The basic rule for selecting aphrodisiacal foodstuffs is simple: the more expensive the substance, the higher the probability that people will believe in it. Although, if somebody is prepared to spoon-feed you caviar, it might suggest that the person is seriously interested in you, which in turn, could stimulate your interest in that person.
Asafoetida: is a preparation made from the plant Ferula foetida (Umbelliferae), also known as devil’s dung. It occurs both as a light brown resin and as a powder. Besides being an aphrodisiac it is also used as a laxative and a colic cure, although the main use is as a spice in cooking. The taste is peculiar - either you love it or you hate it.
Cloves: are the dried flower buds of Jambosa caryophyllus, also called Eugenia caryophyllata and Caryophyllus aromaticus. They have been considered an aphrodisiac in Asia and China since the 3rd century B.C. and even in Europe, they acquired fame. The Danish medieval herbalist H. Harpenstreng noted the value of cloves, stating that they “makes the man desire the woman”, and that they promote digestion.
The Swedish herbalist Anders Månsson Rydaholm wrote in 1642, in “En myckit nyttigh Örta-Book” that “if a man loses his ability, he should stay sober and drink milk spiced with 5 grams of cloves. This will fortify him and make him desire his wife.”
The main constituent of cloves and oil of cloves is eugenol, but small quantities of furfural, vanillin and methyl-amyl-ketone are also present. Eugenol is a high-boiling liquid with a spicy, pungent odour and taste.
Fennel: Foeniculum vulgare (Umbelliferae), was cultivated in ancient Egypt. The “Besbes seeds” mentioned in The Ebers Papyrus (dating from 1550 BC) are believed to be fennel seeds.
The Greeks regarded fennel as a potent sexual stimulant. During the Dionysus festivities, crowns of fennel leaves were worn, and leaves and seeds were used as aphrodisiacs (A. Tschirch: Handbuch der Pharmacognosie, Leipzig 1909-17). A medieval Danish manuscript (H. Harpestreng: Danske Laegebog) states that old vipers eat fennel for rejuvenation; so, it was therefore claimed equally useful for old men. Wedeck, in A Dictionary of Aphrodisiacs, quotes a Hindu prescription for sexual vigour containing fennel juice, milk, honey, ghee, liquorice and sugar. Further, he states that fennel soup is reputed in some Mediterranean regions to stimulate desire.
The chief low molecular weight constituent of fennel seeds is anethole, also known as anise camphor or Monasirup, but the seeds (and the rest of the plant) also contain the terpenes fenchone, pinene and limonene.
Fenugreek: The pods of Fenugreek, Trigonella foenum-graecum (Leguminoseae), which grows in Southwest Asia and around the Eastern part of the Mediterranean resemble goat’s antlers. Consequently, according to the Doctrine of Signatures, they are regarded as a remedy for impotence, and were included in the earliest list of Chinese medical plants. The roasted pods are eaten in many parts of the world, but can also be used as a starting point for the preparation of various dishes.
Gow Kee: The leaves of Lycium chinense (Solanaceae), also known as Chu Chi, Matrimony vine and Box thorn, are well-known in Chinese herbal medicine for their ability to stimulate libido and increase male endurance. The bright green leaves are ovate to lanceolate, up to 8 cm long and edible, but rather tasteless. For use, 25 grams of Gow Kee and 25 grams of finely chopped ginger are boiled with 500 ml of water until the volume of the liquid has been reduced to one-third. Strain the infusion and drink it as a tea.
Hemp seeds: Cannabis sativa, is a plant that is very popular. As an aphrodisiac, and according to popular belief, the most powerful preparation is the roasted and salted hemp seeds. In Ukrainian tradition, it was customary to feed the bridegroom roasted hemp seeds during the wedding dinner; although seeds could also be served as a part of a special wedding bread or as an ingredient in a wedding night drink.
Herb Paris: also known as True love, Paris quadrifolia has long been used as an aphrodisiac, but should be handled with extreme care since the seeds and berries are narcotic, and in large doses can produce nausea, vomiting and even delirium; neither of which will contribute to successful love-making. In Russia, the leaves of the plant have also been prescribed for madness.
Nutmeg: also known as myristica or Nux moschata is the ripe seed of Myristica fragrans (Myristicaceae), a tree native to Southern Asia and the Spice islands. The seed coat is removed before drying, and becomes the spice ‘Mace’.
Nutmeg is supposed to be a “Legal hallucinogenic”, and has been used for this purpose in prisons. However, the side effects of the high doses required can be severe and completely overshadow the desired effects. It is alleged to have a subtle aphrodisiac effect in far smaller doses (less than half a nut should suffice), and has been used for such purposes by Hindus, Arabs, Greeks and Romans. In the Orient it was especially highly prized amongst women, and according to the Indian herbalist H. K. Bakhru, nutmeg mixed with honey and a half-boiled egg will prolong the duration of the sexual act, if taken an hour before intercourse.
