Different Aphrodisiacs Throughout History

Sex is an important part in the lives of human beings, whether they lived in the past or the present. It is the reason the race of men has continued until today, and more and more children are being born. Ever since man occupied this earth, they have been thinking of ways to spice up their sex lives by using aphrodisiacs. An aphrodisiac is something that can heighten a sexual act between two people. It can be inhaled or snorted, eaten, applied, or delivered to the body by instruments. In the early ages, men used animals' genitalia as aphrodisiacs. They believed that those sexual organs will add pleasure in their sexual act. Early recorded books such as the Kama Sutra, and the Bible tell how those people would boil frog, rams, or goat. Then, they would pour milk in it and sugar to add more flavor. Cave drawings of early men displayed pictures of men eating these organs. During the Elizabethan England, people considered plants as aphrodisiacs when they resembled the shape of the man's penis. Such vegetables used as aphrodisiacs were asparagus, carrots, mustard, nettles, anise, sweet peas, and even celery. China also had its own aphrodisiac which is ginseng. Because of its shape, the Chinese people also considered it to boost their sexual drives when they wanted to have sex. In the eastern world, they considered something as an aphrodisiac based on its shape, and not the chemical composition. Some aphrodisiacs were not eaten, but worn by people. Some of these charms were the unicorn's horn and the St. John Wort's root. Early people believed that their magic was so powerful that they could not even bring themselves to eat it. Throughout the history, men always invented recipes that can add pleasure in their sex lives. In Europe, they used the theory of Galen that food should be warm and moist for something to be an aphrodisiac. Spices such as pepper were always added in their foods to increase their lust. In considering food as aphrodisiac, they looked at other theories besides Galen. The early people believed that a Mandrake root would cure the female of her infertility. They based it on the root's fork-like shape, which looks somewhat like her thigh. Oysters, which is one of the popular foods today, is also considered to increase the lust of couples. Some people say that it could boost sexual drives because it looked like a woman's genitalia. Even lizards were eaten because they were thought to have some positive effects on couple's sexual lives. Even though potatoes shape are round, early Europeans added them to their aphrodisiac list. The reason for this is that they were a delicacy in the earlier times. Some of the earlier people based their aphrodisiac lists on Greek mythology. Actually the term aphrodisiac was taken from the goddess name, Aphrodite. She is the goddess of love who considered sparrows as sacred and its brains as aphrodisiacs. Bunnies were also considered as aphrodisiac at that time; hence the creation of the playboy magazines. However, St. Thomas Aquinas has a different thought. He said that aphrodisiac food should have some vital spirit so meat and wine were added to the list. One of the most popular aphrodisiacs in history was the Spanish fly. Its most effective ingredient is the Cantharidin found on beetle insects. It is said to irritate the genitals and cause sexual arousal. Nowadays, the most common aphrodisiacs are the pills such as herbal Viagra, It contains some natural ingredients designed to boost the sexual drives of couples. Even if the man is already old, he can still have an erection he could only achieve during his younger days.