We all want a better sex life – more of it, to last longer, or well, just any sex at all. The web is full of sexual supplements claiming to boost your libido and improve your sex life, but what's the backing behind the pills and creams that claim to give you the most mind-blowing sex you’ve had since that secret dream about Harry Styles? (We recommend you eat less cheese before bed).

Let’s take a look.

Speak To Your GP Before Taking Sexual Supplements

Ingredients in sexual supplements are, broadly, plant-based, and non-synthetic. This said, it's a good idea to speak to your GP before supplementing, this is especially important if you are on blood pressure medication or other prescriptions. Remember we're not PhDs here, our specialty is sex, not medicine.

Shhh! It’s a Sex Pill!

The taboo around sexual supplements is beginning to fade. Supplements and medications for erectile dysfunction in men are the most well known. Increased acceptance of the use of such supplements has brought about a new openness with libido enhancers, and a realization that a bad sex life, or lack of libido, can be turned around.

Media and internet-based shout-outs have also helped increase public familiarity with sexual supplements. Provestra for example has appeared on Fox News and HerSolution Gel on The Doctors TV show. Now, rather than hiding them away until the rubbish adverts post-midnight – they’re out, and they're proud.

What Do Sexual Supplements Claim?

Sexual supplements claim to boost your libido and improve your chances of orgasm. They are not prescription pills, like multi-vitamins, they work to maximize your body's potential and increase sexual desire.

They may, for example, boost your natural sensitivity. Others state their ingredients increase lubrication and blood flow to the pelvic areas, in turn increasing your fun and your chances of climax.

What’s In Sexual Supplements?

All supplements, whether topical gels or pills, generally have similar ingredients. It stands to reason that the better quality ones will have better quality ingredients, but always research and check it out for yourself.

Here are a few of the ingredients found in sexual supplements. There are many more, and you’d be scrolling down until the end of time if we listed every single one. Here’s a taster.

Ginseng

Improves energy levels and mood – essential for when you want to hear the headrest hit the wall with a smile on your face. In women, a dose of 3,000 mg of Korean Red Ginseng has been found to rev up sexual desire and increase overall friskiness.

Maca, beloved by healthfood hipsters, and also known as Peruvian Ginseng, is a South American root vegetable that can be supplemented in capsules and powders. Historically Maca has been used to boost desire and fertility in women, powerful, it has in recent studies been used to restore sex drive in postmenopausal women suffering anti-depressant side effects.

Black Cohosh

A herb of the buttercup family, Black Cohosh may increase blood flow to the pelvis and has been used since the 1950s for its potential in treating vaginal dryness, increasing vaginal elasticity, reducing pain during intercourse, and increasing sexual stimulation.

Found in supplement pills, powders, and liquids recommended doses vary however The British Herbal Compendium recommends 40-200 milligrams (mg) doses in pill form spread throughout the day or 1-2 gram (g) in powder taken three times daily.

L-Arginine

Yes, it sounds like a brand of margarine, but it’s also a sexual supplement superstar said to increase blood flow, and is often used in lubricating sexual supplements.

Featured on Oprah.com as one of Dr. Oz's ultimate libido boosters for women, L-Arginine is an amino acid that helps immunity, increases fertility nurturing female egg cells, increases a lady's lust for sex, sensitivity down south, and, most importantly, can help women achieve orgasm more easily.

L-Arginine dilates blood vessels in your body allowing for more blood to move to your genitals. Its equally as potent in both sexes and can be a fun turbo boost to sensitivity for both you and your sexual partner to use together in the bedroom.

Chasteberry

A ridiculous name for a sexual supplement? No smoke without fire, folklore suggests that consuming these small red berries suppressed libido in both men and women, and monks were said to have chewed the berries to bate the sin of temptation. The monks were wrong, and men, so they failed to notice what Chasteberry actually does.

Chasteberry boosts dopamine, your brain's desire chemical, and is a rich source of androstenedione, which induces sexual desire in women and is, therefore, an aphrodisiac. Most of all it is used to ease the discomfort of PMS symptoms, help balance hormones, and increase the production of luteinizing hormone and progesterone.

Two weeks of bloating, cramps, and spontaneous outbreaks of tears and rage aren't exactly conducive to the desire to fall between the sheets - chasteberry is used widely to relive all of the above and so – chasteberry gets our vote.

Ginkgo

What’s going on with these weird names? Wasn’t Gingko in the Beatles?

