Discussing the orgasm gap. Plus, watch this hysterical video.

According to Wikipedia, “the orgasm gap, or pleasure gap, is a social phenomenon referring to the general disparity between heterosexual men and women in terms of sexual satisfaction—more specifically, the unequal frequency in the achievement of orgasm during sexual encounters.”

How many times do you truly orgasm during sex with your partner? Your husband? Your boyfriend? Your sidepiece?

It’s not just a social phenomenon, studies support this is a legit thing. Forbes reported on it last year, noting this study. Another study found that 39% of women said they always orgasm when they masturbate, compared to 6% during sex. Oi vey.

Watch This Video From Carole Radziwill and Robin Levine Shobin.

While there are a ton of new cool vibrators on the market, I am a big believer that all beauty, wellness, and general happiness starts from the inside. If you are a regular reader of Charlotte’s Book, you know that I am totally pro treatment, but you absolutely need to start it all internally as well. I believe this principle also aligns with sexual health and wellbeing, and with orgasms.

When you orgasm, your body releases the hormone oxytocin into the bloodstream. Oxytocin, typically known as the ‘love’ hormone decreases stress. Glamour has a great article online discussing all the many health benefits of orgasms from boosting collagen to immunity to healthier hair. Hell yes to all is what I say….so why not take something that makes orgasms more likely?

When men can’t get an erection and orgasm, they take a pill. What about women? What about when they can’t get aroused?

Enter Maca. Maca was traditionally taken as an aphrodisiac. The herbal supplement successfully increased self-reported sexual desire in men after eight weeks in one 2002 clinical study . Now, this study was performed on men, not women. But it’s still promising.

In the previously mentioned 2002 study, the researchers even had the men take tests to rate their depression and anxiety as well and tested their testosterone and estrogen levels throughout the study. They found that maca increased sexual desire independent of these other factors that could have affected libido.

For women, a 2008 study showed it decreased sexual dysfunction in postmenopausal women.

Did you know that Viagra is prescribed to women off-label, even though it was made for men? P.S. – why is everyone making these pills for men and not women?

Viagra dilates blood vessels and increases the flow of blood to the penis. Women who take it might also have increased blood flow. That may help increase sensitivity, arousal, and orgasmic function.

This is somewhat how Horny Goat Weed is supposed to work as well, it contains chemicals that might help increase blood flow and improve sexual function. It also contains phytoestrogens, chemicals that act somewhat like the female hormone estrogen. This might reduce bone loss in postmenopausal women.

Horny goat weed has been used for centuries for sexual enhancement despite its lack of clinical studies on women. It got its name after it was considered to be a powerful aphrodisiac, a Chinese goat herder noticed his goats had increased sexual activity after eating the plant

Refinery29 has a great article on Horny Goat weed, quoting both Chinese medicine and modern medicine beliefs: In Chinese medicine, “When you take this horny goat weed, it’s transformed into warming energy, which travels to the liver and kidney,” he says. The warmth of a person’s kidney energy is believed to correlate with their sexual energy and drive. “Horny goat weed definitely has been used to enhance the sexual performance and reproductivity, because of its impact on kidney energy,” Dr. Yang says. “That’s the mechanism from the Chinese medicine perspective.”

In modern medicine, the article quotes a urologist, noting that, “It is thought to enhance blood flow throughout the body and help with inflammation, especially in joints, says Aleece Fosnight, MSPAS, PA-C, a urology physician’s assistant. “Its mechanism of action is thought to be similar to Viagra or Cialis,” she says: It might boost blood flow to the penis or clitoris, which could increase arousal.

Jennifer Hanway, a Board-Certified Holistic Nutritionist, celebrity health coach, regular Charlotte’s Book contributor, and wellness expert believes in both Maca and Horny Goat weed as supplements, but for different reasons, “In regards to Maca powder, we are lacking in clinical studies, especially in women to be able to say definitively if it improves libido. However, we do know that it boosts circulation, stamina and energy, which has applications for boosting libido, and it can help adrenal function, which in turn lowers cortisol production, which means we have more ’building blocks’ to produce oxytocin. Personally, I take it every day in my breakfast smoothie for these reasons, and it boosts my libido too, great!”

We created the Sex and Good ‘omg’ formula as an “herbal viagra for women.” We included Maca and Horny Goat Weed for these reasons. It’s quickly become one of the brand’s top sellers. With verified purchase reviews singing its praises, “I’ve used the ‘omg formula’ a few times now and it definitely delivers. After having a baby, my libido was non-existent. This definitely helps. Highly recommend!” Kimberly D. weighed in here.

Samantha Blakeney of the prestigious VLS pharmacy in New York says “There’s a reason Horny Goat Weed has been used as an aphrodisiac for thousands of years: it works! Plus, when taken in combination with Maca, a well-studied Peruvian root, women, particularly post-menopausal women, tend to experience increased sex drive and intensification of orgasms.” Sex and Good supplements are often recommended by the head pharmacist at VLS. She adds, “The feedback we have had from pharmacy clients on the ‘omg’ formula is resoundingly positive and we see repeat purchases.” She references this Maca study as well.

Disclosure Note: Sex and Good is a brand created by women for women. Carole Radziwill, in the above video, is a brand partner.