In the Chinese medicine system, healing foods are often integrated into the daily diet to help improve virility naturally.

Certain foods help to nourish the energy of the kidneys, associated with with our sexual energy and our reproductive organs. Thus, when we nourish the kidneys, we improve and support a healthy sex life.

These foods help to boost the energy of the kidney:

Strawberry, walnuts, deep root vegetables such as yam, oysters, kidney beans, chestnut, clam, cod, hiziki seaweed, and pumpkin. It is also important to nourish the yin (which includes blood, bodily fluids, and hormones).

Building our blood and hormones (known as yin in the Chinese medicine system) also plays a role in helping us to achieve healthy states of sexual arousal.

These foods nourish yin:

Asparagus, cantaloupe, duck, egg, octopus, oyster, water chestnut, turnip, and raspberry.

Foods that stimulate and invigorate the qi (energy) also contribute to expressing passion and sensuous love:

Almonds, cardamom, shitake mushroom, orange, tangerine, and white beans.

Often times people will take Chinese herbs to nourish the sexual energy of the kidneys. However, taking herbs such as ginseng, astragalas, and dang gui in isolation is not recommended and can lead to imbalances with other internal organs.

Instead, a combination of herbs in formula form can help increase sexuality while also promoting overall health.

My teacher and mentor, master herbalist John Fung, recommends the following herbs combined in a formula to strengthen the kidneys, blood, qi (energy), and yang (the fire aspects of our energy that move energy) to improve virility.

1) Kidneys

Xu Duan

Du Zhong

Qian Shi

Rou Cong Rong

2) Blood

Chuan Xiong

Dang Gui

Shu Di Huang

3) The Qi

Huang Qi

Du Huo

Gou Ji

4) The Yang

Suo Yang

Xian Ling Pi

Ba Ji Tian

As John Fung states, “Chinese herbs cannot deliver the mechanical performance of Viagra and the likes. Furthermore, they don’t give you the expected effect when you take them a few hours beforehand. Being a product of nature, they help you build up the potency at the rate your body can handle (not what your mind wants). “

By incorporating nourishing foods and balanced herb formulas, you can improve your sex life and create a level of intimate vibrancy that comes from internal balance and harmony.