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How To Use CBD Oil For Erectile Dysfunction 2024: Does CBD Help Your Sex Life?

Updated on - Written by
Medically reviewed by Kimberly Langdon, MD

how to use cbd oil for erectile dysfunction
CBD can be very helpful in reducing or eliminating incidents of ED. Photo: F01 PHOTO/Shutterstock

CBD oil and other CBD products, perhaps surprisingly, can be very helpful in reducing or eliminating incidents of ED. Cannabidiol, the compound better known as CBD, has recently become the newest super drug. While it’s usually a good idea to be skeptical of health fads, there’s genuine evidence that CBD and other cannabinoids can have several benefits for men who experience a greater number of ED incidents. So how to use CBD oil for erectile dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction will cbd affect the majority of men at one point or another in their lives. Even so, it is always distressing, potentially undercutting men’s self-confidence and impacting relationships. There is a whole range of solutions for this problem, from prescription medications to over-the-counter herbal remedies. One treatment, however, is uniquely suitable to help men reduce or eliminate incidents of ED.

Can CBD Help With Erectile Dysfunction?

CBD and other products of the cannabis plant closely resemble a whole range of compounds in the body called endocannabinoids. The endocannabinoid system was only really isolated in the 90s and so is not fully understood. However, it seems as if the endocannabinoid system has several functions, including regulating emotions like safety, anxiety, and others. It also is involved in how pain is felt and transmitted, as well as the immune response and inflammation. 

Since cannabidiol CBD closely resembles the compounds that your body naturally produces, it can be used to exhibit similar effects. CBD has been shown to reduce inflammation, for example. There’s also a great deal of evidence on the benefits for health conditions that cause ED.

How To Use CBD Oil For Erectile Dysfunction?

how to use cbd oil for erectile dysfunction
CBD products derived from cannabis are legal in most places. Photo: LightField Studios/Shutterstock

There are a few different options out there if you decide to begin using CBD products to enhance sexual activity. Some of these may take a little bit of time to kick in, so some planning ahead of time may be necessary. Using a massage oil or lubricant is going to work faster than an edible or supplement. Also, be aware that you may need to try a couple of different varieties, or vary the amount you use before you find the right combination.

Another aspect to be aware of is that fully legal CBD oil may often be labeled as hemp oil. However, there are also hemp oils out there that don’t contain any significant amount of CBD. CBD products derived from cannabis are legal in most places. Be aware of what you’re buying and what the rules are in your area.

Edibles

You might find a CBD edible in the form of the traditional brownie or in gummy candies, or in one of a few different forms. Edibles are great if you are dealing with anxiety or stress as a cause of ED. Eating CBD usually means you have to wait a little longer for it to kick in. However, edibles generally produce a whole-body feeling of relaxation. 

Edibles are often stronger than other forms of CBD. It’s also important to be aware that cannabis-derived CBD products may have some amount of THC (less than 0.3%), which can have a stronger effect when taken as an edible.

Massage Oil Or Personal Lubricant

These options work the fastest with the most direct impact when using CBD to help with erectile dysfunction. CBD topicals are usually used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation, which makes them great for massage oils. In addition to making the massage easier and more pleasant, the CBD component is also actively working to relax muscles.

CBD lube can similarly be applied directly and with a similar idea, that of opening blood vessels to increase blood flow. It might be a good idea to try CBD lube before the main event, so to speak. CBD products have been known to reduce libido in women, which is the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve.

Oil Supplement

Similar to edibles, supplements can be used to alleviate stress and anxiety so that you feel more comfortable. Supplements are usually meant to be taken regularly, though, rather than for a particular occasion. CBD oil taken as a supplement can reduce incidents of ED and also have a positive impact on your life in other aspects as well. 

What Is CBD? 

how to use cbd oil for erectile dysfunction
CBD oil was known to very few people and was lumped in with THC and marijuana. Photo: Tinnakorn jorruang/Shutterstock

As the name implies, cannabidiol[1] is derived from cannabis, the marijuana plant, or the related but fully legal hemp plant. Unlike THC, which is the compound in cannabis that is usually considered to truly get you ‘high’, CBD oil has a less dramatic effect on your mood, body, and body chemistry. 

