Guide to Aphrodisiacs: Ukrainian Aphrodisiacs

The traditional Ukrainian folk medicine does not contain that many recipes for aphrodisiacs or 'privorotnoye zelje' (best translated as "love potion"). Ukrainian men are supposed to possess great natural sexual powers and Ukrainian women are, in the same way, supposed always to be interested and willing.

Thus, the major purpose of the Ukrainian love potions is not to increase the sexual capacity but to direct the desires towards a particular individual. Largely, the love potions ar used by women who want to attract the attention of specific members of the opposite sex. Another purpose of the love potions could be to increase fertility. Furthermore, there is a small group of recipes aimed at curing impotency and mainly intended for older people.

Hemp seeds

Hemp, in Latin Cannabis sativa, is a plant that is very popular in Ukraine and has many medical applications. As an aphrodisiac, the most powerful preparation according to popular believes are the roasted and salted hemp seeds. However, they should only be used by men. Earlier, it was customary to feed the bridegroom roasted hemp seeds during the wedding dinner. The seeds could be served as a part of a special wedding bread or as an ingredient of a wedding night drink.

Periwinkle

An oil prepared from the flowers of Vinca major is believed to increase the sexual capacity of man. It can either be consumed or applied externally.

A more traditional periwinkle recipe to increase sexual desire (to be used by men only!) is as follows:

Cover 20 grammes of the fresh, blossoming plant with 250 ml of vodka or whisky and let the mixture simmer, covered, for at least 0.5 hour. Take 8 drops of the filtered potion twice a day for four days, then make a two-day-break after which you can continue taking the potion for another four days.

Golden root


The roots of Rhodiola rosea L. have been known as a powerful stimulant for centuries and were a favoured ingredient in many folk love potions. The legendary Ukrainian prince Danila Galitsky (XIII century) who had a considerable reputation for remarkable amorous feats used to say that he took strength from the 'golden root of Karpaty' (it grows in the Karpatian mountains). The major use of the golden root is in the form of an alcoholic drink called "nastojka". Fresh roots are mixed with 40% alcohol (e.g. vodka) and are kept in dark place for at least one week (if you are not in a hurry it is better to let the extraction continue for a few weeks). Use equal parts (by weight) of roots and alcohol solution.

A teaspoon of the resulting "nastojka" after breakfast, lunch and dinner for 2-3 weeks will produce remarkable effects both in men and women.

Golden root has recently been approved as an official Ukrainian medicinal drug. Its use and applications are similar to those of ginseng. One of Mrs. Zubar's acquaintances reported that he once drank a bottle of golden root 'nastojka' (150 gr.) and 'had wonderful sex all night long'. But three days later he had strong headaches and 'no desire at all'.

Ruta


Ruta, in Latin Ruta graveolens L., is the most popular 'female' aphrodisiac. There are numerous folk rhymes and songs about its ability to charm men. A must of love potions. Women drank a decoction of ruta, "ruta-nastojka" to become loved and wanted.

According to a folk legend witches used to bring teenage boys to fields where the ruta was blossoming. The strong scent made the boys became 'possesed by witch desires', whereupon they lost their virginity.

Even today experienced women meet their lovers near blossoming ruta fields because of the effect of the scent. "I have ruta in my garden and I experienced its effect myself" says Mrs. Zubar.

Carrot and Celery

There is an old Ukrainian belief that carrot will increase the sexual capacity of a man. There is old Ukrainian saying: 'If your husband is old and weak you must have him to drink juice from two big carrots and one celery'. Celery is a very popular folk aphrodisiac in Poland and the Czech Republic, possibly due to the "doctrine of similarities".

"Lubistok"

Levisticum officinale, in Ukranian "lubistok" was and is still believed to be useful for attracting lovers. It is used in a similar way all over Europe, however in Ukraine dried as well as fresh roots instead of the leaves. A bath containing leaves is recommended as relaxing treatment of when being tense and nervous.

A decoction or "nastojka" made from the root is still used to cure impotency and increase the sexual power, however only for men. "I cannot vote for it," says Mrs. Zubar, "but a herbalist I know personally makes special portion based on Lubistok root extract and claims it cures impotency. I only know for sure it sells well."

Modern beliefs

In an opinion-poll made among the readers of the magazine "Kopilka" the most popular aphrodisiac turned out to be a mixture of sour cream and beer (1:1). The idea that this mixture stimulates sexual activity first appeared in the mid 1970s and still lives on.

