Aphrodisiacs have long promised dinner, with dessert to follow. For centuries we have hoped desire might be something we can eat, a shortcut hidden in an oyster shell, an array of spices sprinkled over your meal or a special bar of chocolate to get you in the mood. Dating back to Ancient Greece, the word itself originates from Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty and fertility. But is it the aphrodisiacs, or are we simply hungry and hopeful?
Rachelle Robinett, a registered herbalist with the American Herbalist Guild, has been practicing herbalism professionally for over a decade. Herbalism was always part of her world, even during her early fashion career when she would come home to her apothecary to make remedies, joking she was doing “witch shit on the weekends.”
Beyond the Oyster Shell: What is an Aphrodisiac?
In her recent book, Naturally, Rachelle explores aphrodisiac herbs and pleasure, one of the most popular topics she has taught over the years. She says: “I write about pleasure seeing being a survival mechanism, a primal inherent evolutionary quality of being a human being, being an animal.
“It is a deep compulsion that we have to seek pleasure.” At its simplest, she defines aphrodisiacs as: “Any ingredient that inspires pleasure.”
While aphrodisiacs are often associated with sex and intimacy, Rachelle stresses that aphrodisiacs don’t have to be confined to the bedroom.
They can be woven into everyday moments of enjoyment. “Aphrodisiacs are fantastic, of course for making love, but if you are alone and just want to feel more pleasure, you could be reading or watching a film,” she says.
Aphrodisiac food expert and author of five cookbooks dedicated to the subject, Amy Reiley, says: “To me it’s really complex, aphrodisiacs are foods and drinks that have the ability to peak sexual desire or function in some way, but it might not necessarily be through eating it.”
Amy believes people often search for a universal answer to desire, despite sexuality being “very individual.
“My ultimate aphrodisiac evening would be champagne and oysters, but if i served that to my husband he would go hungry and be annoyed with me because he wouldn’t touch either one.
“We have these connections with food, memory and love. I always tell people it’s not just about the foods you put on your plate, it could be through aroma, or the suggestive look of foods.’
Pizza, something you wouldn’t typically consider an aphrodisiac, could even have the aphrodisiac effect. Amy says: “The aroma of pizza could even be a turn on, even though it’s not a sexy food. Just about anything, in the right context, could become a successful aphrodisiac.” Which, frankly, is reassuring news for anyone whose love language is takeaway.
Amy emphasises that there are ingredients which offer direct physiological sexual health support, she says: “Almonds, for example, it’s a plant-based protein and you’re getting vitamin E, often referred to as the “sex vitamin”, because of its role in sexual function. In her first cook book, Fork Me, Spoon Me, Amy built recipes around twelve of these traditionally recognised aphrodisiac foods.
3 Natural Aphrodisiacs Backed by Herbal Science
While aphrodisiacs are often wrapped in myth many herbs and foods do have measurable physiological effects. Rachelle says: “Daminana has been around since ancient Mesoamerican civilizations, originally named Turnera Aphrodisiaca, so this plant was always associated with pleasure enhancement.
“It is a member of the passionflower family and is often brewed as a tea or smoked.
“Damiana interacts with the body’s endocannabinoid system and is mostly used to reduce nervousness around sexual activity, and any kind of sexual inhibition.”
In Naturally Rachelle explains: “it works by inhibiting phosphodiesterase type 5, an enzyme that restricts blood flow, allowing blood vessels to relax, improving circulation to all the right places.”
Other herbs Rachelle talks about are ginseng and maca, two of the most commonly cited aphrodisiac herbs.
Rachelle talks about ginseng as an adaptogen, a herb that supports the body’s response to stress and energy demands, creating conditions where desire can thrive, she says: “Ginseng is generally associated with sex and enhancing performance, it increases circulation throughout the body, which is important for obvious reasons.
“It’s considered helpful for men and their performance enhancement during lovemaking. It’s a beautiful herb.”
