Guide to Aphrodisiacs: Animal Preparations

Numerous animal preparations with little or no nutritious value have been used as aphrodisiacs. According to a medieval recipe, black ants were dried and mixed with olive oil immediately before consumption. Lizards were highly esteemed both by Arabs and southern Europeans. The easiest way was to dry the lizard, pulverize it and take the powder together with a sweet white wine. The lizard could also be a main constituent of a more elaborate dish.

One lizard, occurring on some Mediterranean islands and in northern Africa, Sticus officinalis, was popular as an aphrodisiac during the 18th century even in such remote countries as Sweden.

In several East Asian countries, the consumption of snake blood is supposed to be beneficial for ailing males. Further details, including an address to a snake blood restaurant, are provided on the snake blood page.

In "The Perfumed Garden" it is suggested that rubbing the penis and the vulva with the bile of a jackal will make those parts vigorous for the coitus. A similar result can also be achieved by rubbing the penis with asses' milk.

A man can also, according to "The Perfumed Garden", melt down fat from the hump of a camel and rub his member with it just before the act; it will then perform wonders, and the woman will praise it for its work, it is asserted. (At least it will act as a lubricant!)

Leeches can be used to increase the size of the male member. They are put in a bottle, which is kept enclosed in the warmth of a dunghill until the leeches have turned into a homogenous mass. This is used as a liniment for repeatedly anointing the member.

In Greenland, the billknob of the king eider (Somateria spectabilis) is eaten as an aphrodisiac.

According to Pliny, the gall of a boar would stimulate to coitus. (xxviii: 261).

Even gallstones are in some Asian countries believed to be an aphrodisiac and can have a market value of up to US$15,000 a kilogramme (US$550 an ounce). On 19 March 1997 Mary Claire Stevens, a meat-packing plant food inspector was charged with felony theft, accused of taking gallstones from the Long Prairie Packing Plant in South St. Paul, Minn., USA, to sell on the international market.

The flesh of the Nilgiri langur and the lion-tailed macaque is reputed for its aphrodisiacal properties, according to Ramachandran et al. (1987).

In Hong Kong certain shark species can fetch $ 150 apiece because of the demand for shark fins as an aphrodisiac. The fins are removed, dried for two days and cooked into shark fin soup.

Ambergris

Ambergris is a product arising from some whales, which occasionally can be found on ocean beaches. It is extremely expensive and used for perfume production. According to Arabic folklore it is also an aphrodisiac, a claim which might have substance. Dr. SA Taha and co-workers have published a scientific paper in which they report that ambrein, a main constituent of ambergris, in male rats produced "recurrent episodes of penile erection, a dose-dependent, vigorous and repetitive increase in intromissions and an increased anogenital investigatory behavior". In other words, the male rats started to copulate like they were crazy.

Antlers

Probably because of the similarity with an erect penis, horns and antlers have long been used as aphrodisiacs, especially in Eastern Asia. Reindeer shred their antlers annually; collected shredded reindeer antlers are imported for aphrodisiac purposes in Japan from Canada, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Since fresh antlers are supposed to be even more powerful, but removal of live antlers from the animals is forbidden in Scandinavia even live reindeers have been imported to provide the best possible aphrodisiac quality.

The Tibet Red Deer, Cervus elaphus wallichi, has long been listed as extinct by the World Conservation Union. A herd of 200 animals was recently discovered about 100 miles east of Lhasa (Tibet) on alpine meadows at an altitude of about 4,000 meters. The reason for the earlier believed extermination, and the reason why these animals still are threatened, is that they are coveted for their velvety antlers, which are highly prized as an aphrodisiac.

Rhino Horns

Powdered rhinoceros horns are regarded as a panacea in Eastern Asia, effective against anything from nosebleeds and headaches to diphtheria and food poisoning. In addition, they are widely believed to increase the male sexual capacity, including the capacity for erection However, it should be noted that the original rhino aphrodisiac was the dried penis and not the horn. Widespread poaching of rhinos, including for the sake of the horn, has led to the inclusion in the list of endangered species of all five rhino species existing today (3 in Asia, 2 in Africa).

A rhino's horn is not attached to the skull and is thus not a true horn. It is a growth from the skin of densely compressed dermal fibers, made up keratin. This is the same material that is found in hair and nails. Consequently, comsumption of powdered nail clippings would be expected to provide the same results as rhino's horn.

Also the low molecular weight constituents have been investigated by Inagaki and Oida. Sugar, phosphorous and ethanolamine are present along with several free amino acids, such as aspartic acid, threonine, ornithine, lysine, histidine and arginine (which has been suggested to increase the intensity of sensation during sex).

The use of rhino horns (and tiger bones) for medical purposes was declared illegal by the State Council of the People's Republic of China. However, some trade appears to continue, as the rhino horn is highly prized. In 1990 horns of Asian origin were sold for $21,000 in Thailand and for $54,000 in Taiwan per kilogram.

Spanish fly

A separate post is devoted to Spanish fly and its active constituent, cantharidin.

Animal genitalia

Also the use of animal genitalia as aphrodisiacs is discussed on a separate post.

Chan Su

The traditional Chinese drug Chan Su is made from the skin of a toad. Internal use of this topical drug as an aphrodisiac caused four deaths in New York City 1993-95.

Tiger preparations

In East Asia many tiger parts are considered as powerful aphrodisiacs, including bones, fat, liver and even penis. A bowl of tiger penis soup can fetch $ 350 in Taiwan and South Korea and will have a marvelous effect: just like the tiger you will be able to make love for a full 15 seconds!

Tiger whiskers are used as an aphrodisiac in Indonesia, but in Malaysia the same preparation is regarded as a strong poison.

Remember, though, that all tiger species are endangered. Why not try pulverized porcupine spines as a substitute instead of the prized tiger whiskers? The spines are far more stiff and erect!