Guide to Aphrodisiacs: Spices as Aphrodisiacs

Spices have not only been used to hide signs of putrefaction in food but also to make dishes delicious and mouth-watering. The way to a man's heart goes through his stomach, but perhaps even more through his taste buds, and what better way is there to affect the taste buds than the use of spices?

The following is an incomplete collection of spices, which have been attributed aphrodisiacal properties; many more remain to be added. When you try them out, it is important that they be used in combination with food that would be delicious and appetising even whithout the spices in order to achieve maximal effect.

If external use is suggested (as in some of the recipes from "The Perfumed Garden"), stay away from the most sensitive mucous membranes!

Asafoetida

Asafoetida is a preparation made out of the plant Ferula foetida (Umbelliferae), also known as devil's dung, ferula or under it's Hindi name hing, which can be found in Indian groceries. 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.

Cardamom

Powdered cardamom seeds, boiled with milk, forms an excellent remedy against impotence and premature ejaculation when taken together with honey in the evening. (At least according to traditional Indian herbal medicine. But be careful: excessive use might lead to impotency according to the same sources.)

Cloves

Cloves are the dried flower buds of Jambosa caryophyllus, also called Eugenia caryophyllata and Caryophyllus aromaticus. They were early considered as an aphrodisiac in Asia; in China since the 3rd century B.C.. Even in Europe they quickly aquired some fame. The Danish medieval herbalist H. Harpenstreng realised 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 grammes 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 odor and taste. It was earlier used as a dental analgesic.

Garlic

Garlic, Allium sativum, belongs to the same genus as another reliable (?) aphrodisiac, onion. Its use as a staple food already during Pharaonic time is mentioned in the Bible (Numeri, chapter 11). Hippocrates suggests garlic as a remedy for a variety of illnesses, including fevers, flu and intestinal parasites.

Its use as an aphrodisiac is (or was) widespred, not only among Egyptians, but also among Greeks, Romans, Chinese and Japanese (Ainu). It has persisted. The Swedish pharmaceutical chemist Matts Bergmark quotes (in "Vallört och vitlök" (1961)) the East German pharmaceutical journal Die Pharmazie, saying that garlic is especially well suited for men and women of climacteric age because it contains (unspecified) compounds related to sex hormones.

In some cases garlic is used externally. David Berman, a professor of the USC Medical School, suggests a few cloves of garlic be crushed and mixed with lard, the mixture then to be rubbed on to an unwilling male member.

The main constituents of garlic (besides nutritive chemicals) are the amino acid alliin and the related allicin (CH2=CH-CH2-SO-CH2-CH=CH2). It is allicin which causes the "true" garlic odour. The smell which occurs later after garlic consumption (possibly a truly anti-aphrodisiacal smell?) is caused by bis-allyl-disulfide, a metabolic product of allicin. No aphrodisiacal properties have (yet) been demonstrated for allicin, but the compound is a good antibiotic.

Possibly, most of the aphrodisiacal effect of garlic is associated with the fact that it makes food more appetising, stimulates the secretion of gastric juices, increases the appetite and, generally contributes to a feeling of well-being. Long live garlic!

Ginger

Through the entire Asia, from China to Turkey, ginger has a solid reputation of being a powerful aphrodisiac, known already to Pliny and Avicena.

"The Perfumed Garden" strongly favours the use of ginger externally as well as internally. One recipe calls for a mixture of ginger, ointment of lilac and pyrethrum (the plant Anthemis pyrethrum, not the insecticide obtained from Chrysanthemum cinerariefolium) to be pounded and then used for rubbing the abdomen, the scrotum and the anus.

An alternative is to masticate a mixture of ginger, cinnamon, pyrethrum and cubebs just before coitus, then moisten the penis with saliva before entering.

From that moment she will have such an affection for you that she can scarcely be a moment without you.

Indian literature recommends a mixture of ginger juice, honey and half-boiled eggs, taken at night for a month, as a remedy against impotence.

Ginger consists of the dried rhizomes of Zingiber officinale (Zingiberaceae). The active compounds are called gingerols, the most important being [6]-gingerol, 5-hydroxy-1-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-decanone.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg, also known as myristica or nux moschata, is the ripe seed of Myristica fragrans (Myristicaceae), a tree native to Southern Asia and Moluccas. The seed is deprived of its seed coat (see photo to the right) before drying.

