Spermatorrhea

For a type of spontaneous orgasm involving ejaculation during sleep, see Nocturnal emission.
Not to be confused with Spermaturia.

Spermatorrhea is a condition of excessive, involuntary seminal discharge. In several cultures, this referred to ejaculation outside of certain approved sexual practices and was thus a subjective term. A more modern medical definition is the excessive release of semen with no accompanying erection or orgasm.[1]

In Western medicine during the nineteenth century, spermatorrhea was regarded as a medical disorder with corrupting and devastating effects on the mind and body.[2] The cure for spermatorrhea was regarded as enforced chastity and avoidance of masturbation, with circumcision sometimes being used as a treatment.[3][4][5]

Traditional Chinese medicine counts the production of semen as one of the biggest strains on jing (kidney essence). It is a recognized disorder in traditional Chinese medicine, in which certain patterns of involuntary ejaculation reflect problems with kidney qi.[6][7]

In Ayurvedic Medicine, Ashwagandha and Bala are used to treat this vata ailment. Indian Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) also has medicinal prescription using the herb.[8]

In the 18th and 19th centuries, if a patient had ejaculations outside marital intercourse, or released more semen than is typical, then he was diagnosed with a disease called spermatorrhea or "seminal weakness". A variety of drugs and other treatments, including circumcision and castration, were advised as treatment.[4][9][10] Some alternative practitioners, especially herb healers, continue to diagnose and advise treatments for cases of spermatorrhea.[citation needed]

  1. ^ Zhang, L.; Yu, H.; Li, D.; Qian, H.; Chen, Y. (2021). "Spermatorrhea in a Chinese patient with temporal lobe epilepsy: a case report". The Journal of International Medical Research. 49 (1). doi:10.1177/0300060520982814. PMC 7812405. PMID 33445995.
  2. ^ Darby R (July 2005). "Pathologizing male sexuality: Lallemand, spermatorrhea, and the rise of circumcision". J Hist Med Allied Sci. 60 (3): 283–319. doi:10.1093/jhmas/jri042. PMID 15917258. S2CID 29249045.
  3. ^ Keane JR (June 1994). "The neurological complications of spermatorrhoea". Arch. Neurol. 51 (6): 600–3. doi:10.1001/archneur.1994.00540180078017. PMID 8198472.
  4. ^ a b Moscucci, Ornella (1996). "Male masturbation and the offending prepuce". In Miller, Andrew H. (ed.). Sexualities in Victorian Britain. James Eli Adams. Bloomington: Indiana University Press. pp. 63–64. ISBN 0-253-33066-1. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  5. ^ William Acton. "Victorian London - Disease - Spermatorrhoea." From Prostitution, considered in its Moral, Social, and Sanitary Aspects. 2nd edition, 1870. Compiled in Lee Jackson's The Victorian Dictionary.
  6. ^ "Acupuncture . acuxo . Library". www.acuxo.com. Archived from the original on 2006-03-21.
  7. ^ "New Treatments - Kratom, CBD, Kratom Reviews & Many More..." Archived from the original on June 12, 2008.
  8. ^ "Bala - Medicine Buddha Healing Center - Ayurveda Healing Arts Institute - Nalanda University - Indian Tibetan Ayurvedic Chinese Medicine Distance Learning Buddhist Correspondence Courses". Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2009-12-13.
  9. ^ William Acton. "Victorian London – Disease – Spermatorrhoea." From Prostitution, considered in its Moral, Social, and Sanitary Aspects. 2nd edition, 1870. Compiled in Lee Jackson's The Victorian Dictionary.
  10. ^ Darby, Robert J. L. (2005). A Surgical Temptation: The Demonization Of The Foreskin And The Rise Of Circumcision In Britain. Chicago: University of Chicago press. p. 198. ISBN 0-226-13645-0. Retrieved 29 July 2012.