We are told that an aphrodisiac is anything that increases or enhances sexual desire – the word itself comes from Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of Love. And since time immemorial, in striving to obtain the extended favors of cupid, man has plied himself and his partner with wine, sniffed vanilla, chewed liquorice, ground rhino horns and even downed the crushed remains of the toxic blister beetle or Spanish fly (lytta vesicatoria). From commonly found substances like asparagus, almonds, avocado, bananas, carrots, coffee, figs, ginger, honey, strawberries, truffles and vanilla to the downright weird and wacky like seal penis, deer testicles, tiger bones, jackal bile and snake blood – the list of libido boosters from different cultures and eras seems endless. Casanova, that king amongst lovers, was supposed to have gulped down 50 oysters a day for breakfast!

The reputation garnered by these foodstuffs may have in fact been a result of folklore arising from their nutritional  value or their erotic imagery (resemblance to sexual organs –carrots and oysters to name but 

two) because in fact, scientificstudies have never provided positive evidence that any of these substances technically do arouse sexual excitement. The men in the white lab coats tell us that it’s all likely a matter of subconscious suggestion. And the real irony is that while substances like ground rhino horn may be considered aphrodisiacal in Chinese medicine, they eventually contribute to the destruction of an entire species.

The enthusiasm for the pursuit of the ultimate performance enhancer continues unabated (ah, the pleasures of scientific research with such a noble objective!). The witches’ potions and magic charms of yesteryear are now eclipsed by their modern equivalents - chocolate body tattoos that are advertised to make you love to “eat your words” and vials of pheromones to be worn like perfume with ‘guarantees’ to make members of the opposite