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This final article is a collection of various strange aphrodisiacs which do not seem to fit elsewhere, as well as some clearly fictitious material.
Cantharidin and Spanish fly
Even in modern times, the legend of Spanish fly as a powerful aphrodisiac persists, and urban folklore sometimes gives it a prominent role.
Spanish fly is the emerald-green blister beetle, Cantharis vesicatoria or Lytta vesicatoria which is found in southern parts of Europe. The body is usually 15-22mm long and 5-8mm wide, with a strong smell and a burning taste. The dried and crushed body of the beetle was used medically as an irritant and diuretic, but was also regarded as a potent aphrodisiac, especially for elderly gentlemen. The Latin name of the beetle derives from the Greek word ‘Lytta’, meaning rage, and the Latin word ‘Vesica’, meaning blister. This indicates the main effects of poisonous doses: mental illness and blisters.
The beetle, which thrives on plants of the families Oleaceae and Caprifoliaceae, contains 0.5-1% of the active ingredient Cantharidin. Cantharidin must be handled with extreme care, since it is highly toxic by ingestion, but can also be absorbed through skin and mucous membranes. This poisoning is called Cantharidism, and can consist of severe gastrointestinal disturbances and nephritis, with collapse occurring in severe cases and a risk of death shortly afterwards. Consumption of 1.6 grams of pulverised beetles has led to death after 26 hours, and ten milligrams of pure Cantharidin has resulted in fatality.
Cantharidin is excreted by the kidneys, and during excretion will irritate the entire urinary tract. Irritation of the urethra will increase blood flow to this region and might result in priapism. It is quite likely that this priapism is the origin of the use of Spanish fly as an aphrodisiac.
The earliest descriptions of its use as a medicine date back to antiquity. The drug is mentioned by Hippocrates, Celsus and Pliny. The Roman empress Livia purportedly slipped it into the food of other members of the imperial family, to encourage them into committing sexual indiscretions that could later be used against them. (Livia was originally the wife of Tiberius Claudius Nero, but was given by him to Octavianus, later known as Emperor Augustus, as a part of a reconciliation agreement).
In 1772 the infamous Marquis de Sade doctored some aniseed sweets with Spanish fly, and offered those to some prostitutes who took part in a flogging orgy. There were no aphrodisiac effects, but the girls became very ill, and the Marquis was brought to trial for poisoning.
Precious stones and pearls
These have long been associated with powers to stimulate the sexual desire, not only when presented as such (imagine the effect of being giving a diamond ring), but also when consumed.
Crushed agate is reportedly especially effective, and Cleopatra would dissolve pearls in vinegar and drink this mixture as an aphrodisiac. Since she managed to get both Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony as lovers, the potion may have a little truth behind it…
The Persians made pastilles out of crushed pearls and rubies, gold dust and ambergris, and ate this as an aphrodisiac, too.
Satyrion
Judging from Greek and Roman accounts, Satyrion must have been pretty close to the perfect aphrodisiac. According to Theophrastus, it is produced on one occasion every seventy consecutive acts of coitus. Another Roman author suggests that it is sufficient to use it on the soles of the feet to produce erotic arousal. And, yet another source suggests that it was sufficient to hold a part of the plant in the hand to produce the desired erotic effects.
Unfortunately, the precise identity of Satyrion is not known today. It was a plant with reddish leaves and a double root, possibly similar to the salep producing orchids. The most common way of using it was to pulverize the dried root and add it to wine.
However, the popularity of Satyrion led to its eradication, a fate it shared with Silphion (laserpitium), a plant known to be richly nourishing, a delicious spice and a powerful medicine.
Scents as Aphrodisiacs
Small, volatile organic molecules are of extreme importance among many animals and insects, for the transmission of information about sexual availability, to members of the opposite sex. Such molecules are called pheromones, after a Greek word meaning “to transfer excitement”.
Female butterflies of the genus Bombyx release a chemical called Bombycol, and as little as 100 molecules are sufficient to evoke a sexual response from a Bombyx male.
Some flowers also fool insects by using pheromones. The orchid Ophrys insectifera releases a mixture of chemicals that attracts male Hymenoptera (insects of the genus Argogorytes). Because of the odour, the males believe the orchid flowers are females of their own species, and attempt to copulate with them. Naturally, they are unsuccessful, but pollen grains from the orchid attach to them, and the next time they try to copulate with an orchid flower, the pollen grains are transferred and thereby pollinate the flower.