Nutmeg is supposed to be a "legal hallucinogenic", and has been used for this purpose, e.g. in jails. 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 as such by Hindus, Arabs, Greeks and Romans. In the Orient it was especially highly priced among women.

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 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 (mainly in the seeds), although 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.

Pepper is nowadays a collective name for various forms of the fruit of Piper nigrum (Piperaceae). Black pepper are the dried, unripe fruits, and white pepper the dried, ripe fruits. If the fruits are preserved in a salt brine, milder forms are obtained: green pepper from the ripe fruit and rose pepper from the unripe fruit.

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:

Masticate a little pepper or cardamom-grains of the large species; put a certain quantity of it upon the head of your member and then go to work. 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, galanga and musk, mix it with honey and preserved ginger, and rub the penis vigourously with it.

[The penis] will then grow large and brawny, and afford the woman a marvellous feeling of voluptuousness.

Indian sources recommend a daily consumption of a glass of milk with six crushed black peppers and four crushed almonds. This will act as a nerve tonic and as an aphrodisiac.


The pungent principles of pepper are first and foremost the stereoisomeric pair of chemicals piperine (E,E form) and chavicine (Z,Z form). It is believed that the loss of pungency of ground pepper upon storage is due to the isomerisation 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. Thus, do not use pepper on lutefish, the most alkaline dish known.

Saffron

saffron.jpg - 9.0 K Saffron are the stigmas of Crocus sativus (Iridaceae) and one of the most expensive spices. It can reputedly make erogenous zones even more sensitive and also have a hormone-like effect. It is not known which of the constituents that 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 a very important role in the sex processes of algae of the Chlamydomonas group. (No, they have nothing to do with Clamydia!)


The bitter principle is picrocrocin, which, according to Merck's Index, "exerts sex-determinig influences"!

Saffron is a key ingredient in many erotic dishes, e.g. in our pine nut soup, Amorous pesto and in our love snails.

Salt

Salt, sodium chloride, can be regarded as the most basic spice. In the Indian Ayurvedic medicine, rock salt obtained from the salt mines of Sindh was considered to be an aphrodisiac and a heart tonic.

Vanilla

Vanilla is the cured, full-grown, unripe fruit of an orchid, Vanilla planifolia. Already the name hints at amorous properties. It derives from the Spanish word vainila, a diminutive of vaina meaning vagina (or pod) It was used already by the aztecs to flavour chocolate (which they got from the seeds of Theobroma cacao (Sterculiaceae), a tree native to the area around the Gulf of Mexico and northern Sout America.

It is a well-known powerful aphrodisiac, as stated, e.g. by N.J. Berlin in a commentary to the Swedish pharmacopoedia (1849), acting through its odour as much as through its taste. It is important to use the natural product. Synthetic vanillin (4-hydroxy-3-methoxy-benzaldehyde) is far cheaper, but less effective, especially now when it is synthesised from the waste (lignin) of the wood pulp industry.

Vanilla essence (extracted from the real vanilla) can be added to your bath to produce a mild love-arousing effect, especially when you and your partner take the bath together.

Herbal spices
Numerous herbal spices have been used as aphrodisiacs. More information on mint, rosemary, salvia and thyme will be added shortly.

Guide to Aphrodisiacs: Spanish Fly and Cantharidin

The Spanish fly is the emerald-green blister beetle, in Latin Cantharis vesicatoria or Lytta vesicatoria which is found in the southern parts of Europe. The body is usually 15-22 mm long and 5-8 mm wide with a strong smell and a burning taste. The dried and crushed body of the beetle was earlier used medically as a irritant and diuretic, but was also regarded as a potent aphrodisiac, especially for elderly gentlemen.

The earliest descriptions of its use as a medicine dates back to antiquity. The drug is mentioned by, e.g. Hippocrates, Celsus and Pliny. The Roman empress Livia (58 B.C. - A.D. 29) purportedly slipped it into the food of other members of the imperial family to stimulate 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.)

During the medieval age, however, Spanish fly was almost forgotten.

Even today, the legend of Spanish fly as a powerful aphrodisiac persists. Urban folklore sometimes gives it a prominent role.

The Latin name of the beetle derives from the Greek word lytta, meaning rage, and the Latin word vesica, meaning blister. This points to the main effects of poisonous doses: internally mental illness and externally a vesicant action.

The beetle, which thrives on plants of the families Oleaceae and Caprifoliaceae, contains 0.5-1 % of the active ingredient cantharidin. This chemical is sparingly soluble in water and most polar organic solvents but dissolves in oils.

