Life

Is Sex Dust Safe For Pregnant Women?

by Cat Bowen

If you find yourself asking if Gwyneth Paltrow is trying to punk you, you're not alone. Her endorsement of "sex dust" is one of the wackier products she's supported. (Yes, sex dust.) The Moon Juice Sex Dust is purported to knock your libido up a few notches, but what if you're knocked up? Is sex dust safe for pregnant women?

Sex dust (not to be confused with dusty sex, which is sex with a cowboy) is a powdered beverage "alchemized to ignite and excite sexy energy in and out of the bedroom." The sex dust itself is a hodgepodge of powdered Asiatic and South American herbs mixed with cacao, and of course, stevia, according to the ingredients list. It's designed to be mixed into hot water, milk, or tea, and one $30 jar will last for about two weeks. Ostensibly, shortly after drinking it, you're full of energy and ready to hit the sheets. This may be very appealing to you if you're not feeling your sexiest, which is a pretty common side effect of being pregnant. So finding something you can drink that will maybe help you feel a bit more like yourself? Very enticing.

The herbs in the drink read like a list of results for herbs you Google to make you horny. Maca, touted as the Peruvian fertility root, has genuine vitamins and minerals and that can convince many that it's simply good for you. That may be true in most cases, but according to the online drug database, there just isn't enough data or research to green-light it during pregnancy.

And this is the case with most of the other ingredients in the formula, but two stick out to me especially for different reasons. The first is cistanche. Cistanche is an Asian parasitic flower — and it's endangered, according to Frontiers in Pharmacology. But since there is no world wide ban on harvesting this flower, it is still done. While Frontiers in Pharmacology admitted it might have honest benefits for its use, such as neuroprotection for patients with dementia, the more of it the world harvests, the less there is available, which seems like a grave injustice for the precious resource.

The second ingredient that worries me is schisandra. This Chinese berry is used for its ability to provide energy. But, it's contraindicated for pregnancy because, as RxLists mentioned, it can cause the uterus to contract, leading to miscarriage.

As for the rest of the ingredients, many of these herbs have very little literature written on them regarding their effects on non-pregnant people, and some of them are downright dangerous to you and your baby. So while you may be tempted to give into your love of cute packaged products, if you're pregnant, this is definitely not the one for you. Maybe try another way to amp up things in the bedroom. (Masturbation won't make you drink tea dirt, either.)