Low Libido — TCM Food Therapy & Dietary Approach

Traditional Chinese Medicine Patterns

In TCM, this concern is differentiated into several patterns, each with a classical herbal formula:

These formulas are for reference under TCM syndrome differentiation and should only be used under the guidance of a qualified practitioner.

Food Therapy & Diet

Dietary Therapy Recipes

• Stir-fried Chives with Fresh Shrimp: 250 g chives, 400 g fresh shrimp. Stir-fry.
• Walnut and Lamb Porridge: 10 g walnut kernels, 100 g lamb, 1 pair of lamb kidneys, 100 g rice.
• Cynomorium Porridge: 10 g cynomorium (suoyang), 100 g lamb, 100 g rice.
• Cistanche and Lamb Porridge: cistanche (roucongrong), lamb and rice. Cook into porridge.
• Dogwood and Walnut Porridge: 30 g dogwood fruit (shanyurou), 30 g walnut flesh, 60 g polished round-grained rice.

Dietary Principles

• Favor foods that warm and supplement kidney yang (lamb, beef, dog meat, sparrow, fresh shrimp, chives, walnut, sea cucumber, Chinese yam, chestnut, black soybean, black sesame).
• For winter yang deficiency, favor warming supplementation that is warming without being cloying.
• Avoid raw, cold, icy foods.
• Avoid excessive acrid, dry, heating foods and strong liquor.
• For yin deficiency with effulgent fire or exuberant interior damp-heat, warming supplementation is not appropriate.

Understanding the Condition

In TCM, kidney yang is the root of the body's yang qi and governs warming and reproduction. Kidney yang deficiency with decline of the life-gate fire may be associated with weakened stirring of the "ancestral sinew." Contributing factors may include excessive sexual activity, congenital insufficiency, aging and frailty, and chronic illness depleting kidney yang.

This content is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.