A 2014 study published in the Journal of Experimental medicine and biology found that onion juice promoted testosterone production in male rats.
What is testosterone?
Testosterone is the male sex hormone. It has many important functions in the male body including sperm production, sex drive regulation, potency, body hair growth, and muscle and bone strength.
What causes low testosterone?
Many things can affect the testosterone levels in the body. Medications commonly affect testosterone levels, and this is shown in the study discussed in this article. Antidepressants and antipsychotic medications are well known for their ability to affect sex drive and potency because of their effect on testosterone levels.
Other causes include aging, injury to the testicles, testicular cancer or chemotherapy, congenital defects, or a deficiency of hormones produced in parts of the brain.
What happens if testosterone levels are too low?
Low testosterone can lead to less erections, longer time to gaining erection, less firm erections, lowered sex drive, general weakness and tiredness, difficulty concentrating, and low mood.
Onion (Allium cepa) has been used for centuries for its medicinal properties. Thought to have been grown originally in Asia, it is used today throughout the world more for its flavor than its therapeutic properties. Onions have been shown to have healing properties. They contain many key substances; Quercetain (useful in Hay fever and seasonal allergies), mustard oils, and sulphur containing compounds. Onion can contribute to lower blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and reduce clot formation. Onion is often useful as an expectorant (used to expel phlegm) to help ease symptoms of coughs and colds.
The Research – Onions boost testosterone and sexual function in the rat model
The study looked at the effect of onion juice on sexual behavior in two populations of male rats. The first population included potent male rats and the second population looked at male rats who had been rendered impotent by being given the antidepressant Paroxetine.
The study found that onion juice had a remarkable effect on the rats’ sexual behavior. Onion juice reduced sex-free intervals, and increased the intercourse efficacy of potent male rats.
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Even more interestingly, onion juice reduced the ejaculatory latency period caused by paroxetine. i.e. The antidepressant paroxetine prolonged the time delay between periods of being able to ejaculate (longer down time after each sexual encounter). Onion juice also increased the number of ejaculating rats. This begs the question–is onion juice a possible remedy for erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation and reduced libido?
The study also showed that testosterone levels were significantly increased in rats after onion juice administration. It also showed that there was a significant drop in testosterone levels following administration of the antidepressant paroxetine–BUT that this lowered testosterone level could be returned to normal levels simply with onion juice supplementation!
