Since ancient times, honey has been used to improve vitality, sexuality, stamina, sex drive, testosterone and fertility.
In Asia, honey and egg yolk are used to improve health and enhance vitality.
In Egypt, the traditional use of honey is one of the potential remedies for infertility and vitality enhancement.
In the Malay community, they use a mixture of raw honey and eggs as massage oil to treat erectile dysfunction (ED) (R).
Honey has a highly complex chemical and biological composition that consists of various essential bioactive compounds, enzymes, amino and organic acids, acid phosphorylase, phytochemicals, carotenoid-like substances, vitamins and minerals.
Some of the benefits of honey include:
- Reducing the risk of heart disease, cancer, immune system decline, cataracts and inflammatory processes due to being a rich source of natural antioxidants and phytochemicals (R).
- Having antiallergic, antithrombotic and vasodilating effects
- Improving gastrointestinal health (it has antimicrobial properties)
- Enhancing energy metabolism (ATP production)
- Having nootropic benefits, such as memory-enhancing effects, as well as neuropharmacological activities, such as anti-anxiety, antinociceptive (become resilient to toxins), anticonvulsant, and antidepressant activities (R)
- Improve blood sugar level compared to other carb sources
- and much more.
More recently, honey has been marketed to improve sexual function.
The honey scam
In 2022, honey-based products marketed for better erection and sexuality, sold by four companies, were found to contain unlisted active drug ingredients, namely tadalafil (Cialis) and sildenafil (Viagra).
After having done laboratory testing on these products and identifying the active ingredient, did the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) send warning letters to these companies.
Tadalafil and sildenafil are prescription-only FDA-approved treatments for erectile dysfunction.
They work by potentiating the effects of nitric oxide to dilate blood vessels (which can help with high blood pressure). This makes it dangerous for anyone who might be on additional vasodilating drugs, such as nitrates. This could cause their blood pressure to plummet to dangerously low levels.
The use of nitrates (nitroglycerin, sodium nitrite, etc.) is common among those with diabetes, high cholesterol or heart disease.
So is honey too lame to work on its own? Is it just a scam?
Not at all, and here’s why.
Benefits of honey for erections and sexuality
Honey on testosterone
Mechanistically, honey may increase serum level of testosterone by (R):
- Increasing the production of luteinizing hormone (LH)
- enhancing the health of Leydig cells
- reducing oxidative damage in Leydig cells
- enhancing StAR gene expression (the enzyme that transports cholesterol into the Leydig cells)
- inhibiting aromatase activity (the enzyme that’s involved in the conversion of testosterone to estrogen)
- Protecting the testes against xeno-estrogens, such as BPA (R)
If you’d like to learn more about testosterone optimization, check out this video.
10 most important fundamentals for high testosterone
>1000ng/dl Testosterone: My Step-by-Step Guide on How I Do It Naturally!
Honey on cortisol
Stress, and high cortisol, kill libido and erections. How likely are you to be horny when you’re stressed? Honey helps to get you out of a stressed state.
Honey can help to lower cortisol via 2 mechanisms.
#1 is by providing carbs. Carbs help to lower the cortisol-to-testosterone ratio. This helps you feel more relaxed and resilient to stress.
#2 is by providing anti-oxidants, such as quercetin. In stressed rats, the administration of quercetin could significantly reduce the plasma corticosterone level.
Honey on vascular health
Honey consumption has been shown to improve vascular health by (R):
- Increasing nitric oxide (R)
- Reducing oxidative stress by increasing antioxidants, such as vitamin E, vitamin C, glutathione, etc.
- Increasing LDL resistance to oxidation
- Reducing blood pressure
- etc.
Summary: Honey for erectile dysfunction
Honey can help with proper erections by improving vascular health, improving mood, increasing testosterone and lowering cortisol.
Ginger, garlic and honey for erectile dysfunction
These 3 ingredients are frequently mixed to give someone an even great boost in blood flow and erectile strength.
Ginger:
- Is a strong antioxidant
- Increases intratesticular cholesterol and testosterone levels
- Upregulates iNOS, which helps to prevent fibrosis in the penis
Garlic:
- Powerfully increases NO
- Contains good antioxidants
Honey:
- Can help to increase stamina and sexual desire
- Increases NO release and bioavailability
- Increases testosterone
- Is choke-full antioxidants
To reap the benefits, take 1/2 tsp ginger (1-2g) with 500mg garlic powder capsule and 1 tbsp honey.
Honey for erectile dysfunction on a carnivore diet
Honey is a great carb source to add to your diet when on a carnivore diet. On a carnivore diet (without milk), you’re typically eating zero carbs. This will dramatically increase cortisol levels, which are used to create glucose in the body.
A high cortisol-to-testosterone ratio is non-ideal for libido and erections.
Honey is very easy to digest, contains no anti-nutrients and is technically an animal food (made by insects).
You also don’t have to eat a ton of honey. Around 30-50g daily should give you good benefits.
How to have more honey in your diet
Tea with honey
Most teas taste good with honey. If you’re into drinking tea, adding honey is a great addition.
Honey can also be added to coffee, but it doesn’t taste that good IMO.
Ground beef with honey
Fried ground beef with honey tastes really good. It’s very easy to make as well. Typically I’d have 250g of ground beef with 2 tbsp of honey.
Shake/smoothie with honey
Smoothies are my go-to meals/snacks. It’s very easy and time effective to make, tastes delicious, and is easy to clean up afterward.
My typical TestoShake consists of:
- 250-500ml milk
- 3 whole raw eggs
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 banana
To learn more about herbs that can help with erectile dysfunction, check out this article: