Aphrodisiacs: How Can Foods and Smells Stimulate Desire?

Aphrodisiacs are a prime seller in the sexual health industry, with customers eager to have the best sex of their lives. Even manufacturers of wellness products, such as nutritional supplements, are getting in on this booming market but the question remains; do aphrodisiacs really do anything for your wellbeing. While the products are all there, the research certainly isn’t, and you really don’t have any proof that these aphrodisiacs work. However, even though the scientific evidence is still in question, millions of people swear by certain foods, drugs and scents for increasing their sexual desire. So, let’s investigate, shall we?

 

The basic idea behind aphrodisiacs is that they are elements used for evoking or stimulating your sexual desire. Drugs or products that are labelled as aphrodisiacs are often mislabelled by the companies that manufacture them, as the products actually aim to enhance your sexual performance or ability (such as Viagra). In order to be a true aphrodisiac, the food, smell or whatever it is has to create desire. Creating desire is a tricky process, which is why you first have to understand what happens in your body and brain when you are sexually excited. For both sexes, sexual desire all comes down to your hormones, and testosterone specifically. If the balance of your hormones is off, and you don’t have as much testosterone as you should, your sex drive won’t function as it should. When the balance is right, everything falls into place.

 

When you encounter something sexually stimulating – be it through sights, sounds, feelings, touches, smells or thoughts – a chain reaction begins in your body:

 

1. The limbic lobe of your brain sends signals to your pelvic region via the nervous system.

 

2. These signals tell your blood vessels to dilate.

 

3. This dilation creates an erection. This occurs in both men and women, albeit not with the same outward results. In women, your erectile tissues can be found in your clitoris and the region around your vaginal entrance.

 

4. The vessels then close so as to keep these erectile tissues erect. This erection is accompanied by rapid heart rate.

 

5. At the same time as this is going on, your brain releases neurotransmitters called norepinephrine and dopamine. These tell your body that what’s going on is good and pleasurable.

 

So where do aphrodisiacs come in? According to the experts, aphrodisiacs can work in one of three ways:

 

• Working on the mind: Some aphrodisiacs create sexual desire by targeting your brain, which will then kick-start the chain reaction of desire. This includes something that lowers your brain’s inhibitions, such as alcohol or marijuana.


• Working on the body: Instead of beginning at the beginning, some aphrodisiacs bypass the brain and head straight for the body parts that are affected at the end of the chain reaction. An aphrodisiac might increase blood flow in your sexual organs, for example, which aims to simulate the feelings of sexual intercourse and have the effect of creating desire.


• Placebo: Sometimes, just thinking something is an aphrodisiac makes it appear to work as one.

 

As we’ve already covered, the research proving the effectiveness of aphrodisiacs is scarce. However, scientists are beginning to discover that some foods, herbs and other supplements do stimulate production of hormones or other chemicals that affect your libido. The problem is that the researchers are still trying to work out whether or not those chemicals are produced in a high enough quantity for you to really notice the difference. Libido is a somewhat difficult thing to study and, as such, there isn’t much hard research in the area. Many people swear by the effects of certain foods, herbs or minerals, be it the placebo effect or a real process. However, according to the FDA, aphrodisiacs have no scientific basis and are simply myth. Still, whatever works for you, go for it!

Categories: Aphrodisiac, aphrodisiacs, Brain, chain reaction, desire, erectile tissues, foods herbs, nbsp, people swear, placebo effect, sexual, sexual desire

Is Chocolate Really an Aphrodisiac? The Truth About Turn-Ons

Chocolate is a well-known aphrodisiac, so they say, but sexual health researchers are beginning to deny the arousal-boosting properties of your favourite chocolate bar, or at least trying to get you to lower your expectations. Apparently, the benefits of chocolate to sexual wellness are vastly over-exaggerated. Sure, chocolate melts in your mouth and contain some chemicals like phenylethylamine, which produce feelings of euphoria, but one widely-cited study has shown that, if you were around nine stone heavy, you’d have to eat 25 pounds of chocolate in one sitting to significantly alter your emotional wellbeing – but who would be in the mood after eating 19.2% of her weight in chocolate?

 

Chocolate isn’t the only oft-cited aphrodisiac which has turned out somewhat wanting; there are legions of supposed sexual mood-boosters that, when it comes to the scientific evidence, lack the support to show they have any lingering libidinous effects on certain body parts other than your stomach. That is not to say that all the food research news is bad; chilli peppers, for example, have been found to mimic the state of sexual arousal by quickening your pulse, inducing sweating and stimulating the release of endorphins. According to Meryl S. Rosofsky, a doctor and adjunct professor in the department of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University, all of these responses play a role in sexual pleasure.

 

That said, anyone of merit who claims to know what is or is not an aphrodisiac will tell you that the whole thing is very much subjective. As Ruth Westheimer, a sex therapist and author best known as Dr. Ruth, famously put it, ‘the most important sex organ lies between the ears.’ You may find a certain food arousing due to your culture or tradition. The ancient Greeks and Romans and medieval Europeans coveted basil, rosemary, saffron, honey, grapes and pine nuts for their libido-boosting powers, while fancy foods like foie gras, caviar, truffles and Champagne were exalted as romantic gifts because of their rarity and luxury. Then you have foods such as figs, asparagus and cucumbers which are seen as aphrodisiacs because their phallic or yonic properties (i.e. they look like male and female sex organs).

