Love Grub'In the Mood' Food http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=51179 WebMD Feature Reviewed By Charlotte Grayson Feb. 1, 2002 -- Oh, it sounds so easy. Looking to boost your sexual magnetism? How about some vanilla and cinnamon? Finding it hard to get into the mood? Try a little yohimbine and damiana. Want to get the attention of that cute guy in the next cubicle? Bring in a pumpkin pie and some sprigs of lavender. Aphrodisiac, a word derived from the name of the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, has come to mean anything that increases sexual desire. Aphrodisiacs don't cure sexual problems, such as impotence -- they're simply the items people use to spice things up in the bedroom. And they can be as exotic as an ancient herbal tonic or, as recent research shows, mundane as pie served for Thanksgiving. Century after century, cultures from around the world have touted their own recipes for igniting sexual passion, but the effectiveness of many of these aphrodisiacs may be only as good as the stories behind them. From Chinese rural villages to modern-day Manhattan, prescriptions for charging up the libido have ranged from sipping an herbal tea to putting on a Barry White record, from lighting some scented candles to adding dollops of whipped cream to the body. So what works and what doesn't? Turns out the evidence is sparse -- and that some supposed aphrodisiacs may owe their reputations more to their smell and appearance than any sexual magic experienced by those who eat them. "I haven't seen anything in the literature that says eating 10 oysters will get you hot and horny," says Linda Banner, a board certified sex therapist in San Jose, Calif., and a member of the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists. There aren't many scientific studies validating claims that certain foods or herbs actually increase sexual arousal, but oysters are one of those love potion foods with a long anecdotal history as a remedy d'amour. And there is some science on them. It turns out oysters are chock-full of zinc, a mineral that apparently helps the prostate gland, according to Chris Meletis, chief medical officer at the National College of Naturopathic Medicine in Portland, Ore. (While the prostate is not directly linked to sexual performance, Meletis argues that good overall health is vital to sexual functioning.) Research has shown that men with zinc deficiencies have a low sperm count. What turns him on -- pizza or pumpkin pie? It wasn't oysters that increased blood flow to the genitalia in research conducted by Alan Hirsch, MD, a neurologist and psychiatrist who is the neurological director at the Smell and Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. Hirsch's findings suggest a way to a person's heart is not through the stomach, but through the nose -- and the smell of oysters didn't put any of the study participants in the mood. Hirsch and his colleagues measured the effects certain aromas had on penile and vaginal blood flow. And what got the men in mood? "Baked cinnamon buns had more effects than all the perfumes together," Hirsch says. The combination of the scent of pumpkin pie and lavender also boosted penile blood flow the most. The runner-up was the scent of doughnuts and black licorice combined, followed by the aroma of pumpkin pie coupled with the smell of doughnuts. The guys also responded strongly to the smells of cheese pizza and buttered popcorn. Older men seemed to like vanilla, Hirsch says, while men who had frequent sexual intercourse responded strongly to the scent of strawberries. And what did the ladies like? A licorice-like candy called Good&Plenty combined with cucumber appeared to increase vaginal blood flow the most. Runner-up to those smells were the scents of Good&Plenty combined with banana nut bread. What turned the women off were things typically associated with male smells: men's colognes and the scent of barbecued meat. The smell of cherries also had an adverse effect on vaginal blood flow. These studies appeared in the January/February 1998 issue of Psychosomatic Medicine, in the May 27, 1998, issue of Biological Psychiatry, and in the June 3, 1998, issue of Medical Aspects of Human Sexuality. "Odors are intricately associated with sexual arousal," Hirsch says. While pumpkin pie and licorice don't normally spring to mind as sexually enticing, Hirsch explains that their smells may trigger feelings of comfort, security and nostalgia, which can lower anxiety, a major mood breaker. "Realize odors have an impact." The nose isn't the only way to rev things up. Visual stimulation also has a long history and experts say men, more so than women, appear to be turned on by what they see. Ellen Albertson, a registered dietitian and co-host with her husband of the "Cooking Couple Show," a radio show broadcasted from