential oils for male arousal.
The delicious thing is that essential oils lend themselves to massage beautifully, so that’s a gorgeous way to relax and enjoy your time together. Additionally, the scent is processed in the limbic system, the same part of the brain that controls sexuality. This fragrance and arousal are linked…pheromones are the messages we give off to attract mates.
Estimates of how wide the problem of male sexual dysfunction is, vary. There has been a suggestion that it may affect as many as a third of all men, but since many feel ashamed or too embarrassed to seek help, there may even be more than that. Although there can be many causes, age has a huge bearing, and total dysfunction increases from about 5 to 15 percent between 40 and 70 years old. (Feldman, 1994) However, in 2013, a study revealed that as many as one in four new diagnoses of erectile dysfunction were in men under 40.
Although you are at a higher risk of ED as you age, age does not cause ED. This is good news because ED can be treated at any age.
What Causes Erectile Dysfunction?
Erectile dysfunction can be affected by many factors, but physiologically the endocrine, nervous, and vascular systems all play a part.
Common conditions can increase your likelihood of suffering from sexual dysfunction.
First, injuries or surgeries to the penis, bladder, pelvis, or spinal cord and surgeries to the prostate gland, including radiation treatments, can all cause problems.
A condition called Peyronie’s disease, where the scar tissue curves the penis or causes it to lose length or girth, can make getting an erection painful or difficult.
Damage to the nervous system, for example like that which happens in multiple sclerosis. Sexual arousal originates in the central nervous system; the brain sends messages through spinal cord nerves. MS damages these nerve pathways, so sexual responses, including arousal and orgasm, may be directly affected.
Arousal, in particular, relies on good circulation. Arteries carry blood to the penis. Arousal requires these to dilate, allowing more blood to flow to make the penis swell. Arteries affected by atherosclerosis mean they can no longer dilate as well, so blood flow is reduced, and getting an erection becomes more difficult.
Raised blood pressure also limits blood flow to the penis, making it challenging to get and keep erections.
Kidney disease narrows blood vessels over the body.
Men with Type II diabetes are 3x more likely to have trouble getting or keeping an erection. (DiabetesUK) This can be because of neuropathy, limited blood flow, or damaged blood vessels from high blood sugars.
It should also be stated that having erectile dysfunction (ED) also puts you at risk for cardiovascular disease. ED may be the body’s signal that the arteries are narrowed, which could lead to heart attacks.
So, while we would certainly encourage you to try essential oils for sexual dysfunction, please also tell your doctor about the problems you have been having. It could save your life.
Erectile dysfunction is also a common side effect of many medications. In particular, these include antidepressants, tranquilizers, and sedative medications, including those designed to suppress appetite.
Antiandrogen medications are used for prostate cancer therapy, ulcer medications, and ones to modify blood pressure.
Erectile dysfunction can also be affected by smoking, too much alcohol, illegal drug use, not being physically active, or being overweight.
Sexual health is also profoundly affected by emotions and mood. Anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem can all be challenges. For some men, guilt about sexual activities or performance can be problematic, as can fear sexual failure.
Stress about sexual performance or your life, in general, can all affect sexuality.
How To Go About Choosing Your Essential Oil For Male Arousal
There are three rules here:
- Go gently and respectfully
- Encourage intimacy over the erection
- Think safety first.
Essential Oil for Male Arousal Safety
Always check the individual safety of each essential oil. Some spices, for example, are irritants to the mucous membranes. These include the moist surfaces of the penis and vagina. Do not exceed maximum dilutions. In most cases, it is best to remember that essential oils absorb through the skin and into the bloodstream and approach the brain as you breathe them. There is no need to apply them to the delicate genital tissues.
Lastly, condoms and essential oils do not mix. They will compromise the integrity of the condom, making it far more likely to split.
Look at your arm for a moment. Any hairs you see, come out of follicles that form part of your pores. Each one of these is like a doorway into the bloodstream. The skin is the largest organ in the body and is semipermeable. There are so many ways into the body. There is no need to apply to the penis directly.
Know that the most erogenous organ is the mind. Leverage that with kindness, acceptance, and scent.
It makes sense to approach this from a very laid-back attitude too. Don’t build it up with loads of expectations and fanfare. This adds more pressure.
Spend time working out which oils you like together. Sniff and ask yourself, “How does it make me feel?” Some oils (patchouli is a brilliant example) are very love/hate. For many, patchouli conjures hippies; for me, it’s 1970 bikers…how do those pictures make you feel? Those neural pathways can be helpful or very distracting…
An Essential Oil for Male Arousal- for Both of You
Invest quiet time exploring that. Likewise, how do the oils smell in combination? Mixing them can be magical or disastrous…experiment together. Sometimes, it’s more powerful not to even bring sex into these conversations…relaxation, happiness…and watch the eyes…when the pupils dilate, you know you’ve found a winner. You just touched the spot.
