Ashenafi Zedebub
“Doctor! Please tell me if my case is not within the province of your specialization. I could not help myself without the assistance of a professional like you….please help me!” This is what a patient happened to have asked his physician. The physician could not prescribe a certain drug; as such the case had been a problem which was very strange to him. “A problem of impotence!”
If we just take a glance at the normal dictionary, the word “impotence” is described simply as “(usually of men) unable to have sexual intercourse or reach an orgasm.” On the other hand, specialists in sexology and/or psychoanalysis have their own way of describing the word. It reads thus: “Impotence is the failure to achieve and maintain penile erection during the act of sex.” They put it in such a clear tone without being worried about it.
Such a problem has now and again occurred to several persons. Although so many of them chose to hide such a phenomenon, the problem remained unsolved so long as nothing was done for the remedy. As several authorities indicated, the failure to perform sex act may cause anxiety and fear, sometimes even leading to panic. The sudden irrational feeling of great fear is usually too bad, so much so that the person with such a problem would go into hiding, in particular whenever he happens to meet that very woman with whom he had been moving on without success.
Sexologists put it as “performance anxiety”. This type of male dysfunction is said to be “only transitory “– more a psychological than a physical problem and much of the treatment is self help in nature. According to expert’s analysis, the first line of treatment is, therefore, reassurance and confidence that one is sexually potent. If a man says or thinks “I can do it” so he will be able to do it. On the other hand, if he has thought of being weak or defective concerning such act, he will have his shortcomings throughout his life.
Nowadays, there are certain drugs being advertised in the media. However, as experts note, such drugs can only be useful for one time or for a limited period and also – to certain extent – making the user dependent on the drug. Side effects are also not excluded, which may harm the persons other organs. Several authorities advise that natural remedies are being preferable to taking those drugs. One of the herbal teas that should help to allay the fears of sexual failure is coriander.
The preparation and dosage is as follows:
“ One tea spoon chopped coriander leaves must be put in a cup of boiling water , close the lid of the pan and leave for 15 minutes, then strain and take 2 to 4 table spoon a day.”
As “helpful hint” it is indicated that extract of coriander leaves would act as an aphrodisiac, while that of coriander seeds suppresses the sexual urge.
Concerning coriander, there is as well something worth noting. Scheherazade, the mythical Arabian princess, which later came to be known as “Thousand and One Arabian Nights” has described coriander as an aphrodisiac. For thousand years it happened to be used as a digestive aid and its seeds have been found in the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs. The Holy Bible tells us – Exodus, Chapter 16 Verse 31 – that when Hebrews fled Egypt and slavery and were wandering in the desert, God fed them “manna” from heaven, which was “like coriander”. The Romans used both the leaves and the seeds of the said plant as a “meat preservative”. The herb is said to be an antioxidant and keeps animal fat from becoming rancid.
Here in Ethiopia, coriander is one of the prominent ones being used as spices or additives to various types of spices. However, no research material has reached me as regards coriander that should help to allay fears of sexual failure. What about you?
Ashanafi Zedebub was one of the few thought provoking writers in Ethiopia in the ‘70s and ‘80s. He was best known for raising topics that had by far transcended the established cultural taboos of a conservative society. He can be reached at:ashenafizedebub@gmail.com