Ginkgo has been used as a sexual supplement for thousands of years. Chinese herbal medicine usually includes a great big dollop of Ginkgo. It’s said to increase mental alertness, and improve asthma and fatigue too – so it's a good all-rounder.

On a sexual note, Ginkgo facilitates blood flow and relaxes the smooth muscle in the vagina, a step that happens naturally as you anticipate your partner. To quote tacky erotic paperbacks: "She was soft and ready for him."

Ginkgo, therefore, heightens a woman's sexual response, and with a powerful therapeutic effect is regularly used in the treating of sexual dysfunction in women.

How Do Sexual Supplements Work?

The ingredients listed above are said to stimulate hormone production, boost blood circulation, and encourage lubrication in women. Supplements can be taken in two ways:

1. Topical Lotions

Topical versions applied straight to the vagina deliver a dose of stimulating ingredients just where it’s needed working as a short-lasting, upgraded lubricant. Creams often tingle upon application, and most claim that they dilate blood vessels. This may encourage blood flow and ultimately lead to the big O.

2. Pills

Pills may deliver a dose of libido-boosting ingredients into your body daily. The gradual build-up of L-Arginine, black cohosh, and others may lead to better long-term feminine health and sexual appetite.

If you choose a pill form of sexual supplement, it might take some time before you can expect results and boost blood levels. Taking one supplement won’t get you too far; you’ve got to be committed. If you’re a short-termer, then a cream or gel might suit you better.

Will Sexual Supplements Work for ME?

They might work, is the honest answer. You can boost your chances by going for high-quality. Some low-quality sexual supplements can contain parabens and other nasty stuff you won’t want to ingest or apply regularly.

Many people choose to use these supplements, so a thriving market has sprung up around them. Most are safe to use, and the better ones have money-back guarantees, so it’s not a gamble.

The Sexual Supplements We Recommend

HerSolution and HerSolution Gel

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HerSolution Supplements Diamond Package (6-month supply) $219.95 and HerSolution Gel (1-month supply) $59.95

Promising increased sexual appetite, vaginal lubrication, maximized sexual sensation, and full-body arousal, HerSolution answers the problem: "Where aren't thou fair sex drive?"

HerSolution is a daily supplement to recharge your inner vixen balancing nutritional, hormonal, and stress-induced imbalances, boost estrogen levels, and restore your body's desire for sex.

A blend of herbs, nutrients, and aphrodisiacs each capsule contains niacin to increase blood flow Downunder, hops extracts for lubrication, Gingko, Mucuna pruriens a dopamine boosting aphrodisiac, Epimedium sagitattum with nitric oxide to soften and ready the muscles of the vagina and cayenne pepper, for a dash of spice.

HerSolution claims it can give the woman who's never experienced climax her first, and unlike many men who promise similar, HerSolution's formulation may stand a chance.

On this note, should this woman be you I recommend THIS which you could choose to use in conjunction with the HerSolution supplements and HerSolution Gel, an intense, spa-quality lubricant that encourages blood flow to the vagina and which is gifted with each purchase of the HerSolution supplement package. Girl, this isn't the 50s, go get your O.

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If you're interested in upgrading your lubricant, the HerSolution Gel can be purchased as a 1-month pack and has had an impressive PR run featured on The Doctors TV Show and a feature in Women's Health Magazine which described the gel's effect like: "The rush you feel when you're kissed by someone you truly desire – a deliciously warm, tingly and engorged feeling of readiness."

With the aforementioned L-Arginine to increase blood flow to the clitoris, the HerSolution Gel also comes packed with botanicals to deliver a potent rush to your happy place, or wherever you choose to rub it, plus Aloe, Shea, and Cocoa Butters for a slippery, inviting entry point.

Provestra

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Diamond Package (6-month supply) $224.95

Provestra is a daily supplement that claims to balance female sex hormones increasing libido, orgasm intensity, lubrication, and overall sexual health. Provestra is designed for long-term use, you take one each day, every day, like a multi-vitamin with the official site suggesting a minimum of thirty days to begin to feel effects.

A blend of over eighteen herbals, nutrients, and aphrodisiacs Provestra contains Ginseng, Gingko, and Black Cohosh as well as some new heroes. Theobromine, for example, is a mild stimulant and the feel-good active in chocolate used for over 4000 years starting with the Aztecs who would ingest it to prepare physically and spiritually for battle, and sex, or both, what happens in the privacy of your bedroom is not our business.

With hormonal balance in mind, Provestra can also help ease uncomfortable symptoms of PMS with active ingredients such as Red Raspberry and Licorice Roots which can ease cramping, B-Complex vitamins for low energy, and iron to combat anemia from heavy menstrual cycles.