One thing to keep in mind is that, until recently, CBD oil was known to very few people and was lumped in with THC and marijuana. As a result of being overlooked, medical research on CBD oil and its effects, particularly long-term effects, is generally lacking. Some scientific data supports using cannabis for health. However, most therapeutic uses for CBD oil are based on a whole bunch of convincing but less reliable reports.

The beneficial effects associated with CBD may be subtle and may not be immediately noticeable, as it’s considered non-intoxicating. It can reduce stress and anxiety. It can also produce a mild feeling of comfort. To the extent that a chemical can truly make you happier, that’s what CBD does. It’s often used as a treatment for anxiety and depression as a result.

It also has a wider range of other effects. Most notably, it’s been shown to improve certain types of epilepsy. Use as a pain management medication is also pretty common, as well as also used to reduce pain by reducing inflammation. The combination of treating pain, anxiety, and depression has also made it popular for treating addiction, in particular addressing the opioid epidemic.

Another reason that it is popular for treating opioid addicts, as well as all the other conditions it has the potential to address, is that there appear to be no serious or long-term side effects to its use. That characteristic makes it particularly appealing, as it can replace or reduce the need for antidepressants, pain meds, and epilepsy meds, all of which tend to have the potential for nasty side effects. Uses for CBD oil continue to be found. In particular, it’s been used in topical products like creams and oils. These can relieve pain or be used to alleviate other conditions, including erectile dysfunction. CBD edibles are also popular.

Can CBD Help With Erectile Dysfunction?

CBD and other products of the cannabis plant closely resemble a whole range of compounds in the body called endocannabinoids. The endocannabinoid system was only really isolated in the 90s and so is not fully understood. However, it seems as if the endocannabinoid system has some functions, including regulating emotions like safety, anxiety, and others. It also is involved in how pain is felt and transmitted, as well as the immune response and inflammation. 

Since cannabidiol CBD closely resembles the compounds that your body naturally produces, it can be used to exhibit similar effects. CBD has been shown to reduce inflammation, for example. There’s also a great deal of evidence on the CBD benefits for health conditions that cause ED.

How Does CBD Work On Erectile Dysfunction?

CBD is reported to help some symptoms that mainly cause erectile dysfunction, including:

Blood Flow

We’ve discussed how high blood pressure can lead to damaged blood vessels and erectile dysfunction. It turns out that CBD has been shown to relax[2] blood vessels. When blood vessels relax, there’s more room for blood to flow and therefore lower blood pressure.

Anxiety And Stress

No one needs anxiety and stress in their sexual performance. Using CBD for erectile dysfunction can help you relax and enjoy sex by alleviating anxiety in the same way an antianxiety medication might, but with fewer potential side effects. The relaxed feeling it produces can help break the cycle of performance anxiety and stress, so you can enjoy your sex life again.

Hormone Imbalance

The endocannabinoid system seems to have a role in keeping the various parts of the body in balance. When hormones are out of balance, it’s possible that taking CBD may help bring them back into a healthy equilibrium.

What Causes Erectile Dysfunction (ED)?

Blood flow

One of the primary physical causes of erectile dysfunction is high blood pressure. Over time, high blood pressure can damage the lining of blood vessels, leading them to harden. This damage, called atherosclerosis, limits the blood flow to the penis. It’s blood flowing into the penis which creates an erection in the first place, so less blood flow makes it harder to develop and sustain an erection. Low blood pressure creates a similar problem.

Anxiety

There is, of course, a significant emotional and psychological[3] component of sex. If some of those emotions are strongly negative they can create anxiety that interferes with and distracts from the positive experience of sex. You might feel anxiety about sharing such an intimate moment with another person. You may also be anxious that you’ll disappoint that partner, which is a very common form of performance anxiety. 

These concerns can easily snowball, with one incident of erectile dysfunction leading to a stronger feeling of anxiety. That leads to another incidence of ED, causing more anxiety, and so on. Feelings of anxiety can also have an impact on your overall sex drive.

