Aphrodisiac Food: History and Description

Aphrodisiacs Through the Ages

Some Interesting History

Aphrodisiacs were first sought out as a remedy for various sexual anxieties including fears of inadequate performance as well as a need to increase fertility. Procreation was an important moral and religious issue and aphrodisiacs were sought to insure both male and female potency.

Why Certain Foods?

In ancient times a distinction was made between a substance that increased fertility versus one that simply increased sex drive. One of the key issues in early times was nutrition. Food was not so readily available as it is today. Undernourishment creates a loss of libido as well as reduces fertility rates. Substances that “by nature” represent “seed or semen” such as bulbs, eggs, snails” were considered inherently to have sexual powers. Other types of foods were considered stimulating by their “physical resemblance to genitalia”
It’s important to realize these food substances were identified (documented) by the likes of Pliny and Dioscordes (ancient Greeks) first century AD and later by Paul of Aegina from the seventh century. Later more credence was given to foods that “satisfied dietary gratification”.
Other foods deemed to have these aphrodisiac qualities were derived from mythology. Aphrodite, the love goddess was said to consider “sparrows” sacred because of their “amorous nature” and for that reason were included in various aphrodisiac brews. There was not always agreement upon what foods were actually aphrodisiacs or “anaphrodisiacs” (decrease potency). But the ancient list included Anise, basil, carrot, salvia, gladiolus root, orchid bulbs, pistachio nuts, rocket (arugula), sage, sea fennel, turnips, skink flesh (a type of lizard) and river snails.
The ancients suggested you steer clear of dill, lentil, lettuce, watercress, rue, and water lily.
An aphrodisiac, as we use the term today, is something that inspires lust. It usually isn’t meant to cure impotence or infertility, problems that are now handled by separate fields of medicine. But until recently there was little distinction between sexual desire and function. Any lack of lust, potency, or fertility would have a common cure in an aphrodisiac. Galen thought that a “wind” — or as one 16th-century writer put it, an “insensible pollution” — inflated the penis to cause an erection, so anything that made you gassy would also make you erect.
Galen’s theories were not the only basis for concocting aphrodisiacs. Mandrake root was eaten as an aphrodisiac and as a cure for female infertility because the forked root was supposed to resemble a woman’s thighs. This was based on an arcane philosophy called the “doctrine of signatures.” Oysters may have come to be known as an aphrodisiac only by their resemblance to female genitals. Few old medical texts listed oysters as an aphrodisiac, although literary allusions to that use are plentiful.
Parts of the skink, a kind of lizard, were thought to be an aphrodisiac for centuries. It’s hard to say why exactly, but three different ancient authors make the claim. Potatoes, both sweet and white, were once known as an aphrodisiac in Europe, probably because they were a rare delicacy when they were first transplanted from the Americas.
Some aphrodisiacs came out of mythology. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love (from whose name, of course, “aphrodisiac” is derived) was supposed to have held sparrows sacred. We think rabbits are promiscuous animals, hence the Playboy bunny and certain lewd sayings, but the ancient Greeks thought sparrows were especially lustful. Because of the association with Aphrodite, Europeans were inclined to eat sparrows, particularly their brains, as aphrodisiacs.
St. Thomas Aquinas, a 13th-century friar, also wrote a bit on aphrodisiacs. Like Galen, he thought aphrodisiac foods had to produce “vital spirit” and provide good nutrition. So meat, considered the heartiest food, was an aphrodisiac. Drinking wine produced the “vital spirit.”

Sexually suggestive food

Many different foods are considered aphrodisiacs because of their sexually suggestive nature. Eggs and caviar remind us of the reproductive system. Asparagus, bananas, onions, carrots and, as stated above, oysters, also remind us of sex organs, and have therefore been categorized in many cultures as erogenous foods.

None of these foods really have any proven qualities, but if they make us believe that they’ll raise our sexual desires, chances are they’ll work. Many men’s sexual libido begins to diminish after having been with the same partner for a long time, so sexually suggestive food can help spice things up.

