Phenylethylamine (PEA), a chemical that’s found naturally in the body and can also be taken as a supplement, is sometimes described as a natural MDMA alternative, with effects including improved mood and focus. Since some people find that MDMA heightens sensations during sex, the question of whether phenylethylamine could improve a sexual experience as well is an interesting one to look into — one that has not, as of yet, been well-studied.

So, to get some insight into this, I decided to do a little experiment on myself using Blissgevity (patent pending), which contains PEA as well as apigenin, a compound found in chamomile tea that can reduce anxiety and increase the effects of PEA. I took six Blissgevity pills around 10:30 one morning, then lay down two hours later — once the euphoric effect had fully kicked in — for some me-time.

I noticed that, similar to MDMA, the Blissgevity had me feeling sexual in a way that I experienced throughout my body, not just in my genitals. I wanted to touch my breasts, stomach, and thighs before working my way between my legs. And once I got there, I had the desire to linger on my labia … everything felt a bit more slow and sensual.

I also felt more present in my body and aware of my physical sensations than usual. Often, I rely on fantasy to get myself going when I masturbate, but this time, my mind was mostly on the sensations I was feeling as well as what I saw as I looked at what I was doing. When I orgasmed, I felt the sensation more fully throughout my whole body than I typically do, almost as if it started at the top of my head and worked its way down to my feet.

So, I can say that at least for this experiment’s small sample size of one, PEA combined with apigenin may be able to heighten the intensity of a sexual experience, help someone be more mindfully present, and perhaps extend sensation to more parts of the body.

People on Reddit have also described sensually enhancing effects from PEA, with reports including, “My skin (especially my neck) felt incredible. It was almost like there was a soft, cool layer between what I was feeling and my actual skin. Really weird/interesting but definitely pleasurable” and “It's an intense head rush and really quiet but intense euphoria.”

To figure out how PEA could intensify sexual sensations, I talked to James Giordano, professor of neurology and biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center. According to him, the effect that PEA can have on someone’s sex life may be more psychological than physiological.

PEA works primarily on the brain’s dopamine system, which is involved in our experiences of “reward, reinforcement, and pleasure,” he explains. In other words, when your dopamine system gets kicked into high gear, things that normally feel good might feel extra good — and that could include sex. This compound also affects two other hormones: serotonin, which has an elevating effect on mood, and norepinephrine, which increases energy and feelings of alertness. These effects could also potentially make sex a more pleasurable experience.

However, it’s not well-established how much PEA you’d have to take to see it affect your sex life, particularly if you’re hoping it will impact your desire. “The idea of PEA acting on your sex drive or libido is not impossible, but the dose at which you’d have to deliver it orally is pretty high because it’s metabolized in the gut,” Giordano explains. “So, if you’re taking it as an oral supplement, it's going to have only a mild effect.” (Blissgevity claims that the apigenin increases the effect, since it facilitates the absorption of PEA.)

Some people who are sensitive to PEA may experience a stronger effect, said Giordano, but “rather than directly creating changes in libido, it tends to elevate mood, which could affect libido.” In other words, if you’re feeling more optimistic and open overall, sex is more likely to sound like a great idea.

Even then, PEA is less likely to motivate you to seek out sex than to create a more positive experience with the sex you’re already having, says Giordano. This is what I personally noticed: I wasn’t necessarily hornier, but once I began pleasuring myself (motivated less by arousal than the desire to contribute to ~science~), I had a more intense and pleasurable experience than usual. This effect would probably be similar for men and women, Giordano adds.

The positive feelings created by PEA could also help people work through psychological blockages they have to enjoying sex, such as shame about their sexuality or concerns about their performance or body image. After all, the quality of a sexual experience isn’t based only on physical factors. “It’s more about state of mind,” says Giordano, explaining:

“It’s not like you take PEA and will have a raging hard-on or be able to drown a small child with the pool between your legs or have these earth-shattering orgasms. But for many people, where difficulties in sexual response occur is, there are cognitive emotional impediments that interfere with their physiological response cycle. For a lot of people, the stimulation may be there, but what sometimes happens is there are emotional factors that interfere with arousal. And what ends up happening is, their arousal sort of ebbs, and as a consequence, their sexual engagement is sort of going to be blunted. Could PEA increase their arousal, reward, and pleasure? Sure. Would that be helpful? Couldn’t hurt.”

What about increasing attraction to a partner? Because some research has shown that people who are falling in love have high levels of PEA in their systems, some have speculated that PEA could enhance a romantic connection. However, this research presents a chicken-and-egg problem, says Giordano, as the experience of falling in love could be what triggers the release of PEA. “When people are in love or involved in a pleasant relationship or pleasantly relating, you tend to get reinforcement and reward from that, so brain dopamine elevates and commonly, PEA elevates,” he says.

In addition, some have theorized that since chocolate contains PEA and is considered an aphrodesiac, as well as a romantic treat, this would suggest that PEA can promote sex and romance. However, there’s actually more PEA in cheese and sausages — and none of these foods likely have enough PEA to get a robust neurological effect anyway, especially since most PEA gets broken down in the gut, says Giordano.

Nevertheless, PEA is similar to amphetamines, meaning it can induce increased energy, rapid heartbeat, and a “high” some may find reminiscent of the feeling of falling in love. Given that people sometimes misattribute this kind of physiological state to love or attraction, taking PEA around a partner might help to foster romantic feelings for some. Personally, while on the Blissgevity, I felt more positively about life in general, so if I were around a lover, that positivity probably would have spilled over on to them.

However, I can’t assume everything I experienced due to Blissgevity was from the PEA. Apigenin, the other active ingredient in Blissgevity, can have a relaxing effect, which could indirectly affect sex by reducing anxiety around sex — or perhaps quieting one’s mind so they can focus on sex, says Giordano. Apigenin may also increase the feel-good effects of PEA by blocking the breakdown of dopamine, he adds.

Another disclaimer is that we know the placebo effect is powerful when it comes to sexuality. One University of Texas study found that one in three women who received a placebo for low sex drive reported an increase in the frequency of satisfying sexual encounters they had, which suggests that merely believing an intervention will improve your sex life might cause it to do so. And, of course, different people’s bodies will respond differently to substances. “There’s going to be a fair amount of variation in how people metabolize PEA,” Giordano says.

So, in short, like many research questions related to sexuality, the question of how taking PEA could affect someone’s sex life is under-studied — and could be a promising area for future research. It’s worth noting that I reached out to seven other sexuality and psychology researchers, and unfortunately, nobody else knew anything about PEA and sex.

For now, if you want to know whether this supplement could help you have better sex, you may need to conduct your own individual experiment like I did. Giordano advises taking the PEA on an empty stomach, and make sure to avoid it if you have high blood pressure or are taking monoamine oxidase inhibitor drugs or blood pressure medications. When in doubt, consult your doctor.

And if you’d like to help other people — particularly women — seeking improved arousal and orgasms figure out if PEA could assist them, you can document your experience via Blissgevity’s female sexual satisfaction survey and you’ll get a discount on Blissgevity. Until more formal research looks into this, your responses might help people have a better idea of what might improve their sex lives.