A final point about this article: sex is usually the act of a couple, and not necessarily between men and women exclusively. However, I shall add safety for women too (mainly to avoid pregnancy confusion) on each essential oil for male arousal, so that’s one less thing for you to worry about.
Inhaling An Essential for Male Arousal
One of the most interesting aspects of aromatherapy research is how inhaling fragrance affects us. That’s a whole series of encyclopedias in its own right, but fundamentally, it affects neurotransmission.
One of the most important neurotransmitters in sexuality is oxytocin, which also functions as a neurohormone. Most often thought of as a female hormone because it encourages lactation, studies demonstrate men’s serum oxytocin being higher after ejaculation.
This makes sense because it is called the bonding hormone and is believed to be partly responsible for the afterglow climax brings.
However, recent rodent studies suggest that an increased oxytocin level in the circulation influences libido, penile reflexes, and orgasm in men. (Oti, 2021)
Oxytocin is formed in neurons in the hypothalamus. Research suggests that lavender may positively affect mood because inhaling it causes the hypothalamus to activate and create more oxytocin (in mice). (Ogato, 2020) Human trials (done on post-menopausal women, sadly, in this case) tested twenty different essential oils over a month. All oils showed the serum cortisol dropped (cortisol is a stress hormone, so that’s good), and oxytocin levels improved.
As an educated opinion, I’d expect that inhaling any or all of these next few oils would have a similar effect. Inhale for around 15 minutes a day, every day for six weeks. I’d expect to see a gradual improvement in mood in a few days, which hopefully translates to sexual improvement.
Rose
I would not necessarily recommend this as THE essential oil for male arousal. Still, it is important, and I wanted to show the tremendous successes that can be obtained with plant medicines.
In 2015, I wrote Rose Goddess Medicine, which features a great deal about roses for male sexual dysfunction, both from a scientific and a Traditional Chinese Medicine point of view.
As serendipity would have it, a tremendous paper was released just as I was researching the book.
This extract is taken from the book
[The study…] investigates the effects of using rose extract on 60 male patients with a mean age of 32. Each was suffering from a Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and was prescribed SSRIs. Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors are the most common type of antidepressant prescribed today. The problem is that these SSRIs can have disturbing and distressing side effects on any or all phases of the sexual cycle. This might be through decreased libido, impaired arousal, or causing erectile dysfunction; SSRIs are most commonly associated with delayed ejaculation and problems of delayed or even absent orgasm.
Participants completed questionnaires about their mood and sexual dysfunction at baseline recruitment commencing the trial, at 4 weeks and at 8 weeks. They were given 17mg of citronellol from the essential oil (2 ml daily).
At four weeks, the effects were already beginning to become obvious. Both placebo and the rose group experienced a lift in their mood and a slight improvement in sexual symptoms. By 8 weeks, there was a significant difference between the groups. While both groups were showing improvements with both erection and ejaculation by week 4, by week 8, both mood and sexual function were markedly improved in the rose group.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sexual drive | 1.8 | 1.84 | 2.07 | 1.88 | 2.43 | 2.03 |
| Erections | 1.78 | 1.94 | 1.77 | 1.82 | 2.49 | 2.05 |
| Ejaculations | 1.89 | 1.92 | 2.01 | 1.88 | 2.71 | 2.20 |
Fig 1. Key:
Column A – Rose Baseline Reading
Column B - Placebo Baseline
Column C - 4 wk Rose
Column D - 4 wk Placebo
Column E - 8 wk Rose
Column F - 8 wk Placebo (Farnia, 2015)
Incidentally, the oil in this treatment was administered in an essential oil capsule. I would not mimic it just yet, if only because of the cost implications (although there are many other safety considerations). At an average of $40 for 2 ml, you are looking to rack up a weekly bill of nearly $300 and almost two and a half grand for eight weeks.
Let’s face it...the sex would need to be pretty mind-blowing for that level of investment, wouldn’t it?
I’d get massaging, instead, if I were you. I’ll leave the technique and choice of massage location to you!
Also note that other (less expensive) essential oils high in citronellol are: geranium, neroli, lemongrass, chamomile, tagetes, basil, and lavender.
Ylang-Ylang
Choosing ylang-ylang as an essential oil for male arousal is about personal taste. It is sultry sweet, and aphrodisiac, but some men may find it too feminine.
