So maybe you want to spruce up your sex life. Maybe it’s about giving yourself a boost on days when it feels trickier to get in the mood, maybe you’ve typically experienced pain during sex, or perhaps you need to get out of your head and just be present. Good news. There are effective, powerful, natural solutions for all of this. At the top of the list: cannabis-infused tools for improved comfort and intimacy.

CBD and Sex Link

When it comes to sex, CBD has a leg up on all the other cannabinoids. Consider this: If your goal is to be as present and responsive to sensation in the bedroom as possible, you might not want to be, say, high. That’s why CBD is so compelling. Rather than altering your state of consciousness, the cannabinoid has something different to offer—the absence of a given feeling. What does that mean, exactly? Well, it varies from person to person.

It can be increasingly difficult for those who experience acute anxiety to unwind and fully immerse themselves in the moment. According to the Psychiatric Times, a range of anxiety disorders can distract the body from erotic stimuli, making sexual arousal ever-more challenging. From there, a vicious cycle begins.

What starts with an inability to let loose is often followed by performance anxiety — a psychological vibe-killer affecting both men and women. Net-net: nerves make it hard to get down ‘n’ dirty.

According to a 2015 study from the NYU School of Medicine, “Preclinical evidence strongly supports CBD as a treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder when administered acutely” — as in, CBD is a promising fix for case-by-case jitters.

Another study from the American Center of Reproductive Medicine in 2015 showed that occasional CBD is believed to boost libido. However, further research is needed to determine how chronic daily use of CBD could impact sex drive in men and women.

All of this is to say that CBD and sex have far more overlap than experts had initially anticipated — and in the end, the cannabinoid might be just the thing missing helping you surrender to the moment and get those O’s.

The best way to take CBD for sex

While there are many amazing topicals to apply down there, these generally only affect the specific region of application. For those struggling with more than targeted pain and discomfort (read: anyone with bedroom anxiety or anyone who wants something a bit more powerful), you probably need something that makes it into the bloodstream and something that works quickly.

Enter: transdermal patches. For those who may not already know about patches, here’s the skinny: first approved by the FDA in 1979, Transdermal patches have become one of the most reliable, steady delivery methods for a range of therapies. They’re best-known for revolutionizing the smoking cessation market, but they’ve also become a popular format for contraceptives, antiemetics, and a growing list of other medications. And now —drum roll— they’re taking the cannabis market by storm.

Today, there’s a full range of patches available to cannabis fans, each with its own suggested applications. Are you battling insomnia? Try a CBD patch. How about a little Friday night fun, the kind that includes a pepperoni pizza and a hilarious comedy? THC patches are your answer, offering you that subtle, psychoactive edge. But what about sex?

CBD patches can help with sex?

So, we know that CBD works to boost libido and cut down on anxiety — but what makes patches in particular so great for sex, as compared to other CBD delivery formats?

For starters, patches can accommodate complex formulations with ingredients that, when combined with CBD, can make their intended benefit all the more powerful. Ingredients like L-Arginine (which increases blood flow to your erogenous zones), Maca (an age-old aphrodisiac in men and women), and Tribulus (a naturally occurring herb that’s popular in Ayurvedic medicine) can all work in tandem with CBD to ensure that your next romp leaves you feeling completely satisfied.

Second, the stick-on patch format is highly bioavailable, meaning that it works quickly and gets ingredients into the bloodstream more effectively than products that either don’t penetrate the skin/blood barrier or have to pass through the metabolism, where much is filtered out. Plus, patches deliver continuous benefits so that you’re supported as long as you want or need to be.

Finally, patches offer an accessible, three-second application process that’s unrivaled in the CBD-sphere. Lighting up isn’t always comfortable in front of someone else. Capsules or edibles take a minute to kick in, risking you missing that special moment and topicals, while effective, sometimes require reapplication, which could risk dampening the mood.

There’s also the odor of CBD oils and vapes, which some enjoy, but others might find it disagreeable — especially in the bedroom. The scent-free, mess-free instant patch makes it easy to get on with your night (and get “it” on) without the added stress of figuring out how to use your bedroom aid.

Ready to try?

Great! There’s a host of options available on the market — but you’ll want to keep a few things in mind as you begin your search.

First, you’ll want to ensure that the CBD you’re procuring is safe, non-toxic, and of the highest possible quality. That’s where clean ingredients become vitally important. Of course, there’s some ubiquity behind what is and isn’t “clean” — to put it simply, make sure your patch of choice is made with certified organic, organic compliant, eco-farmed, or food-grade hemp that’s naturally sourced in the U.S. or Europe.

Next up, extraction methods: look for products whose CBD was extracted using safe, nontoxic substances: Ethanol and Supercritical CO2 being the big two. Steer clear of solvents like Hexane and Butane, both of which are dangerous gases found in petroleum.