Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” Do you ever wonder what you could create if you just let yourself dream without limitations? With dreams like these come enthusiasm and joy; feelings that can support a belief that life is being lived to the fullest. The second chakra, the sacral chakra, is associated with creativity, joy, enthusiasm, sensuality, sexuality and on a physical level reproduction. It influences the organs in the lower abdomen, specifically the spleen, liver, kidneys, bladder, and reproductive organs.
When this chakra is open, people are not only able to be imaginative in their approach to life but they are able to be open, friendly, and patient with others. They are able to engage in healthy emotional expression as well as develop and maintain healthy relationships. People with an open sacral chakra are able to maintain healthy sexual relations with their partner; giving and receiving sexual pleasure in a balanced way so each person’s desires are satisfied. When this chakra is weak or closed, people experience emotional problems, intimacy issues, and even sexual issues. People may even over indulge in food, drugs, and sex. If this chakra remains weak or closed, it can manifest as physical ailments like vaginal infections, kidney infections, or bladder infections. Sexually it may be expressed as impotence, frigidity, and infertility.
Damiana, Turnera diffusa, is the perfect herb to support the sacral chakra. It has a long traditional history as an aphrodisiac in Mexico and South America. Scientific research was conducted to learn more about this herb and to understand why it has such a strong reputation as an aphrodisiac. The data showed that rats of both sexes increasingly engaged in sexual activity. This was probably due to the fact that damiana increases blood flow allowing for greater arousal. In addition to being an aphrodisiac, it was also traditionally used to ease depression, anxiety and was used as a tonic to uplift the spirits and bring on the feeling of euphoria. Many people have issues in their sex life that stem from anxieties (social anxiety, anxiety about sex in general, and performance anxiety). Because it helps to reduce anxiety, it
is a wonderful herb to use ritually as part of your sexual play to improve intimacy.
Here is an idea. As a prelude to your sexual play, consider imbibing in some damiana margaritas. There are some that believe that the first margarita was made with damiana. If you care to try it, take your favorite margarita recipe and replace the orange liquor with damiana liquor. Another option is to leave the orange liquor in the recipe and just add an equal amount of damiana liquor. Experiment with the recipe until you get a flavor that suites your palate.
For those who may live in the state of Louisiana, I am sorry to have to tell you that you will not be able to experiment with this herb. Legislation passed in 2005 made it illegal to use any part of this plant.