Vigorelle

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1 month supply for $59.95

As seen on Fox News, though don't let that put you off, Vigorelle is an all-natural water-based lubricant which claims to "give you back your groove," suggesting they turned to someone's grandmother, who hit her prime in the age of flower power, for webpage copywriting.

"From So-So to Sensational" and "From Zero to Wow," beneath Vigorelle's claims to "restore your passion for life" and essentially transfigure you into the Italian Goddess Venus (a paraphrased summation of their website's promises) exists a silky textured, pump lubricant with a cool-tingling which can heighten sexual stimulation, stimulate blood flow, intensify climax and can be used in both solo play and with your partner.

Vigorelle is designed to be applied beneath your clitoral-hood, though it can be rubbed anywhere on the vagina and clitoris, to give instant stimulation, unlike oral supplements which will take around a month for you to see effects.

With high-quality botanicals, Vigorelle's new formula contains L-Arginine and Gingko as well as Mexican Wild Yam to stimulate and balance hormones, Damiana Leaf for sex drive and Suma Root for endurance all suspended in a vitamin-rich and antioxidant-packed Hyaluronic and Aloe Vera Gel to encourage healthy circulation.

Breastrogen

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3 boxes plus an additional free for $224.91

Breastrogen claims to enlarge breast size by up to two cup sizes with a 60-day money-back guarantee. A plant-based, scent-free cream designed for long-term use, twice daily, Breastrogen claim perkier, firmer, lifted breasts, and an increase of one cup size within six to seven weeks and two cup sizes within 5-6 months.

Essentially a topical, lotion-based supplement it's primary active is Pueraria Mirifica a plant high in phytoestrogens which when absorbed through the skin mimics the effects of estrogen. If you've seen it, think Samatha in Sex and the City 2.

If you haven't, estrogen patches are commonly prescribed for women entering or experiencing menopause as once absorbed through the skin barrier the hormone replacement can help with loss of skin elasticity. Breastrogen's second-most potent active, Vitamin E, can strengthen the capillary walls in breast tissue and improve the elasticity of the skin of the breast.

Yes, it sounds like a scam, but consider this: you're likely applying a skin serum to your face daily and we have the likes of JLo and Jenifer Anniston as proof of the effectiveness of facial skincare. With Breastrogen's natural anti-aging nutrients, reasonably, why not show your breasts the same treatment?

Note, the Breastrogen website states that any women with tumors or cysts should steer clear of the product.

Total Curve

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1-month supply $69.95

Total Curve is a two-step system: a daily supplement and lifting gel marketing themselves as: "A complete breast enhancement therapy program that works both internally and externally to help tone and reshape your breasts for a more youthful appearance."

This comes on their webpage directly below "All The Sexy You Want," their point being: when you feel hot, when you can't keep your hands off yourself, you want someone else's on you too. Celebrating your body, your sensuality, and your sexiness is one of the best charms of being a woman and one of the most potent, natural libido boosters. Total Curve implicitly promises a bump in self-esteem to have you falling into the bedroom ready for worship.

The supplement is a pill, to be taken twice daily, packed with Black Cohosh, Fennel Seed and Hops with phytoestrogens to boost estrogen levels, Damiana Leaf to boost mood and balance hormones, Watercress Shoots to pump up circulation and a wealth of other herbals, nutrients, and antioxidants for overall sexual health.

Part-two, Total Curve's topical lifting and firming gel, which Total Curve suggests should be used daily, contains Volufiline™, which they claim has been clinically proven to increase breast size up to 8.4% in less than 60 days with a 100% money-back-guarantee within 67 days.

Volufiline™, put simply, stimulates the cells in the fatty tissue of the breast to grow in volume for fuller, firmer-looking breasts. As one fat cell on the breast is equal to another on the thighs, we recommend careful application and perhaps gloves should one be concerned for the state of their fingertips and palms at the end of that 67-day trial. Also, if there's anyone in your life who's been especially unkind to you, and you find Total Curve isn't for you, it's an idea to lend the firming gel to them as a body lotion. I'm already making a hit list.

Sexual supplements have come a long way in recent years. They are not a dirty secret hiding in the shadows as they used to be. Looking at supply and demand it's a safe bet someone you know has already tried them out, if you're still uncertain, next chance you get it may be worth dropping it into conversation with the girls. Overall, if you're feeling the effects of a busy life, stressful job, and have no interest in sex, then they could be worth a try.