Maca, Rachelle explains, is a more recent addition to the aphrodisiac conversation. But has earned a reputation as a “reproductive tonic”. She says: “Maca, again, is performance enhancing, so increasing sperm count, improving hormone balance for men and women, supporting fertility.”
The Bliss Molecule: The Real Health Benefits of Pure Cacao
One of the most widely recognised aphrodisiac ingredients is cacao, chocolate in its many forms. I mean who doesn’t love a bit of chocolate to get you in the mood. Long before it became a Valentine’s day must-have, it was ritually celebrated as a “divine food of the gods”. Rachelle says: “Cacao has a history of being used as an ingredient for pleasure, and was used ceremonially.
“They come from Maya, Aztec and some other indigenous groups that would use it for celebrations. It would be sipped, mixed with water and melted, and associated with vitality, fertility and sex, and since then has become chocolate and is considered romantic in general.
“One of the neatest things about cacao is that it contains an alkaloid that prevents the breakdown of Anandamide in our body, colloquially called the bliss molecule.”
While chocolate has become one of the most famous romantic foods, much of what’s on the supermarket shelves doesn’t contain any or near enough cacao for it to draw on its aphrodisiac effects.
Rachelle says: “The more pure the better, a lot of modern chocolate doesn’t even contain cacao, but if we can encounter or find pure cacao that’s going to be the most medicinal and the most potent.”
The Placebo Effect
Rachelle emphasises that there is scientific research behind all the herbs she discussed, helping validate many of the physiological effects of these herbs. But she is equally aware that mindset matters, she says: “The expectations we bring are important because they affect our receptivity and susceptibility to being influenced by these herbs.
“The placebo effect is the most effective medicine we have, and is always great to bring to the table if you’re working with these things, however you can take ginseng and be a sceptic or not and it’s going to increase circulation in your body, same with Maca, it will still affect your hormone levels and your fertility.
“I would say expectations can improve our experience, but regardless, these plants are going to work the way that they work.”
Amy understands that the placebo effect can “be a powerful piece of the puzzle”, she says. “If you are with someone who you desire and want to be desired by, I think, as long as the meal is appropriately sexy, any food at that moment can have an aphrodisiac effect.
“Now is it going to help your sex life or your sexual performance? No. But it could spark desire.”
Despite her passion for aphrodisiac foods, Amy is clear about the gaps in research, she says: “We obviously don’t know enough.”
The Sexual Health Connection: Diet, Libido, and Medical Insight
While some aphrodisiac claims remain difficult to prove, sexual medicine specialist, Dr Michael Krychman believes diet and lifestyle genuinely can affect sexual wellbeing, and supports the use of aphrodisiacs within medical practices.
Dr Krychman says: “aphrodisiacs have been around since the beginning of time, people are always looking for enhancers, the holy sexual grail to improve sexual function.”
He defines aphrodisiacs as a substance which “enhances sexual prowess, sexual function, overall arousal desire and orgasmic response.”
He is clear that diet can “100%” play a meaningful role in your sex life, he believes: “There is a place for aphrodisiacs in the treatment paradigm.
“I advocate for a mediterranean diet, especially for menopausal women, the mediterranean diet is high in fruits, vegetables, berries, unprocessed foods and very high in antioxidants. It’s a cardio protective diet and has been studied to show that it may improve sexual function, from a cardiovascular and vascular point of view.
“But I think it’s very important to personalise medicine, some people may want something a little more gentle with the less chance of side effects, and aphrodisiacs are great for this.”
Dr Krychman believes that men and women shouldn’t suffer with sexual complaints, and says: “Sexual health and general health are very much intertwined, and when you’re feeling better and healthier you’re more apt to be engaging in sexual activity.”
Like desire itself, aphrodisiacs are layered, and yes they can be very individual, but why not give them a go? Amy says: “If you want a way to safely and gently spice up your sex life, food is absolutely a great place to start.” Tuning into the connection between food, your mind, body and pleasure, might just be the sexiest thing on your plate.
