Chemistry of love, dopamine, oxytocin chemicals and neurotransmitters - Are there natural supplements that enhance the chemistry of love? Are there neurotransmitters that inhibit sexual interest and pleasure?

Love is an emotion that is due to brain chemistry. Dr. Lucy Brown, a professor in the department of neurology and neuroscience at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, evaluated MRI brain scans on college students who had fallen in love. While being scanned, the students looked at a photo of their loved one. Dr. Lucy Brown found that the caudate area of the brain -- which is involved in cravings -- became active. Another area that became active was the ventral tegmental, which produces dopamine. Dopamine is a brain chemical that influences pleasure and motivation. When someone falls in love, the ventral tegmental floods the caudate with dopamine. The caudate then sends signals for more dopamine. Dr. Helen Fisher, an anthropologist and author of "Why We Love -- the Nature and Chemistry of Romantic Love." says: When you fall in love, "exactly the same system becomes active as when you take cocaine. You can feel intense elation when you're in love. You can feel intense elation when you're high on cocaine." Although we are not aware of natural aphrodisiac herbs that lead to the feeling of more love, it is true that certain herbs or herbal preparations can lead to more sexual passion including such herbs as mucuna pruriens extract. For information on how to treat impotence.
   Throughout centuries and possibly millennia, natives have known about local plants, herbs, roots, and barks that enhanced sexual passion. Yes, it is true: there are natural supplements that increase sexual desire, interest and performance. However, we are not aware of any such natural products that enhance the feelings of love.

Difference between love and sex
The areas in the brain involved in love are not the same as the areas in the brain involved in sexual pleasure  Sexual pleasure involves activity in the hypothalamus and amygdala areas of the brain. The hypothalamus controls drives like hunger and thirst and the amygdala handles arousal, among other things. At some point, love and lust do become linked. People in love have elevated levels of dopamine. Lots of dopamine, in turn, triggers the production of testosterone, which is responsible for the sex drive in both men and women. This, and perhaps other reasons, may help explain why falling in love can make someone all of a sudden seem sexy.

Brain differences between men and women
Men in love have more activity in the brain region that integrates visual stimuli. Women in love had more activity than men in the areas of the brain that govern memories.

Emotion of love is a primal drive
Drs. Fisher and Brown say what they learned from lovers' brains is that romantic love isn't really an emotion -- it's a drive that's based deep within our brains, right alongside our urges to find food and water.

Love is blind
People in love are less likely to take careful notice of other attractive men or women. Love puts blinders on people.

Does romantic love last?
In most couples, romantic love lasts a few years and then fizzles away. However, some couple are fortunate. In perhaps 10 percent or 20 percent of cases, romantic love may last a lifetime.

Dopamine enhancement
Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that works to improve libido or sex drive.

Serotonin decreases sex drive
A supplement called 5 hydroxy tryptophan converts to serotonin and reduces sexual pleasure and drive.

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