Even large animals can make use of pheromones. Two researchers from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science in Portland, Oregon, USA (Nature, 1996), analysed 4,000 litres of elephant urine, looking for a substance released by female elephants just before ovulation. Apparently, this substance lets bull elephants know that the time is right for romance. Surprisingly, it turns out that this elephant pheromone, cis-7-dodecenyl acetate is the same compound produced by some insects.
The human body also secretes several compounds with strong smells, as well as compounds which can be transformed by bacteria into chemicals with a strong odour. Volatile aliphatic acids occur in normal vaginal secretions of many primates, including humans, and this strong odour (butyric acid, with its smell of rancid butter) has been shown to increase stimulation of sexual activity in male monkeys.
Humans have glands at the base of the hair follicles, especially in the armpits and genital region, which produce as yet unidentified chemicals, the odours of which might possibly affect members of the opposite sex. These chemicals are spread over the hair surface, which would allow for efficient dispersal. One interesting phenomenon in this context is “Women’s dormitory syndrome”, a condition in which women living in close proximity to each other begin to synchronise their menstrual cycles, after a short while. This has been attributed to the effect of a pheromone present in the underarm sweat of women.
An old American custom, quoted in “The Scent of Eros”, was for the man to keep a handkerchief in his armpit while dancing. After the dance he would present it to his partner, supposedly the anticipated effect was that of an aphrodisiac. Thus, perhaps the arrival of easily available soap and perfumes has changed the perception of human pheromones?
Perfumes as Aphrodisiacs
Probably, mankind has always used various odorous preparations to increase his or her attractiveness to the opposite sex. And, is it just possible that this is an attempt to mimic “human pheromones”, although it could just be an attempt to create an atmosphere of positive association. One of the most popular perfume smells is that of Musk, which has been shown to closely resemble the smell of testosterone.
The Romans used perfumes lavishly, including perfumes based on Civet and Ambergris – the former is derived from the secretion of the civet cat, and the latter from the sperm whale. Ambergris is more a carrier of scents than a perfume of its own, so it has been used to restore vital powers to those exhausted, for various reasons.
Other smells
Even the smell of food can act as an aphrodisiac. Neurologist Alan Hirsch rated male responses to various smells, by measuring changes in penile blood flow, and found that foods outperformed perfumes. In some cases the average increase of penile blood flow was 40%.
The foods highest on the rating list included cinnamon buns, roast meat and cheese pizza. Also, less surprisingly, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and peppermint.
Other foods
Burchard I, bishop of Worms (1000-1025), describes an interesting approach to aphrodisiacs. When the wheat had been harvested, but before it was threshed, a woman would undress and roll around over the wheat, which was then threshed and taken to the mill. After milling (counter-clockwise) the flour was used by the woman for the preparation of “love breads”. Apparently, any man eating such bread would immediately desire the woman.
Do numbers have aphrodisiacal properties?
Yes, if you believe some Arab numerologists, as quoted by Martin Gardner in his ‘Mathematical Magic Show’.
All numbers have divisors (smaller numbers by which they can be divided), with the integers being whole numbers. For example, the divisors of 6 are 1, 2 and 3 and the divisors of 28 are 1, 2, 4, 7, and 14. Since the sum of the divisors of 6 and 28 are indeed the numbers themselves, 6 and 28 are called Perfect numbers.
Friendly numbers are pairs of numbers such that each number is the sum of the divisors of the other number. Friendly numbers, however, are not common, with the simplest pair being 220 and 284:
Sum of divisors of 220 = 1 + 2 + 4 + 5 + 10 + 11 + 20 + 22 + 44 + 55 + 110 = 284
Sum of divisors of 284 = 1 + 2 + 4 + 71 + 142 = 220
Three other pairs are 1,184 and 1,210, 17,296 and 18,416, and 9,363,584 and 9,437,056.
Thus, according to the Arab numerologists, you should carve one of the friendly numbers on one of a pair of fruits, and the second number on the other fruit. Eat the first fruit yourself, and offer the second fruit to somebody whose love you are desirous of. If that person eats the fruit (or, more likely, if that person is skilled in mathematics) you can hope for success.
You might also enjoy reading:-
- Pheromones
- Fruits & Nuts as Aphrodisiacs
- Aphrodisiacal Herbs & Spices
- Women smell worse than men
- Aphrodisiacal Plants
Posted by Jonathan in Miscellaneous