The following post does not reflect my own personal beliefs or opinions and was not written by me, NotBlueAtAll. This post is from the company “Adam & Eve” who did not provide me any compensation or material goods for this post, but felt that my readers may be interested in it’s content:

I am no newbie when it comes to sex toys, but even I was a little confused by what in the world Ben Wa Balls are. To be honest, I thought it was some weird new fetish thing that people were doing with Baoding balls, those Chinese meditation/medicine balls you can get from any pagoda in the mall. A quick online search for them will lead you to a lot of sites saying, “Not to be confused with Ben Wa Balls,” so apparently I’m not the only one that didn’t know the difference.

However, I found that the confusion from a lot of us is pretty justified, because both are used for somewhat relatable purposes. Boading balls can be anywhere between the size of a large marble and a golf ball. Yahoo says that the Baoding balls are typically used for relaxation purposes, but that they’re also used by athletes to increase circulation in the hands, improve concentration, and decrease stress, all of which can actually benefit just about anyone.

While playing with Boading balls could strengthen your hands, Ben Wa Balls, also known as a “vaginal ball” or “internal use ball,” are used to strength vaginal muscles. Adam and Eve stated that “Ben Wa Balls are one of the earliest known sex toys for women” and that they were “[originally] implemented in Asia several hundred years ago.” Similar in the size variations of Boading balls, today’s Ben Wa models can feature anything from textured outsides, flexible shells, and even chimes within them.

So how exactly do these little things go about strengthening such a difficult area to tone? Ben Wa Balls aid in increasing the resistance during Kegel exercises — the contracting and relaxing of the muscles of your pelvic floor. Strengthening the muscles is supposed to make it easier for you to orgasm and make them more intense. The resulting tightened muscles can also feel better for your partner during penetration.

While they’ve been around for longer than any other sex toy, they’re becoming increasingly popular lately among women. It’s possible that this is due to the exposure the toy received after being featured in the successful, steamy franchise Fifty Shades of Grey. Times Higher Education says that while the toy was featured in the BDSM novels, the toy isn’t exclusive to those who are a part of the BDSM community; they can be enjoyed by anyone.

Virtual-Strategy even highlighted their medical purpose outside of sexual pleasure. In a recent article, they stated that using the ball to strengthen the muscles of the vagina can also help women suffering from incontinence and bladder control, common issues for women who have recently had a baby.

Everyone is looking for a multi-use product. They may look simple, but these little balls are great for a wide variety of different uses. As an historic toy with modern innovative purposes, it’s no wonder these little guys are a must have for any adult toy box!

By Amber Rodriguez