At least since the time when Rachel bartered with Leah for a mandrake root so she might become fruitful, men and women have shown an inordinate interest in herbs and foods that might add to their own or their partners' sexual abilities and passions. Over the ensuing four thousand years, a long and complex list of aphrodisiacs has become part of the human sexual and social repertoire. There is not a drop of scientific evidence to prove that most of these have any effect whatever on our sexual potency. Despite this, millions of people spend sometimes outrageous amounts of money for mixtures `guaranteed' to improve their sex lives.

Of special interest locally because it is commonly found in the Judean Desert, mandrake root has remained a perennial favorite of those seeking to stir up passion. When, in the Song of Songs, Shulamit invites her beloved to stroll with her in the countryside, she does so in the belief that the scent of the mandrake flowers would arouse him. In more modern times, F.Scott Fitgerald admitted to having used mandrake tea in an "attempt, not always successful, to add to my sometimes flagging passions". Cubans swear by the powers of mandrake and it has been rumored that Che Guevera was a regular user as is Fidel Castro today. The Greek Orthodox Church has forbidden its members in Greece and Cyprus to use mandrake because "it will lead them into promiscuous ways".

Another root plant that enjoys a high reputation as an aphrodisiac is root of the ginseng. Native to Asia and North America, Koreans drink it in the form of tea, Chinese chew it raw and many Europeans, despite its outrageous cost, grind it into powder and put it in stews. Nearly everyone claims that their way is best and all are quite sure that ginseng is effective in stimulating men and women to heightened passion. The most unusual recipe for ginseng probably belongs to the Meskawaki Indians of Wisconsin who chop the root finely and then combine it with rattlesnake meat and gelatin to make a kind of pudding.

The ancient Greeks and Romans had a long list of things believed to be aphrodisiacs. Historian Alan Hull Walton says that the most powerful sexual potions were made from the pith taken from the branch of the pomegranate which was then ground together with the testicles of bulls and rams. Pliny the Elder remarked, however, that as much as this mixture might have been popular "it was good neither for the heart or the kidneys". One also suspects that it was not particularly good for the palate. The Roman poet Marcus Valerius Martialis favored more ordinary foods as aphrodisiacs. He suggested that sexual appetite could be stimulated in old men if they dined on spring onions and shallots. For "young men suffering from impotency and not-so-young women suffering from lack of desire", he said that pepper, cabbage, asparagus, eggs, pineapples and snails (eaten uncooked and without sauce) would be effective stimulators.

Between the forth and first centuries B.C.E. many medical doctors, including Galen and Hippocrates agreed that ingesting garlic would contribute to sexual potency. Fifteen centuries later Maimonides added his voice to this bit of folk wisdom. Although this theory is laughed at by most contemporary medical researchers, garlic remains the most popular aphrodisiac of modern day Greeks, especially those who inhabit the Ionian Islands. On Corfu, for example, widowers who marry are feted before the wedding with an assortment of dishes, all of which are heavily seasoned with garlic. There is even a priest living in the village of Kourkabedes who promises barren couples that chewing six raw heads of garlic each day will produce a child for them. Nor do the Greeks forget that there is another major advantage to garlic: it repels vampires.

Nearly all medical and psychology researchers agree that most herbs and ordinary foods have no real impact on sex drive or potency. Most agree however that what stimulates us are those things we are convinced will stimulate us. Some point out that one of the most charming aspects of aphrodisiacs is the hocus-pocus that frequently accompanies their use. The Greek doctor Theophrastus wrote 2,300 years ago that for either mandrake root to be effective as an aphrodisiac, one must cut three concentric circles around the root. Before actually cutting the root one should face west and recite as much as one can remember from the "Mysteries of Love" an ancient guide to sexual aids.

The belief in aphrodisiacs exists nearly everywhere. Early Arabic literature abounds with references to ways to excite the libido. "The Perfumed Garden for the Soul's Delight", by a 15th century sheik named Nefzawi, recommended sparrow's tongues during the daytime hours and, at bedtime, a glassful of honey, twenty almonds and 100 pine nuts. For men past their sexual prime, Sheik Nefzawi specifically recommended a mixture of camels' milk and honey. Indian experts during this same period prescribed a powder made from the bones of peacocks. One 16th century French chemist favored crocodile meat which was dried, ground into powder and mixed with sweet wine. Also in France, Madame de Pompadour agreed with the famous gastronome Brillat-Savarin, that truffles "make women more amiable and men more amorous".

In parts of Germany, even today, some people think that eating an apple that has been soaked in the perspiration of their intended lover's armpit is a sure means of seduction. Just how one is supposed to collect the needed amount of perspiration has, to the best of this writer's knowledge, never been specified. Our American cousins, always thinking they are just a bit more daring than the rest of us, favor Spanish fly, a powder made from dried, powdered blister beetles. (The fact is that Spanish fly is one of the few proven aphrodisiacs. It has the unfortunate side-effect of being a fatal poison if taken in anything but the most accurate dose).

Many believe that ordinary foods have the powers to stimulate sexual desire. Italians, thinking that tomatoes have this ability, refer to these fruits as "love apples". Catherine de Medici, who introduced artichokes to the French table, was so firm in her belief that they were aphrodisiacs that she fed them regularly to her husband, the aging King Henry IV. Rasputin, reportedly the most sexually active of all Russians, devoured huge quantities of pickled cauliflower in the belief that it would add to his strength. The son of Roman emperor Tiberius, after having bedded down so many of the household servants, was ordered by his father father to stop eating broccoli to curb his excesses. Even the common leek has been included in the list, the Emperor Nero being only the first of many to believe that leeks would help the timbre of his voice while adding to his sexual energies.

As to sheer good humour, none could possibly outdo Samuel Pepys, who made a point of dining on raw or smoked oysters whenever possible. The English have always considered oysters highly aphrodisiac. One only wonders how Pepys, who often consumed fifty or more oysters in a day had any appetite afterwards for making love.

Although ground rhinoceros horn, powdered walrus kidneys and the pickled pituitary glands of monkeys are expensive (five grams of rhino horn costs about $650 in Hong Kong), mandrake, ginseng, leeks and garlic are all available locally, and at least at fairly reasonable prices. Those in search of their own favorite love potion may like this one, taken from an 18th century English herbal manual: "Into a steaming hot cup of very strong coffee or hot chocolate place a small quantity of crushed nutmeg and two whole juniper berries. Let the mixture stand for two minutes and then, on the surface of the beverage, sprinkle a bit of cinnamon". The mixture may not do much for the libido but it does taste marvelous, especially with a generous portion of whipped cream floating on the top".

© Daniel Rogov