WMAX in Boston, says any food that looks remotely like male or female genitalia, such as asparagus or a peach, has been claimed to work as an aphrodisiac. "People thought if you ate (foods shaped like) genitalia, you would be imbibing those qualities," Albertson says. Foods also associated with fertility, such as caviar and other types of eggs, were thought to improve one's sex life, Albertson says, but she points out there's no scientific data to suggest this is more than just folklore. In the market for some herbal help?While the smells or sight of herbs may not put people in the mood for love, some research shows the chemical properties of a handful of herbs have physiological effects that can benefit lovemaking. Some scientific evidence indirectly suggests ginseng, ginkgo biloba, yohimbine, and an amino acid sold as a dietary supplement called arginine have positive effects on the libido, says naturopath Meletis. Yohimbine appears to have the most scientific evidence directly linking it to an improvement in sexual function. The herb comes from the bark of a tree native to Africa and was used in African cultures to stimulate erections. A 1996 study published in the August issue of Archives of Sexual Behavior concluded yohimbine does indeed help men who have problems getting and maintaining erections. The herb not only appears to increase blood flow, but also seems to have an effect on the brain's chemistry. However, this African tree bark does appear to come with a bite: It can raise blood pressure and boost the effects of blood pressure medications and monoamine inhibitors, a group of antidepressant drugs. Yohimbine also doesn't appear to be as effective among women. Some scientific evidence indicates ginseng, long used by many Asian societies as an aphrodisiac, improves blood circulation, and healthy blood flow is key to sexual arousal. Ginseng relaxes the artery walls, allowing blood to flow more easily. Viagra, the blockbuster anti-impotence drug, works in a similar way by increasing nitric oxide, which helps the arteries to relax. Meletis says ginseng also increases sperm count, though there was nothing found in published medical journals to substantiate that. Research has shown that ginkgo biloba, like ginseng, can also increase blood flow. In a study conducted at the University of California in San Francisco, a group of men and women who suffered sexual problems as a side effect of taking antidepressants took 200 milligrams of ginkgo daily: 84% of them reported an improvement in sexual function. However, the study was flawed by the absence of a control group to account for possible placebo effects. Arginine is an amino acid found naturally in many foods, including beef liver, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds and raw almonds, according to Albertson. While none of those may whet your sexual appetite, arginine is key for the production of nitric oxide, and therefore also helps with blood flow. But studies among impotent men have produced conflicting results. "The brain is the biggest sex organ." "I doubt that any of these (herbs) are very potent aphrodisiacs," says John Renner, MD, a family physician and president of the National Council for Reliable Health Information in Independence, Mo. "I have a feeling the power of suggestion would be the overriding thing here. If there was any potent force there, they would have become bestsellers." Milk chocolate also contains some arginine, says dietitian Ellen Albertson, which may sound more appealing than digging into a plate of beef liver. And chocolate has always been a top seller. Its history as an aphrodisiac goes back hundreds of years, to the bygone cultures of Central America. Montezuma, the 16th-century Aztec king, reportedly drank 50 cups of a chocolate beverage before entering his harem. It's also the centerpiece of Valentine's Day and now there's some science to back up what the Mayas and Aztecs suspected. Components of chocolate may influence serotonin, a chemical that affects mood, says Renner. But when it comes to being in the right mood, all the chocolate, ginseng, and pumpkin pie isn't going to help if you're not in the right psychological frame of mind to begin with. "The brain is the biggest sex organ," says sex therapist Linda Banner. "If you feel good (mentally), you're going to be much more sexually aroused." Naturopaths, family doctors, sex therapists, and psychologists agree: Aphrodisiacs aren't going to do a thing if you're not psychologically healthy. And many experts think aphrodisiacs only work by the power of psychological suggestion anyway. "To be perfectly candid with you, (aphrodisiacs) don't work," says Sandra A. Davis, a psychotherapist and a board-certified sex therapist. "It's mostly placebo. ? They can shift your frame of mind." |
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