Oysters, ginseng and whale gut: why most love potions work mainly through belief
People have chased substances to kindle desire for thousands of years, from Hindu verses of around 2000 to 1000 BCE to Chinese texts older still. The word comes from Aphrodite, Greek goddess of love. Yet for most of these supposed boosters there is little solid clinical evidence, and much of the effect seems to be placebo.
Many beliefs rest on looks rather than chemistry. Carrots, bananas and oysters earned reputations because of their shape, while dishes made from animal genitals, such as cow cod soup in Jamaica, reflect an old idea that eating an organ transfers its powers. Seafood got an extra boost from the legend that Aphrodite was born from the sea. Scientific study of food aphrodisiacs remains thin, and most claims trace back to expectation.
Some ingredients have stranger stories. Ambergris, a substance from the gut of sperm whales, is used in Arab cultures for headaches and as a supposed enhancer; a compound derived from it raised testosterone, but only in animal studies. Horny goat weed, used in Chinese folk medicine, is said to be named for the goats that sought it out. Toad secretions containing bufotenin are sold as an aphrodisiac called Love Stone in the Caribbean and used as a heart medicine in China, though their effects on people are unknown.
The history is revealing too. Ancient Chinese, Indian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures all searched for remedies, largely because men unable to father large families were seen as failures. Much of the research still centres on men. One notable exception is a manuscript preserved among the Timbuktu Manuscripts of West Africa, which advised men on pleasing their wives and, as one writer put it, offered tips for pleasure on both sides at a time when women's desire was barely acknowledged in the West.
Pinning down real effects is difficult. Plants vary with where they grow and how they are processed, individual sensitivity differs, and the adverse effects of many folk remedies are poorly known. Alcohol shows the complexity: its reputation comes from lowering inhibitions, yet heavier drinking is linked with sexual difficulties.
Source: Aphrodisiac
