Aphrodisiacs
Heather Hutchings, Jason Kopp & Ashley Greening
Introduction
Aphrodisiac: an agent such as food or a drug that arouses or is held to arouse sexual desire or something that excites.
Named after Aphrodite 1000’s of years old
History
First aphrodisiac was human body odor
Egyptians and Babylonians used mandrake plant
Cleopatra used aphrodisiacs Greek and Roman rituals Publicly sold potions in ancient Rome
History
Aphrodisiacs a threat to chastity once Roman empire ended
Church banned: Black beans Avocados Chocolate
History Aztec and Incan cultures used
aphrodisiacs for reproductive purposes Used plant and animal substances:
Figs Bananas Chocolate Cocoa bean
Ancient Asia used insects and animal parts
Today’s View Used widely throughout the world,
but Asia thought to be lead consumer Westernized countries see as folklore Scientists continue to study the
effects on the body Foods Herbs Other substances
Allen Hirsch M.D. studied how different smells affect sexual arousal
Types of Aphrodisiacs
100’s of foods, herbs and scents thought to increase sexual desire
Vision, taste and olfactory stimulants Chocolate, oysters and honey oldest
known
Chocolate
Aztecs were the first to link chocolate with sexual desire
Montezuma Aztec Emperor Scientist linked chocolate to
phenylethylamine and serotonin Serotonin linked to sexual arousal Phenylethylamine released when people
fall in love
Oysters Dates back 1000’s of years Casanova ate 50 raw oysters before with
lady of choice Law of similarity Contain high zinc levels necessary for sperm
production High in D-aspartic acid and N-methyl-D-
aspartate which increase testosterone levels Dr. Robert Shmerling “testosterone plays a
bigger role in libido”
Honey Dates back to Medieval times used for mead Ancient Persia celebrated “honey month” Today used to raise sexual desire through
folklore and science Contains nitric oxide which opens blood
vessels 3 ounces of honey increases nitric oxide
level by 50% Contains mineral boron which effects
testosterone metabolism
Herbs
Act through scents, taste and ingestion
Damiana and ginseng most popular in past and present
Damiana
Used in Mexico and Latin America Dates back to Mayan culture, used to
remedy “giddy love” In 1976 found to contain 5-hydroxy-
7,3’,4’-trimethoxy-flavone which thought to act on GABA neuro-receptors and induce relaxation
Stimulates nervous system as well as sexual organs
Ginseng
Widely known to increase sexual health and desire
First mentioned in ancient Indian Medicine
May be remedy for sexual dysfunction
Many believe it looks like a “little man”
Scents
Both natural and synthetic scents are thought to increase sexual desire
Natural scents such as pheromones Synthetic smells such as: jasmine,
vanilla, pumpkin and cranberry
Pheromones Biological signaling scents found in a
persons body odor Three types of sex related pheromones:
steriod, copulins and Major Histocompatibility complex factors
Androstenone (steriod)- initiate mating behaviors
Copulins- communicate metabolic state MHC- used for genetic disimiliarity
MHC
Basic steroid structure
Copulin structure
Synthetic Scents Used in air fresheners, candles, body
sprays and perfumes Jasmine one of most potent scents, thought
to increase sexual desire Called “Queen of the night” in old India Used to stimulate elephants to mate Mentioned in Kama Sutra as a tea Believed to have physiological and
psychological effects Shown to increase spermatozoa and assist in
impotence and frigidity
Conclusion Aphrodisiacs date back to the dawn of
civilizations Medical, religious and psychological purposes,
through both their physiological effect and suggestion of shape
Today however, technological advances and nutrition do not produce the same effect as they did in the past
Scientist have found chemicals in foods, herbs and scents that aid and improve health of sexual reproductive organs
Chemicals mimic neurotransmitters and produce the same affect
Overall they still remain in the realm of folklore
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