Most probably you have watched enough movies to know that there is connection between food and sex. Films like 9 ½ Weeks have shown the erotic possibilities that food has, if you know how to use it. Such is the connection of food to sex that we have discovered aphrodisiacs, food that can boost one’s libido. But do they really work?
Aphrodisiacs are reputed to make a person crave for sex ones he consumes this particular food. The sex drive is said to increase once a person eats an aphrodisiac. Some of the most popular aphrodisiacs include oysters, avocados, and chocolates. Aphrodisiacs are not only about the taste and content of the food itself, it can also be about the smell too. The smell of lavender and pumpkin pie are said to be considered aphrodisiacs too. There are also sexual supplements that contain ingredients that have an effect on the sex drive. These ingredients include horny goat weed and yohimbe bark.
So, are they really effective?
The safe answer is maybe. See, there is this thing they call the placebo effect, which makes it hard to determine if aphrodisiacs really work. The placebo effect is best exhibited in medicines. It happens when a plain or blank pill (aptly called the placebo pill) works as well as the actual drug. This happens when the person who took the medicine thinks that he is taking the actual drug and thus his brain is convincing his body of that fact. Knowing how powerful the brain is, it can control the way the body works and make the placebo pill seem to work.
So this can apply to the supposedly effect of the aphrodisiacs. If a person is convinced that the food he is eating can increase his sex drive, his brain can convince the body that his sex drive is indeed increasing.
So in order to know if aphrodisiacs are indeed effective, you have to try eating the foods. But you don’t just pop them into your mouth and wait for your sex drive to go bonkers. Keep in mind the following when trying out foods that are supposed to be aphrodisiacs:
Try one food at a time. You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference of the effect if you eat two or three aphrodisiacs at the same time. Also, take note of the quantity of the food you consume. You may realize that you need at least three avocados to feel the effects. Or you need an hour’s exposure to lavender scent to be able to tell the difference.
Also, take note that there are aphrodisiacs that work well for men than women, and vice versa. So if you are a woman and you tested on pumpkin and lavender smells, they may not work so well on you. Be careful with the food you take especially if you have allergies. You want to increase your libido, not your chances of breaking out into hives. Lay off the oysters and chocolates if you are allergic to them.