4 minutes of readingIF YOU HAVE You have difficulty having erections or you simply want to improve your sex life, there is a good chance that you have heard of honey packs. Candy bags are ubiquitous on social media, promising improved sexual performance through stronger, longer-lasting erections.
At first glance, you might find this a “natural” alternative for young men who don’t want to pills or painful ED procedures like shock wave therapy. After all, packages TO DO feature images of honey and bees swarming on honeycombs, and honey East usually one of the first ingredients – a food that many guys already wash down with oatmeal and tea. What could go wrong?
A lot, in fact.
MH made a deep dive last year to find out if honey packs actually work. The TL;DR version is that despite the alluring promise of near-instant, rock-hard erections, you’re really taking a gamble on what you put into your body. Natural ingredients like honey and ginseng provide a “trivial” performance-enhancing effect, and several honey supplement companies have been flagged by the FDA for having hidden, unknown doses of off-label ingredients, such as tadalafil (the active ingredient in Cialis), sildenafil (the active ingredient in Viagra), and acetaminophen.
That’s why doctors have big safety concerns about honey sachets, says Scott Miller, MDurologist and director of robotic surgery at Wellstar Health System. “If they can’t tell me what’s in them, then it’s a definite no.” So if the honey packets are out, what happens? are ways to help you get hard and stay hard? We turned to the experts and asked urologists what they do to prepare instead of opening a package.
Skip the honey pack and take this supplement instead
HONEY PACKS (AND even gas station dick pills) are not worth your time or money. But not all supplements should be ruled out, says Philippe Werthman, MDurologist and director of the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Vasectomy Reversal. For men with mild erectile dysfunction or who simply want to boost their libido, he recommends L-arginine supplements.
L-arginine is an amino acid that promotes blood circulation through the production of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide allows the blood vessels to open completely and allow more blood flow to enter the penis.
“The penis is a hemodynamic organ. It affects blood circulation. There must be stimulation and a functional relationship between the nerves and blood vessels,” explains Dr. Werthman. “Anything that helps nitric oxide stay around longer will lead to increased blood flow and possibly give a better quality erection.”
If possible, he recommends choosing L-arginine supplements containing L-citrulline (a precursor to L-arginine) or pycnogenol. The latter is an antioxidant made from the bark of a tree and is a powerful antioxidant often used in the fertility world, says Dr. Werthman. Together with L-arginine, the combo helps boost erections.
There is one caveat. For the effects to actually work, you need to take this supplement daily. A single scoop the day before sex won’t make much difference.
“It’s the kind of thing you put in your pile of supplements” says Dr. Werthman. Beyond healthy erections, nitric oxide helps increase blood flow throughout the body, potentially providing additional benefits to your brain, heart, and muscles if you work out.
Buyer Beware: Supplements are not regulated by the FDA and some can get sketchy. Consider having a product tested and certified by a third-party testing center to verify the safety and quality of the supplement.
Pile these foods on your plate
OYSTERS AND CHAMPAGNE receive a lot of hype as aphrodisiacs. But Dr. Wertman says the real value lies in eating foods rich in L-arginine. Here are some examples:
- Chickpeas
- Lenses
- Türkiye
- Poultry
- Fish like tuna and salmon
- Nuts like peanuts, almonds and walnuts
- Legumes
- Pumpkin seeds
Plus, watermelon is one of the best foods to eat the day you have sex because of its high citrulline content, says Dr. Werthman. So while spontaneous sex is great, scheduling sex can help fuel your body (and your erection) accordingly.
As for what’s on the list of things not to eat? Nothing, but both urologists say it’s best to avoid alcohol before sex. You might gain some liquid courage, but the the buzz kills erections. Alcohol slows brain signals related to arousal and decreases the ability of blood vessels to trap blood in the penis.
Take at least 15 minutes to relax before the big event
CORTISOL, ALSO KNOWN as your body’s stress hormone, it is one of the biggest killers of testosterone and erections. When your body is in fight-or-flight mode, Dr. Werthman says, the last thing it thinks about is having sex.
The hallmarks of a stressful lifestyle—lack of sleep, long work hours, and poor diet—can all create barriers to intimacy, says Dr. Miller. Taking time to take care of yourself physically will help you perform at your best.
For example, a meditation session or some light stretching can temporarily relieve some stress. You may also want to consider a quick workout. Now, Dr. Werthman warns that a single sweat session won’t do much for your penis health (over time, regular exercise do support blood circulation and cardiovascular health, helping you last longer). But when it comes to mental health, the benefits of push-ups or a brisk jog can help you prepare for the main event. Additionally, the endorphins in your body can eliminate pre-sexual nerves and make you feel more confident in your body. A study of more than 128,000 people found that all types of physical activity (walking, resistance training, Pilates, and yoga) were effective in improving anxiety symptoms.
Certainly, for some people, sex itself is a stress reliever. But if you’re tense thinking about the act itself, Dr. Werthman advises taking it easy. Get out of your head and focus on increasing erotic arousal through kissing and other forms of foreplay, then see if you want to take it further. “It’s about being comfortable with your partner,” he says. “You want a dynamic where if you encounter a failed launch situation, they understand. Because it happens, not every encounter leads to a landing.”
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the health and fitness associate for Men’s health and has already written for CNN, Scientific American, popular scienceAnd National geographic before joining the brand. When she is not working, she practices circus arts or works on perfect traction.
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