A beautiful synthesis has been described by W.G. Dauben in J. Am. Chem. Soc. 102, 6893 (1980).

An African Variety

In Zimbabwe, traditional healers sell "vuka-vuka" ("vuka" means "wake up!"), which consists of dried beetles of the genus Myalabris. As in the blister beetle, the active component is cantharidin. The strongest variety offered in Harare's Mbare market is called "Squirrel's jump", possibly because squirrels are believed to be very romantic animals.

Toxicity

It must be handled with extreme care. It is highly toxic by ingestion, but can also be taken up through skin and mucous membranes. The poisoning is called cantharidism and can consist of severe gastrointestinal disturbances and nephritis. Collapse occurs in severe cases and death might follow. For references, please consult the literature list.

A consumption of 1.6 grammes of pulverized beetles led to death after 26 hours. Ten milligrammes of pure cantharidin resulted in a fatality, whereas a poisoning by 1.3 milligrammes did not.

Cantharidin is excreted by the kidney and will, during excretion, irritate the entire urinary tract. The irritation of the urethra will increase the blood flow to this region and might result in priapism. It is likely that the priapism is the origin of the use of Spanish fly as an aphrodisiac.

In 1772 the infamous Marquis de Sade doctored some aniseed sweets with Spanish fly and offered this to some prostitutes who took part in a flogging orgy. However, there was no aphrodisiac effect but, instead, the girls became very ill, so ill that the Marquis was brought to trial for poisoning.

A more sensible use for catharidin is for the removal of digital warts. For this purpose a 0.7 % solution in equal parts of acetone and collodion can be applied.

Priapism

is a persistent abnormal erection of the penis. It is usually a quite painful condition, not associated with any sexual desire. The name is derived from Priapus, the Greek god of male procreative power.

Guide to Aphrodisiacs: Pheromones, Scents as Aphrodisiacs

Small, volatile organic molecules are of extreme importance among many animals for the transmission of information on sexual availability to members of the opposite sex. Such molecules are called pheromones, after a Greek word meaning "to transfer excitement".

Pheromones among animals

Female butterflies of the genus Bombyx release a chemical called bombycol. As little as 100 molecules is sufficient to evoke a sexual response from a Bombyx male. This could be compared with the one million molecules of botulinual toxin A (the most toxic substance known) required to kill a mouse.

Some flowers fool insects by using pheromones. The orchid Ophrys insectifera releases a mixture of chemicals which attracts male hymenopteras (insects) of the genus Argogorytes. Because of the odour the males believe the orchid flowers are females of their own species, and they try to copulate. Naturally, they are unsuccessful, but pollen grains of the orchid attach to them. The next time they try to copulate with an orchid flower, the pollen grains are transferred and they succeed in pollinating the flower even if not in impregnating a female of their own species.

Elephant pheromones


Even large animals can make use of pheromones. Two researchers from the Oregon Graduate Institute of Science in Portland, Oregon, USA, (as reported in Nature, 22 Feb. 1996) used 4000 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 used by some insects.

Pheromones among humans?

The human body secrets several compounds with strong smells, as well as compounds which can be transformed by bacteria into chemicals with a strong odor. Volatile aliphatic acids occur in the normal vaginal secretions of many primates, including humans. Their strong odors (e.g., butyric acid with its smell of rancid butter) have been shown to stimulate male monkeys to increased sexual activity.

Many steroidal hormones and related chemicals have a noticeable odor, including chemicals called androstenones. In one experiment, some seats in a theater were sprayed with one androstenone. Women among the audience showed a statistically significant preference for these sprayed seats.

In another trial, subjects had to choose the most attractive women from a collection of photographs. It turned out that when a subject could smell an androstenone at the same time as he or she regarded a certain photo, it increased the probability that the lady on the photo would be selected.

Humans have glands at the base of the hair follicles, especially in the armpits and in the genital region, which produce yet unidentified chemicals, the odors of which might affect members of the opposite sex. The chemicals are spread over the hair surface and then very efficiently dissipated.

One interesting phenomena in this context is the "women's dormitory syndrome", a condition in which women living closely together after a while begin to synchronize their menstrual cycles. This has been attributed to the effect of a pheromone present in the underarm sweat of women.

The great commercial interests in human pheromones make it virtually impossible to obtain reliable information on this subject. Already two compounds isolated from female and male sweat respectively are being marketed as perfumes with real activity as sexual pheromones. The price tags are, however, almost prohibitive and their effects unproven.

