Effect of Squill on the sexual function among women of reproductive age

  Normal sexual functioning is a vital part of womens' sexual and mental health. In traditional medicine, squill oil is considered a warm oil in nature which causes the dilation of the blood vessels in genital areas leading to sexual arousal by increasing blood circulation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of squill oil on the sexual function of women of reproductive age. This double blind randomized clinical trial was conducted on 60 women aged 15-45 years not satisfied with their sexual function and referring to Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic in Ghaem Hospital, Mashhad, Iran in 2016-2017. The study participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups; the experimental group received the intervention (i.e., squill oil) and the control group received placebo (i.e., olive oil) for 4 weeks. Female Sexual Function Inventory was used as the research instrument. The sexual activity of women before and after intervention was measured and the mean scores of the sexual function were compared within groups. The data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 21) using descriptive statistics, the Chi-square test, independent t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test. P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. According to the obtained results, there were no significant differences regarding the mean scores of sexual performance between the experimental and control groups before the intervention (P=0.273). However, a statistically significant difference was observed within the two groups in that squill oil enhanced sexual performance in terms of sexual desire and arousal, humidity, and orgasm compared to placebo after 4 weeks (P<0.0001). Squill oil improved sexual function and its components among women