Aphrodisiac foods: they do not exist, but…

It is defined aphrodisiac (recalling in the term Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love) a substance taken in order to raise the libido and promote excitement.

Traditionally, in particular, aphrodisiac properties are attributed to some foods considered capable of igniting passion; After all, sex and cooking have always gone hand in hand.

But can introducing some ingredients into your diet over others really help improve understanding with your partner under the sheets?

If you think to make the romantic dinner even more passionate, be careful not to fall into the trap: natural substances or really aphrodisiac dishes do not exist.

Even if websites and newspaper pages often offer this or that dish as a propitiatory for a “hot” after dinner, you have to put your soul in peace.

Certainly the diet we follow affects the health of the body and it is true that in many foods there are nutrients capable, in various ways, of positively affecting sexual well-being, but that their consumption is aphrodisiac and therefore automatically translates into an increase in desire is another matter, often all to be demonstrated.

However, considering that at the base of excitement there are not only chemical and physical mechanisms, but also a psychological component, it cannot be excluded that foods that are considered aphrodisiacs can act precisely on this, stimulating, consequently, fantasies and desires.

The perception of this or that food in the collective and personal imagination can therefore play an important role: if a person believes that a dish is aphrodisiac because it is universally considered as such or because he is convinced that it has such an effect on himself, it is not excluded that, as in a sort of placebo effect, can then really become so.

Plants with tonic and stimulating effects

The numerous medicinal foods or plants considered aphrodisiacs actually owe their fortune to the fact of possessing toning and stimulating properties.

Eros on the plate

Moving on to analyze the so-called aphrodisiac foods, very little is obtained: oysters, inevitable in every candlelit menu, have been studied far and wide. It turned out that thanks to the high content of selenium they are good for the heart, in the sense of heart muscle, but have no effect on sexuality.

In addition, they are also quite rich in zinc, a precious mineral for the functioning of different hormones, including sexual ones, able to favor in particular the production of testosterone, but that this translates into an aphrodisiac effect immediately after consuming them is yet to be demonstrated.

The same applies to all spicy or intensely aromatic foods: chilli, pepper, mustard, horseradish, saffron, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cumin. Although they are considered special ingredients for romantic dinners, with an eye to after dinner, according to experts it is only the result of autosuggestion because, at the moment, there is no scientific evidence on their activity in the sexual field. As well as truffles and animal testicles: more than aphrodisiac foods, they are real urban legends.

Among the spices already mentioned, the one which is most often attributed an aphrodisiac role is chilli: this would depend on the presence of capsaicin, a substance that, in addition to giving this vegetable its typical spicy taste, has a vasodilating effect that helps to improve the peripheral blood circulation of the body, and therefore also the blood flow at the level of the genitals.

This effect of chili pepper could facilitate and support erectile mechanisms in men and those of arousal and orgasm in women. But from the experts of the Italian Society of Urology comes a warning, valid especially for the male side: an excessive consumption of chili pepper, precisely because of the content of capsaicin, could end up having an effect that is anything but aphrodisiac, since this substance also has an irritating action on the prostate, which in turn could have deleterious consequences for sexuality (for example it can alter the mechanisms of ejaculation as well as those of erection).

An aphrodisiac effect always linked to the action on peripheral blood circulation would be recognized as none other than garlic. The merit of the increase in blood flow would be in this case allicin, a substance that, however, is also responsible for the typical smell of this food, certainly not particularly pleasant and exciting.

The fame of food that can ignite passion also touches asparagus: it is even said that in nineteenth-century France they were specially served to newlyweds on the eve of their wedding night. In reality, there are no scientific confirmations, but if nothing else they are an excellent source of minerals and vitamins, such as strawberries, also famous as an ally fruit of libido.

Even among dried fruits there are some foods that are considered aphrodisiacs, such as almonds and walnuts. What is certain is that they provide valuable nutrients for health in general, not only sexual.

The former, for example, are a source of minerals (potassium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, copper, zinc, magnesium, lithium), vitamins (vitamin B1, B2, PP, E), omega 3 and proteins, so much so that they are considered an invigorating product for the body and are also considered valuable for good male fertility.

Walnuts, then, are considered a good source of l-arginine (also present in meat, fish and eggs), amino acid precursor of nitric oxide (ie the body uses it to produce this substance). The latter is synthesized in the endothelium (the inner lining) of blood vessels with a vasodilating effect that results in better blood flow, even at the level of the genitals, with the potential beneficial effects already described talking about chili.

Chocolate (especially the dark version) is another of the products traditionally considered aphrodisiacs. This is because the cocoa from which it derives contains theobromine and phenylethylamine, substances known to have a mild stimulating effect in particular on the nervous system: they would act, in fact, by regulating the levels of serotonin and endorphins, the so-called hormones of well-being. It should be considered, however, that, taken with chocolate, theobromine and phenylethylamine are largely inactivated by digestive processes.

Particular attention deserves red wine. In this regard, a study was conducted by the University of Florence, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, on 800 women between 18 and 50 years, divided into moderate drinkers of red wine (about one or a glass and a half a day), occasional consumers (less than a glass a day) of any alcoholic beverage and teetotalers. According to the results obtained, moderate consumers of red wine recorded better results in terms of arousal, lubrication, reaching orgasm and sexual desire.

Even on men, red wine would not be harmful: according to an Australian study, also published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, moderate drinking men have a rate of erectile dysfunction comparable to that of teetotalers.

The positive effects on sexuality of this drink (and not of other alcohol) would be attributable to the antioxidants contained in it, in particular resveratrol (also known as a beauty ally of the skin), capable of increasing the production of nitric oxide.

Be careful, however, it is sufficient to exaggerate with glasses because the positive effects of antioxidants are nullified by the negative ones of alcohol which, in high quantities, interferes with sexual desire and pleasure and has a toxic action on the nervous and circulatory system such as to disturb, for example, the erectile mechanisms.

The best menu is the light one

So how to orient yourself for a dinner for two? The best rule is not to overdo it with the doses.

After a binge, in fact, digestion is slower, especially if the dishes are rich in fat and fiber.

If the stomach is subjected to excessive work, blood is removed from the body to concentrate it precisely at the gastric level. Drowsiness, heaviness and exhaustion are just around the corner. And they certainly do not benefit the performance under the sheets.

It is better to be cautious even with wine and especially spirits: if it is true that alcohol dissolves tensions and releases inhibitions, it is also true that it has the unpleasant side effect of falling asleep earlier.

If there is an erection problem better go to the doctor

Instead of looking for solutions in the kitchen or non-existent magic remedies, if a man fears some problem of sexual defaillance he would do well to contact his family doctor in the first instance.

Who, after discussing and analyzing the situation, can suggest a visit to the andrologist.

Today there are drugs that solve these problems, which can be taken discreetly and are easier to take: the latest novelty is a tablet that dissolves immediately in the mouth without the need for water. If you want to know more, contact your trusted andrologist.