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. Maybe the arrival of easily available soap has changed the perception of human pheromones?

Scents and perfumes

Man has probably always used various odorous preparations to increase his or her attractiveness to the opposite sex. Is it possible that this actually is an attempt to mimic "human pheromones" or is it just to create an atmosphere of positive associations? One of the most popular perfume smells, that of musk, has been shown to resemble closely the smell of testosterone, the male sex hormone.

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. 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. Chicago neurologist Alan Hirsch rated male response to various smells by measuring changes in penile blood flow and found that food outperformed perfumes. The food highest on the rating list included cinnamon buns, roast meat and cheese pizza (but also, and less surprisingly so, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and peppermint). In some cases the average increase of penile blood flow was 40 %!

Guide to Aphrodisiacs: Oysters as Aphrodisiacs

Already during the time of the Roman Empire oysters enjoyed a randy reputation, which only increased over the ages. During the "Golden Century" in the Netherlands (the 17th century) oysters were the symbol, the very incarnation of an aphrodisiac.

Is this reputation based on physiological facts? Well, oysters are low in fat and high in minerals, and thus a quite healthy food. Phosphorus, iodine and zinc can do a lot of good, especially zinc, which is said to increase both sperm and testosterone production as well as the secretion of a vaginal lubricant.

On the other hand... According to Norman Lewis in his book "Aphrodisiacs I Have Known", a group of male pearl-divers on the island of Kamaran (off the Arabian coast) get most of their nourishment from oysters -- and have very low sex drives.

However, Casanova is said to have been a firm believer in oysters, eating 50 of them raw every morning in the bath together with the lady he fancied at that moment.

Ilene Polansky, the owner of the oyster bar "Maestro S.V.P." in Montreal, Canada, reports that Roman emperors paid for them by their weight in gold. When Aphrodite the Greek goddess of love, sprang forth from the sea on an oyster shell and promptly gave birth to Eros, a working aphrodisiac was born.

Ilene recommends oysters au naturel, best served simply with crushed ice and seaweed. Fresh lemon juice or Worcestershire sauce are both good accompaniments. There are two classes of sauce to be served with oysters. The first is mignonette sauce with shallots and red wine vinegar and the second is a chili sauce. Wines that go well with oysters are, e.g. such as a Chardonnay, whether it be Australian, Chilean, French or Californian. A tall glass of dry Spanish sherry is also perfect.

As the owner of the oyster bar, Ilene's favourite oyster drink is the "Maestro S.V.P. oyster shooter": Take an oyster, put it in a shot glass, add a little cocktail sauce, fresh horseradish and jalapeno vodka. You then drink it like a shooter. It is a very refreshing treat.

Normally, oysters are eaten raw, but Gordon Hamersley, the owner and executive chef of the Boston restaurant Hamersley's, suggests a topping of sea urchin roe (which he asserts is a well-known aphrodisiac) and caviar to amplify the effects.

Erik Blauberg of American Renaissance proposes serving the oysters with a cucumber, lime and dill dressing.

Guide to Aphrodisiacs: Satyrion, stones and pearls

For this post I have tried to collect a variety of strange aphrodisiacs which do not fit in elsewhere, as well as some truly fictitious material

Satyrion

Judging from Greek and Roman accounts, satyrion must have been very close to the perfect aphrodisiac. According to Theophrastus, it produced on one occasion 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. 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 orchids producing salep.The most common way of using it was to pulverize the dried root and add it to wine.

According to some sources, not only the root but also the nectar was used as satyrion. You could try the nectar of the wild orchid Orchis mascula (found in many parts of Europe) and mix it with warm goat's milk. The nectar from one plant is sufficient for two tablespoons of milk.

The popularity of satyrion, however, led to its eradication, a fate it shared with silphion (laserpitium), a plant known to be a rich nourishment, a delicious spice and a powerful medicine.

Precious stones and pearls

Precious stones and pearls have long been associated with powers to stimulate the sexual desire, not only when presented as such (just consider the effect of the gift of a dimond ring!) but also when consumed. Pulverised agate is reportedly specially effective.

Cleopatra, born 69 and dead 30 B.C., was queen of Egypt. In order to provoke her amorousness she used to dissolve pearls in vinegar and drink this beverage. Since she managed to get both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony as lovers, the potion must be considered successful.

