Wives should not rejoice too quickly when they see their husbands, even in their forties, still maintaining a strong libido, desiring intimacy several times a week. Medicine refers to this as hypersexuality, a pathological phenomenon!
This is a form of temporary excitement or false excitement, arising from a state of deficiency or imbalance (excessive or deficient yin and yang).
Hypersexuality is not a good sign. Historically, traditional Chinese medicine has identified that this phenomenon generally arises from “deficient fire” in the kidney and “excess fire” in the liver.
In the human body, each organ has both “yin” and “yang” components. When the yin aspect of the kidney is weakened (kidney yin deficiency) and cannot balance the yang aspect (kidney yang), it leads to a pathological condition referred to in traditional Chinese medicine as “deficient fire”.
This “fire” arises from the weakness of a specific part of the body (deficiency), hence it is termed “deficient fire”. On the other hand, “excess fire” is the “fire” caused by pathological factors in the liver, often due to emotional distress or pathological causes in the heart and kidney leading to this condition.
“Deficient fire” is often accompanied by depleting symptoms such as weight loss, emaciation, hair loss, rough skin, intermittent hot flashes, a red tongue, and a weak pulse… “Excess fire” typically presents with symptoms like flushed face, bitter taste in the mouth, a yellow tongue coating, and a taut pulse (string-like pulse)…
Both “deficient fire” and “excess fire” can lead to hypersexuality, with symptoms such as easy penile erection, erection that does not go away (stiff and unyielding), nocturnal emissions, and dreams of sexual nature…
In general, hypersexuality – above normal levels – is not natural and represents pathological symptoms. It is a form of temporary excitement, or false excitement, arising from states of deficiency or imbalance (excessive or deficient yin and yang). For instance, men in their prime may normally have sexual excitement and engage in intimacy 2-3 times a week.
After the age of 40, “yin energy has decreased by half” (the physical yin has weakened, reduced by half), a normal person will typically experience excitement and intimacy 1-2 times a week; if the desire remains and intimacy occurs more than twice, it indicates “excitement in a state of deficiency” – due to “deficient fire”. This is often a sign of conditions such as “kidney yin deficiency”, “excess fire due to yin deficiency”, “fire disrupting the reproductive mechanism” (yang fire causing disruption in ejaculation)…
Moreover, excessive mental fatigue from overwork can also lead to the depletion of “heart yin” (the yin aspect of the heart), resulting in an inability to balance with “heart yang”, which often leads to hypersexuality.
For instance, individuals who are mentally exhausted from intellectual labor, who do not sleep well, can develop insomnia over time, leading to restlessness, which can trigger unusual sexual desires. Therefore, it is important to note that hypersexuality can also be a sign of mental overload.
Case study: Patient X, a 42-year-old male construction engineer. After six months of continuous work involving calculations and designs, with irregular meals and chronic lack of sleep; he gradually experienced feelings of anxiety and restlessness, and his sexual desire surged uncontrollably, leading him to “release” excessively.
Later, due to persistent headaches, dizziness, insomnia, and back pain, he sought treatment from Professor Duong.
After taking his history and examining his pulse, it was determined that Mr. X was suffering from “active deficient fire”. The professor prescribed a remedy aimed at “nourishing yin”, “calming the mind”, and “reducing fire” (including ingredients: 15g of rehmannia, 10g of polygala, 10g of calamus, 10g of fructus amomi, 15g of asparagus, 15g of fresh rehmannia, 10g of codonopsis, 6g of cardamom, and 10g of phellodendron), to be decocted and consumed as one dose daily.
After completing 12 doses, the patient began to sleep well, his sexual desire no longer surged as before, sexual activity returned to normal, work productivity improved, and his spirit became optimistic and cheerful as it was before the illness.
It is also important to mention the case of sudden hypersexuality in elderly individuals, where the cause remains undetermined. As recorded in the book “Divine Golden Prescriptions” by the renowned physician Sun Simiao, there was a case of an elderly man over 70 who suddenly experienced an overwhelming sexual desire that he could not control. He then compelled an elderly maid to bed with him in broad daylight; the maid reluctantly complied. However, four weeks later, that elderly man fell ill and died.
According to modern medicine, hypersexuality is often an early signal of certain endocrine system diseases. For example, the enlargement of fingers and toes – Marie’s disease (caused by pituitary hyperplasia), Kussmaul syndrome (due to adrenal cortex hyperfunction), and hyperthyroidism.
Furthermore, hypersexuality is also a significant diagnostic indicator for cancer, especially cancers of the reproductive organs. For instance, ovarian cancer, fallopian tube cancer, breast cancer, and uterine cancer in women—whether benign or malignant—can exhibit hypersexuality early on.
In men, prostate cancer and testicular cancer, due to elevated levels of male hormones, can also lead to hypersexuality. Additionally, in lung cancer and pancreatic cancer, abnormal secretion of ACTH can cause elevated hormone levels, potentially leading to hypersexuality.