 

Moreover, the way you eat certain foods could make them considered sensual. As Dr. Rosofsky wrote in an entry on aphrodisiacs in the Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, ‘sharing food from a common platter’ is quite seductive, as is, in the case of oysters, ‘sucking and slurping seductively.’ However, in recent years, the focus of researchers, cooks and practitioners of alternative medicine has been on foods with nutrients that could potentially enhance fertility and virility. Dr. Rosofsky points out that garlic contains an amino acid that enhances blood flow and could augment erections, while zinc – again, found in oysters – has been linked to increased sperm production.

 

Another interesting way in which foods turn you on is through the power of smell. In her book The Scent of Desire, Rachel S. Herz, an expert in the psychology of smell, writes, ‘Asians consider the smell of cheese to be hideous, yet westerners regard it as anything from comfort food to sumptuous indulgence.’ So different smells are sexually inviting to different people, but the fact remains that smells can be a turn-on. ‘When we smell musky odours, we think of sensuality,’ Herz says. ‘In South America, cleaning products are made with musk, so when a woman smells musk, she is more likely to think of cleaning products than lingerie.’ She adds that this process is called “odour associative learning” or the way in which smells become positively or negatively ingrained in your memory.

Categories: Aphrodisiac, aphrodisiacs, chocolate, Cleaning Products, dr rosofsky, Food, foods, Phallus, sexual, smells

Foodgasm:Could You Start Bedroom Cravings from the Kitchen?

Paying attention to the foods you eat isn’t only beneficial for weight loss and your general wellbeing; it’s also a great way to boost your sexual health. Aphrodisiacs have long been used to get couples in the mood for a good bit of love-making, but they can also be highly nutritious and improve your health and wellness.

 

Both sex and food are closely related to being pleasurable and physical, and this is where aphrodisiacs come into play. Aphrodisiacs are named after, Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, fruitfulness, and beauty, and may have a direct effect on the erogenous zones – making you feel like your own Goddess. According to an ancient worldwide belief called The Doctrine of Signatures, plants give you hints as to what they are good for, by the way they look, smell, taste, and grow, and these factors in aphrodisiacs may remind you of sex in some way. You should enjoy aphrodisiacs for anything from half an hour to an hour before sex, but good overall nutrition is imperative to health and sexual vitality. When you are in poor health, your sexual vitality decreases. Now we’ve got that clear, let’s take a look at some of the foods that can help to get you in the mood:

 

1. Grains: It’s no wonder that people throw rice at weddings, as rice is one of the grains that can leverage your libido. Other arousing grains include barley, buckwheat, corn, millet and oats.

 

2. Water Element Foods: The water element, or kidney, is seen as governing sexual vitality in Asian medicine, which is why practitioners recommend foods that speak to this element; namely foods that are black, blue and/or salty. For a healthy sex life the Asian medicinal way, try chia seeds, miso, black olives, sea vegetables, black sesame seeds and blueberries.

 

3. Asparagus: This vegetable, and others that have a suggestive shape, were cultivated by the Arabs and Greeks as an aphrodisiac. English herbalist, Nicholas Culpepper (1616-1654) even commented that asparagus ‘stirreth up bodily lust in man and woman.’

 

4. Root Vegetables: Shitake mushrooms are used in China, particularly by women, to get you in the mood, while other roots like carrots, dandelion and burdock are thought to help energise your lower chakras. According to a Japanese proverb, ‘A man who likes carrots, likes women. It would be unwise to serve your beloved wilted carrots.’

 

5. Spices: Garlic and onions are so warming and stimulating that Egyptian priests and devout Hindus were forbidden from consuming them, as it was believed that these spices make you lose control over your sensual desires.

 

6. Celery: Not only does celery have the phallic shape that a lot of aphrodisiac users are after; it contains a women-attracting substance called androsterone. This is released in your sweat after your consume celery, which is why the vegetable has traditionally been included in aphrodisiac recipes.

 

7. Artichokes: Again, a little visual imagery is at play here as artichokes represent an unopened flower (draw whatever conclusions from that as you will). In the 1700s, Paris street vendors used to cry out ‘Artichokes! Artichokes! Heats the body and the spirit. Heats the genitals!’ Well, if you want advice on sex and food, you can’t go wrong with asking the French!

 

8. Secret innuendos: In France, the word for beetroot – better-ave – is slang for penis or “man root”. Similarly, down in South America, the word ahuactl (which we know better as avocado) means testicle.

 

9. Phosphorus: Found in chutneys, curries, salsas and hot foods, phosphorus stimulates circulation and your sex organs.

Categories: Aphrodisiac, aphrodisiacs, Asparagus, foods, health, nbsp, root vegetables, sexual, sexual vitality, water element