Are Aphrodesiacs All "in Your Head"?

[curvacious_lust]

by Rich Maloof for MSN Health & Fitness

The idea that food or drink can unlock the secrets of Aphrodite, goddess of love, is as old as the ages. Do aphrodisiacs work just because we want them to?

The power of a good aphrodisiac lies in its ability to heighten the senses.

While there is no magic potion, piquing one’s senses with flavors, aromas and textures can be stimulating—and invite more stimulation. Foods that are soft, silky, smoky, musky, sweet or juicy can be suggestive and alluring. The shape and texture of some foods commonly considered to be aphrodisiacs (oysters, bananas) get a lot of mileage out of association with one body part or another.

Old standbys like flowers and chocolate work for a reason.

In addition to sense-heightening (sight, taste, smell), this one-two punch is a long-running favorite for one simple reason: romance. Ever since the first caveman showed the first cavewoman that he cared, romance has been helping upright man get lucky. If roses and a box of Godiva don’t do it for your girl or guy, figure out what does. The body listens to the mind.

Chocolate, by the way, contains phenethylamine, which is thought to have psychoactive effects. However, the chemical never reaches the brain in enough quantity to change mood or behavior.

Give a body what it needs.

People are more apt to feel amorous when they feel healthy, and some foods may seem aphrodisiacal when they replenish deficient vitamins or minerals. Asparagus and artichokes, for example, are both rich in potassium and folic acid (that’s folic, not phallic). The newfound energy can revitalize the senses and invigorate libido.

“Spanish fly” does have a direct physical effect.

Spanish fly is made from the meloid or “blister” beetle, a species that contains a small amount of the chemical cantharidin. Humans have a natural allergic reaction to cantharidin, which manifests as irritation of the urinary tract. In men, the irritation can be mistaken for arousal because it causes an erection. But the erection may not subside, leading instead to a dangerous condition (priapism) that can cause clotting in or gangrene of the penis.

Cantharidin is obtained by drying and crushing a meloid beetle into powder. Or, you could dine on a creature that eats meloid beetles, such as certain frogs—which explains why frog legs are a reputed aphrodisiac.

Alcohol can pull a “bait and switch” trick on you.

No doubt alcohol is the elixir responsible for many an encounter, in part because it relaxes inhibitions and insecurities. It can also instill confidence, even if falsely so, and confidence is attractive. But ultimately alcohol is a depressant, and therefore an anaphrodisiac. It dulls the senses and interferes with performance. Over-imbibing in food or drink will diminish drive.

http://health.msn.com/centers/mensexualhea...123456&GT1=7806

[Mikayla1]

Of course I believe in the power of aphrodisiacs! Chocolate is definitely a biggee for me! I am not quite sure if oysters would do it, I just can't seem to get myself to eat those slimy little suckers, but I definitely can get into chocolate!

I have tried the Spanish Fly before....it is an interesting sensation, but not unlike putting hot sauce on your clitoris!

I believe that chemicals in certain foods most definitely can stimulate our senses, much like alcohol can numb them . . . for me, drinking definitely takes away my inhibitions (what little of them I have left) and puts me in the mood for lovin'. . .

I think much of what aphrodisiacs do is similiar to what romantic music or candlelight does . . it tricks our brain and therefore our body, into feeling romantic. . . whether we are actualy having the chemical reaction or we just THINK we are because we are somehow preconditioned to think we should respond this way is irrelevant, as long as we are having good sex afterward!

Mikayla

[Scout]

Chocolate and flowers? YOU BET! That'll work every time! - but my favorite -

Oysters! I love those slimy little suckers... and adore eating them in the most sensual way possible. Lobster works well, too - remember the scene in Flash Dance when Jennifer Beals is eating the pieces of lobster? I think that could be a turn on to any man!

My SO and I did one of those Valentine's Weekend specials at a hotel in Baltimore once...for starters, they had the most incredibly delicious array of finger foods (mostly good Maryland seafood) that we were to feed each other, licking up any of the drippings of course - that alone was very erotic...

There are so many things that can heighten the senses - from soft aromas to low flickering candlelight, or the light of a fire in a fireplace...

Scout

[rcmit]

Chocolate and a little wine works well for getting my GF in a romantic mood, but if anything acts as an aphrodesiac, it's the smell of cooking with garlic. If I'm baking some garlic bread or cooking something with a bit of extra garlic when she arrives, then we'll almost certainly not make it out of the kitchen for round one! I don't know why it works and neither does she, but we don't try to analyze it, we just enjoy it

[amwjb]

i do tend to use horney goats weed. it usually takes about a week of build up to work. but once it starts it's like i'm insatiable. my nipples stay hard and i stay wet and all i can think about is a good hard fucking.

another thing that works for me is codine. every winter i get a really bad cough for long periods of time so my dr. perscribes cough syrup with codine. i have found that it makes me want to cuddle up to hubbys back and just rub all over him especially his cock. course he doesn't mind when he can just roll over and come all over my tits. geesh too bad it's spring and i'm all out of syrup....