Persians made pastilles out of crushed pearls and rubies, gold dust and ambergris, and ate this as an aphrodisiac.

Literary aphrodisiacs

One of the most remarkable aphrodisiacs is the starting point for Richard Dahl's hilariously indecent novel My Uncle Oswald (1979). The Sudanese Blister Beetle, Cantharis vesicatoria sudanii, is a highly improved version of the Spanish fly:

It builds a fire under your genitals. It is both a violent aphrodisiac and a powerful irritant. It not only makes you uncontrollably randy but it also guarantees you an enormous and long-lasting erection at the same time.

However, anyone who has read the novel will hesitate to try the Sudanese Blister Beetle. But, still...

Modern mythical aphrodisiacs

On 22 May 1984 the Dallas Morning News carried the following story under the byline of Stephen G. Bloom:

Chaucer recommended garlic, onions and leeks. Mushrooms, frog's bones and dried chicken tongues also were said to do the trick.

Then came oysters, Spanish fly, olives, strawberries, ginseng and Vitamin E.

Now, the latest substances thought to induce a frenzy of wild passion are green M&Ms.

At East Texas State University anthropology student Denise Boesewetter recently spent weeks interviewing people about what they thought were aphrodisiacs. Of 46 respondents, Boeswetter reported last month that almost half mentioned green M&Ms as a powerful inducer of sexual desire.

At a University of Texas sorority house in Austin, a large jar filled with green M&Ms is reserved for "special occasions."

And at Dallas' Arts Magnet High School, the candy's reputed powers also are a hot item on the teen grapevine. "They make you look sexually attractive," says Jana Hodges, a 17-year old senior. "Green M&Ms are the first ones to eat when you tear open the package."

If you are interested in learning more about these remarkable properties of green M&Ms, you can consult the Urban Legends Reference Pages or Jan Harold Brunvand's book The Mexican Pet - more "new" urban legends and some old favorites (1986).

Guide to Aphrodisiacs: Onions, an Aphrodisiacal Gift of the Gods

Onions have, almost since prehistoric time, been attributed aphrodisiacal properties. They are mentioned in many classic Hindu texts on the art of making love, they were the most used aphrodisiac in ancient Greece, and they are frequently included as an ingredient in Roman and Arab recipes.

During Pharaonic times celibating Egyptian priests were prohibited to eat onions because of the potential effects. Later on, in France, newlyweds were served onion soup on the morning after their wedding night to restore their libido.

The Romans

Ovid, in "Ars Amatoria" book 2, suggests:

"Let white onions be taken that are sent from the Pelasgian city of Alcathous."

The Romans seldom used onions alone, and usually only after cooking. Thus Apicus in "De re coquinaria" includes onions cooked in water and mixed with pine seeds. One exception is the recommendation of the Roman epigrammatist Martial:

"If your wife is old and your member is exhausted, eat onions in plenty."

The Perfumed Garden

"The Perfumed Garden", an Arab sixteenth century erotic manual written by Sheik al-Nefzawi, bears a testimony to onions.

"The member of Abou el Heiloukh has remained erect For thirty days without a break because he did eat onions."

More specifically, he ate onions cooked with meat and, for drink, had the juice pressed out of pounded onions mixed with honey.

The same source suggests an even more powerful preparation:

Take one part of the juice pressed out of pounded onions and mix it with two parts of purified honey. Heat the mixture until the water of the onion-juice has evaporated, and let the residue get cool, to be used whenever required.

But be careful. A man using this for several consecutive days will constantly have his member rigid and erect without intermission, the sheik warns (or promises?). Furthermore, the medicine should never be used for three consecutive days except by old and cold-tempered men.

Onions mixed with egg yolks and eaten during three days will provide "an energetic stimulant toward coitus." As an alternative peeled onions can be fried in oil in a saucepan together with egg yolks and (unspecified) condiments. You will acquire a surpassing and invaluable vigour for the coitus if you partake this spicy onion paste for several days.

Chemical aspects

Onion, as well as garlic, contains the amino acid alliin and the related allicin (CH2=CH-CH2-SO-CH2-CH=CH2). Alliin, which is devoid of any odour or taste, can be transformed into allicin by the enzyme allinase. Whenever an onion (or a garlic) is crushed this enzyme is released from the plant tissue and starts to enact the transformation. It is allicin which causes the "true" garlic odour. No aphrodisiacal properties have (yet) been demonstrated, but the compound is a good antibiotic.