Ylang-ylang balances hormones (Tan, 2015) and is also extremely good for settling blood pressure. (Da-Jung, 2013)
This is a dreamy and evocative choice.
Ylang-ylang blends with many essential oils, especially woods and resins. It smells sublime paired with lemon essential oil.
Safety: Maximum dilution is 0.7%.
Use with care if you have low blood pressure. Overuse can cause headaches. Not suitable for use in the first 37 weeks of pregnancy.
Patchouli
Deeply relaxing, patchouli’s magic comes from the fact that it brings the energy from the mind down into the body. This is a great oil to use if there is a worry dimension about being to perform.
Patchouli blends beautifully with orange to bring a dreamy playfulness together.
Method of use: Gorgeous in massage oils. Lovely to inhale or to use in candles or diffusers. Great for the bath.
Safety: Maximum dilution 3% Non-irritating.
Sandalwood
Ayurvedic medicine has used sandalwood to create sensuality for around 5000 years. Again, deliciously relaxing and comforting, it has a gorgeous base note that is sultry and sexy to the nose.
Method of use: Gorgeous in massage oils. Lovely to inhale or to use in candles or diffusers. Great for the bath.
Safety: Maximum dilution 3% Non-irritating.
Jasmine
This essential oil for male arousal is heady and intoxicating. Deliciously relaxing and seductive, it is wonderful for reducing worries or stress.
Method of use: Gorgeous in massage oils. Lovely to inhale or to use in candles or diffusers. Great for the bath.
Safety: Maximum dilution 3% Non-irritating. Ladies, be careful with this one if you are pregnant. Not suitable for use until after 37 weeks of pregnancy.
Clary Sage
Again, aphrodisiac and euphoric. It is beautifully relaxing.
Just be careful not to drink with this one. It’s not a great combination at all. A horrific hangover is probable.
Method of use: Gorgeous in massage oils. Lovely to inhale or to use in candles or diffusers. Great for the bath.
Safety: Maximum dilution 3% Non-irritating. Ladies, be careful with this one if you are pregnant. Not suitable for use until after 37 weeks of pregnancy.
Cinnamon Bark
Cinnamon has many properties, including improving blood flow and circulation.
Animal studies suggest that cinnamon and its primary constituent, cinnamaldehyde, may relax smooth muscles in the penis (Goswami, 2013) and improve erectile function. (Onder, 2019) It has also been shown to help smooth muscle relaxation in the penis.
Further, studies suggest that cinnamon may increase sperm count, testosterone levels, and sperm motility (Khaki, 2015)
Method of use: Use just one drop of massage oils. Lovely to inhale or to use in candles or diffusers. Do not use it in the bath.
Safety: Maximum dilution 0.07%. Moderately irritating. Not suitable for use until after 16 weeks of pregnancy.
Fundamentally, too, the best essential oil for male arousal may be one that addresses the thoughts and feelings here. Visit Essential Oils for Mood to really tackle some of the emotional stuff that may be going on here.
Essential Oil for Male Arousal Recipes
Essential Oil for Male Arousal Recipe for Bath Oil
- 5ml Rosehip Carrier Oil (Rosa rugosa)
- 2 drops Sandalwood Essential Oil (Santalum album)
- 2 drops Rose Essential Oil (Rosa damascena)
- 1 drop Ylang Ylang Essential Oil (Cananga odorata)
Method of Use: Add to bath and lounge in for at least 20 minutes.
Essential Oil for Male Arousal Recipe for Massage Oil
- 40ml Grapeseed Carrier Oil (Vitis vinifera)
- 5ml Sesame Carrier Oil (Sesamum indicum)
- 5 ml Almond Carrier Oil (Prunus amygdala)
- 5 drops Patchouli Essential Oil (Pogostemon cablin)
- 5 drops Orange Essential Oil (Citrus sinensis)
- 2 drops Cinnamon Essential Oil (Cinnamomum zeylancum)
Method of use:
- Use in two ways.
- As a daily massage oil, apply to the pulse points of the wrists three times daily for two months.
- As a relaxing and stimulating massage before and during sex. (Do not apply directly to the genitals)
Conclusion
Experiment with essential oil for male arousal choices. Have fun with it and enjoy a joint project together, and you will get to know each other uniquely. Do not ignore the symptoms of erectile dysfunction, though. Always talk to your physician in case it is a symptom of something worse. Aromatherapy and essential oil usage are safe and easy to use alongside any medications they might give you. We wish you well, with happier and more sensual days ahead.