Alcohol

Is one of the only things known for ages as an aphrodisiac that has any real effect on sexual desire. A little alcohol can dissolve inhibitions and put you in the mood, but overindulgence is said to have the opposite effect on performance, now as in Shakespeare’s time. (”It increases the desire but it takes away the performance” comes from Macbeth.)

Coffee

It´s another old one, and it’s still sometimes considered an aphrodisiac. “Every time you have an excitation, you have an effect of disinhibition,” says Paola Sandroni, MD, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic. She reviewed the scientific evidence that exists on many supposed aphrodisiacs, and published her findings in the journal Clinical Autonomic Research.
But to call coffee or anything that contains caffeine an aphrodisiac would be misleading. “I think the effect is much more general,” she says. In the same way, cocaine and amphetamines may seem to be aphrodisiacs because they stimulate the central nervous system, but they have no specific effects on sexual desire.
It´s considered an aphrodisiac in many traditions but there is very little proof that it actually has any effect on the libido. Coffee — like any caffeine-rich food — stimulates the body, which is why it’s usually mistaken for sexual arousal.

Oysters

Ah yes, good old oysters, the cliché of all aphrodisiac foods. Oysters have long been thought to have aphrodisiac properties, but very few studies have been conducted on the matter.
One thing that brings credibility to the oyster myth is the fact that these slippery critters are full of zinc. Zinc controls progesterone levels, which have a positive effect on the libido. Zinc deficiency can cause impotence in men, so any food rich in zinc is considered an aphrodisiac in that respect, and oysters happen to be loaded with the mineral.
Many believe that oysters were originally labeled “aphrodisiac” because of their shape. Upon close inspection, they somewhat resemble the female sex organ. This could be a reason why people in the past associated mussels with sexuality. Sexual appetite, more often than not, starts in the mind rather than in the body, so oysters could have a psychological effect on the libido.

Ambergris

Which comes from the guts of whales and is used in perfumes. Some consider ambergris an aphrodisiac and there is evidence to support this notion. In animal studies, it increased levels of testosterone in the blood, which is essential to the male sex drive, and is thought to play a part in women’s libido as well.

Nuts

Many different nuts have alleged aphrodisiac properties, many of which have been used in love potions and serums for thousands of years. Walnuts have been used in Roman times for fertility and pine nuts have been adopted for similar purposes for 2000 years through the Mediterranean and the East. Cola nuts are also considered an aphrodisiac in Madagascar, probably because of their high caffeine content.
Some believe the smell of certain nuts excite women (I know what you’re thinking — stop it). Almonds, for instance, are widely used in beauty products for their supposed aromatic properties. Some nuts are also rich in zinc, so like oysters, they can treat zinc deficiency impotence.
Ginkgo nuts are widely used in Chinese herbal medicine even to this day to stimulate, among other things, erotic desires. One of the few true aphrodisiacs, ginkgo nuts are a powerful antioxidant; this makes them an excellent source of nutrition for stimulating blood circulation and invigorating stagnating bodies.

Celery

For a long time, people believed that celery’s aphrodisiac properties were a myth. Today we know that it contains androsterone, a hormone naturally produced in males that stimulates sexual arousal in females. Whether or not this hormone found in celery actually affects the body is still unclear. But hey, the vegetable has it so it’s a plus, and further studies are being conducted in the matter.

Chocolate

Recent poll revealed that most women prefer eating chocolate to having sex. Granted, chocolate is often associated with romance and passion, but does it really have any sexual properties? Well, the jury is still out on that one…
Two doctors once discovered that chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a chemical that releases “feel good” endorphins. But later studies have proven that even though chocolate has this ability, it does not significantly affect the brain in any way. Luckily for the myth, chocolate also contains caffeine, so it can give you the impression that you are aroused by waking you up a bit.

Some notable foods: beans, cherries, garlic, dates, leeks, grapes, ginger,oranges, pepper, truffles, thyme, peaches, onion and pears

Source webmed gourmetsleut