Stress

In much the same way as anxiety, stress can also lead to incidents of erectile dysfunction. Strong negative emotions can generally lead to incidents of ED, as there ends up being an association between stress and sex, which is not most people’s idea of fun. 

Stress also has direct physical consequences, as it’s usually cited as a cause of high blood pressure and therefore atherosclerosis. 

Hormone Imbalance

Hormones are sort of like your body’s messaging system, as hormones are used to signal the beginnings and endings of different processes in the body. Testosterone and estrogen are two well-known ones that are involved in sex, while cortisol and serotonin are others involved in regulating your mood. If these hormones are out of balance, then messages may be garbled or lost altogether. This can lead directly to erectile dysfunction, as well as other problems when the hormonal message to get erect is lost.

Hormones turn out to have a lot to do with how we feel and how our body acts. Interestingly, the products of the cannabis plant like CBD products seem to be uniquely suited to addressing some problems caused by different sorts of hormone imbalances. 

CBD Side Effects & Risk Factors

There don’t appear to be any major side effects from the use of CBD products like CBD oil or CBD lube. As we’ve talked about, there is still a great deal of research that needs to be done on this topic. However, there are a few potential drawbacks that research has revealed so far.

Lowered Libido

Some studies showed that the use of CBD products lowered libido in women. This tended to be most often associated with heavier use of CBD products. That would indicate that when using CBD for sexual dysfunction, moderation is key.

CBD Quality

Cannabis products derived from hemp were just recently fully legalized and other sources of CBD remain fully illegal in many states if the level of THC exceeds 0.3%. CBD oils and other products have also exploded in popularity. It’s all left regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration behind so that there aren’t any real standards for the manufacture or strength of CBD products. It can be difficult to assess exactly how strong some CBD oils are, and therefore difficult to judge how effective CBD products might be.

Conclusion

CBD products offer some of the most attractive ways to reduce incidents of ED. By relieving stress and anxiety disorders, as well as improving other health problems, CBD can potentially improve men’s sex drive and sexual performance. There’s more to learn, but it’s already clear that CBD is a great, low-risk option for helping ED.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CBD?

Cannabidiol, more often called CBD, is a compound found in hemp and cannabis. There’s mounting evidence that CBD can benefit a whole range of conditions, including erectile dysfunction.

Can CBD help with erectile dysfunction?

Erectile dysfunction has several different causes, but a few of the major ones include high blood pressure, anxiety, stress, or a hormonal imbalance. CBD has the potential to be of benefit in relieving all of those conditions.

Are there any risks to using CBD?

There has not been a great deal of research on the effects of CBD, or what the side effects of using it might be. Some studies have shown that using CBD can lower libido. There aren’t any serious or dangerous side effects, as far as is known, however.


+ 3 sources

Health Canal avoids using tertiary references. We have strict sourcing guidelines and rely on peer-reviewed studies, academic researches from medical associations and institutions. To ensure the accuracy of articles in Health Canal, you can read more about the editorial process here

  1. Wikipedia Contributors (2021). Cannabidiol. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabidiol.
  2. ‌Hedon, F. (2003). Anxiety and erectile dysfunction: a global approach to ED enhances results and quality of life. International Journal of Impotence Research, [online] 15(S2), pp.S16–S19. Available at: https://www.nature.com/articles/3900994.
  3. ‌Baranowska-Kuczko, M., Kozłowska, H., Kloza, M., Sadowska, O., Kozłowski, M., Kusaczuk, M., Kasacka, I. and Malinowska, B. (2020). Vasodilatory effects of cannabidiol in human pulmonary and rat small mesenteric arteries. Journal of Hypertension, [online] 38(5), pp.896–911. Available at: https://journals.lww.com/jhypertension/Fulltext/2020/05000/Vasodilatory_effects_of_cannabidiol_in_human.16.aspx.

Medically reviewed by:

Kimberly Langdon

Sean Newton has nearly ten years of experience as a health and fitness writer, focusing on diet and its effects on your health. He also is an avid athlete and martial artist, specializing in bodyweight exercises and movement training. Together with an evidence-based approach to good health, his goal is to lay out the facts for readers, so they can make informed choices.

Medically reviewed by:

Kimberly Langdon

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