Leave Viagra aside – or see a doctor – and have sexy fun with traditional aphrodisiac lotions and potions and foods. One or two of them work!
Oysters are the best known seafood aphrodisiac – perhaps because they resemble the open female sex organs. Savour the sensual taste – and serve with Champagne!
More than 900 supposed arousers of sexual desire, known as aphrodisiacs, have been recorded, yet it seems that only some of them have withstood the test of time. Indeed, a list of all aphrodisiacs would be a testament to the gullibility of man in his desperate bid to discover the fabled elixir of love. All manner of concoctions have been dreamed up and consumed over the centuries – the testes of an ass, the intestines of a bird, fresh semen, menstrual blood or the penis of a wolf or hedgehog are just a few.
One stimulant highly esteemed in Mediterranean countries since Biblical times is the root of a mandrake plant. While the mandrake’s powers as an aphrodisiac have now fallen somewhat into disrepute, it was the case that the more the root resembled the human form – especially if it had appendages that looked like testes – the more prized and expensive it was.
It was very fashionable to use as aphrodisiacs any organic matter – animal or vegetable – that resembled the genitals of a man or woman. Hence, beans, bananas, cucumbers and oysters were reputed to be powerful stimulants.
Stimulants
Erotic writers in Ancient Greece and Rome laid great store by love stimulants, especially a brew made with ‘satyrion’ – a substance derived from the wild woodland orchid. It has been said that Hercules drank such a brew and then proceeded to deflower the 50 daughters of his hostess!
Many people today reject the idea of aphrodisiacs altogether, saying that they do not exist or else that there is no scientific proof that they work. However, there is evidence that certain substances, in particular some foods, are empowered with properties that give one a sense of well-being that may enhance sexual desire.
It should be noted, however, that the ingredients for the cookery of love are not designed to cure impotency or frigidity; rather they are for people who want to extend their sexual enjoyment – even if this is simply by a little light-hearted experimentation. Treatment for a sex life in disarray requires different remedies, such as more sleep, less anxiety, vitamins or, perhaps, counseling.
Three foods of love
It has been said that the three best aphrodisiac ingredients are garlic, anchovies and wheatgerm.
Giving strength and stamina, garlic is claimed to have antiseptic and antibiotic properties which clean the blood and tone up the body. An American scientist also made the discovery that the main constituents of garlic’s odorous and volatile oil is the same as one of the chemicals secreted by a woman when she is sexually aroused.
Like most other seafoods, anchovies are especially rich in phosphorous, salt and many of the trace elements and minerals which our bodies constantly need. And wheatgerm, present in wholemeal bread, is the richest source of vitamin E to be found on this planet – outside of the pharmacy. Called the ‘fertility vitamin’, a deficiency of it leads to sterility, impotence or other sexual problems.
Our suggestion: try making an aphrodisiac pizza, topped with anchovies, asparagus, mushrooms, basil and tomato.
Spice it up
The subtlety of the effects of aphrodisiac ingredients should never be underestimated. Each person has his or her own preferences – so if one food, herb or spice does not turn you or your partner on, then try another one, but do not expect any instant wonders.
You may choose caraway, a widespread ingredient in love potions since the days of ancient Egypt, or coriander. Ginger – one of the most versatile of the hot spices – is also said to be an excellent love stimulant.
Aphrodisiacs and your body
The libido, or sexual drive, depends upon the proper working of the sex glands. This in turn depends on the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus (both in the brain) and the relationship between them.
There is no such thing as a universal aphrodisiac – a substance which, turned into a pill and then eaten, stimulates all aspects of a person’s life. The nearest we might get to that is hormones – testosterone, for example.
The production of testosterone is governed by a hormone with the cumbersome title of Luteinising Hormone Releasing Hormone (LHRH). This chemical stimulates the testes to make testosterone. It seems to be the case that in small doses, LHRH can actually work as a sex stimulant, increasing sexual activity and stimulating both the male and female sex drive.
The scent of sex
While extra hormones may work to improve your sex life, your body is already producing chemicals that act as sexual attractants. These substances, called pheromones, are made by glands in the sex organs and special sweat glands in the armpits.
Exactly how they work is unclear, as they are odourless and impossible consciously to detect, but they seem to excite the sex centres in the brain. They were first detected in animals and are known to work over remarkably long distances – a female gypsy moth can attract a male from more than 3km away.
Kama Sutra
Although thought of as an encyclopedia of sex techniques, the Kama Sutra is far broader in scope. The chapter on attracting others to oneself has a great deal of practical advice mixed in with liberal doses of medicine, magic and ritual. The subjects treated range from how to restore hair to how to subjugate others to one’s will, how to increase sexual vigour and how to thicken and enlarge the lingam (penis).
Advice from the Kama Sutra
“To provoke sexual vigour: mix equal quantities of ghee (clarified butter), honey, sugar and liquorice combined with milk and the juice of fennel. This nectar-like drink will do the rest.”
A Chinese root
The root of the ginseng plant (Panax ginseng) has been revered in the Far East as an aphrodisiac for a long time. It is said that the best roots are found on those plants growing on the fertile plains of Manchuria.
Ginseng’s chief attribute is its ability to improve stamina, strength and power. As a result, its aphrodisiac properties improve the quality and length of sexual intercourse, but it does not provide the urge to have sex in the first place. Ginseng can be bought in its raw state and in tablet form.
The bald chicken
One of the aphrodisiacs popular in ancient China was ‘the bald chicken drug’. Apparently, a civil servant who used it regularly fathered three sons after the age of 70 and so exhausted his poor wife that she could never sit or lie down. Eventually, he threw the concoction into the barnyard, only to have it eaten by a cock, which promptly mounted the nearest hen and pleasured and plucked her until she was bald.
Aphrodisiac baths
A warm bath scented with dried herbs and flowers, spices and aromatic oils, can work wonders for your sex life. Remember to run the bath before adding the herbs and flowers, as they should float on top of the water. The bath should be reasonably hot, so that the steam rises. This allows you to inhale the fragrance captured in the moist air. When you emerge from the water, the fragrance will cling to your skin. Suggested ingredients include: black pepper, cardamom, clary sage, jasmine, juniper, orange blossom, patchouli, rose, sandalwood and ylang ylang.