The compound allegedly responsible for the hallucinogenic and possibly also for the alleged aphrodisiacal effects of nutmeg is myristicin, 4-methoxy-6-(2-propenyl)-1,3-benzodixole. It has some structural similarity with mescaline (the hallucinogen from peyote cactus). Myristicin also occurs in parsley and carrot, although mainly in the seeds, and at far lower concentrations.
Pepper: The aphrodisiacal qualities of pepper are not quite clear. The name pepper was long used as a collective name for all spices imported to Europe (in contrast to the herbal spices cultivated in Europe). Thus, older references to pepper as an aphrodisiac could actually concern a different spice.
Nowadays, Pepper is a collective name for various forms of the fruit of Piper nigrum (Piperaceae). Black pepper is the dried, unripe fruits, and white pepper the dried, ripe fruits, green pepper is from the ripe fruit and rose pepper is from the unripe fruit. Additionally, if the fruits are preserved in brine, milder forms are obtained.
The reputation of pepper being an aphrodisiac goes back to Antiquity, when it was used by Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. The Arabs not only added pepper to food, but used it other ways. According to “The Perfumed Garden”, you should: Chew a little pepper or cardamom-grains of the large species; put a certain quantity of it upon the head of your member before intercourse, and this will produce for you, as well as for the woman, a matchless enjoyment.
A way to increase the size of the penis is, according to the same source, to prepare a powder out of pepper, lavender, galangal and musk, mix it with honey and preserved ginger, and then rub the penis vigorously with it. [The penis] will then grow large and brawny, and afford the woman a marvellous feeling of voluptuousness.
Indian sources recommend the daily consumption of a glass of milk with six crushed black peppercorns and four crushed almonds. This allegedly will act as both a nerve tonic and an aphrodisiac.
The pungent principles of pepper are first and foremost the stereo-isomeric pair of chemicals piperine (E,E form) and chavicine (Z,Z form). It is believed that the loss of pungency of ground pepper during storage is due to the isomerization of chavicine into piperine. Other pungent substances, present in pepper, are piperettine and the somewhat volatile piperidine (which can also be formed by alkaline treatment of piperine).
Saffron: is the stigmas of Crocus sativus (Iridaceae), and one of the worlds most expensive spices, it can reputedly make erogenous zones even more sensitive as well as having a hormone-like effect. It is not known which of the constituents are responsible for saffron’s reputation as an aphrodisiac; however, the orange colour is due to crocin, a di-gentiobiose ester of crocetin, a carotenoid compound. Both crocin and crocetin have been shown to play an important role in the sex processes of algae of the Chlamydomonas group.
Sarsaparilla: is a collective name for preparations of various Smilax species. Mexican sarsaparilla is prepared from Smilax aristolochiaefolia, whereas Jamaican or Honduran sarsaparilla originates from S. regelii and Ecuadorian sarsaparilla from S. febrifuga. The plants are large perennial climbing or trailing vines, growing from short, thick underground stems. It is these stems that are collected and dried in the sun before use.
The root has been used not only as an aphrodisiac, but as a syphilis antidote, competing with mercury derivatives. Today, its main use is to flavour soft drinks such as Root beer.
Valerian: Extracts or teas prepared from valerian Valeriana officinalis, are mainly used in herbal medicine as sedatives. However, a German herbal book from the 14th century suggests another possibility: “Take valerian in the mouth and kiss anybody you want; in that way you will win love”.
Vanilla: is the cured, full-grown, unripe fruit of an orchid, Vanilla planifolia. Its name derives from the Spanish word vainila, a diminutive of vaina meaning vagina (or pod). Vanilla was used by the Aztecs to flavour chocolate, which they extracted from the seeds of Theobroma cacao (Sterculiaceae), a tree native to the area around the Gulf of Mexico and northern South America.
It is a well-known powerful aphrodisiac; N.J. Berlin stated in a commentary to the Swedish pharmacopoeia (1849) that it acted through its odour as much as through its taste. It is important to use the natural product, since Synthetic vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-benzaldehyde) is far cheaper, but less effective, especially nowadays when it is synthesised from the waste (lignin) of the wood pulp industry. Vanilla essence (extracted from real vanilla pods) can be added to a bath to produce a mild love-arousing effect, especially when you and your partner take the bath together.
Wild vanilla: Preparations of North American wild vanilla, Trilisa odoratissima, are said to have aphrodisiacal properties, and also to induce erotic dreams. The plant has been used (without success) to treat Malaria; possibly the pleasant side-effects were discovered during these trials.
Posted by Jonathan in Biology, History