Aphrodisiacs can be defined as "substances that excite the genital sense and encourage sexual intercourse" their usefulness is to help stimulate libido, self-confidence, virility, sexual potency, performance, desire etc....
There are aphrodisiacs of animal origin, such as ambergris, musk, cantharide (Spanish fly) and aphrodisiacs of plant origin.
Aphrodisiacs of plant origin make up most sexual stimulants in liquid or capsule form. Among the most famous are :
- Banded wood: This evocative name is used in the West Indies to designate the bark of a vomit box. The banded wood, also called marbled wood, contains, just like the vomit nuts, strychnine and brucine, which gives it aphrodisiac properties. A French pharmacologist, Lalanne, studied the action of bandaged wood and concluded that "it has no toxicity but undeniable aphrodisiac virtues".
- Cinnamon: Made from the dried inner bark of the shoots of an exotic tree. Cinnamon has the advantage of being readily available and easy to find. Cinnamon has long been known as an aphrodisiac. This ingredient can be found in countless aphrodisiac recipes such as "the perfect love liqueur" or "the aphrodisiac wine".
- The damiana: Native to the Andes and Mexico we use the leaves and flowering branches of this small shrub. It has the reputation of being a very powerful aphrodisiac with a low rate of toxicity but remains difficult to access.
- Fenugreek: Fenugreek is a legume grown in North Africa, Pakistan and India. This plant contains an oil rich in lecithin and therefore rich in phosphorus. It also contains coumarin.
- Ginger: It is easily found in France, either fresh, powdered or candied in sugar. In Senegal women make belts containing ginger tubers to stimulate their husbands' sexual arousal.
- Gin-seng: In Chinese it means "wonder of the universe". This elongated root has been considered for centuries in China as a panacea and it reaches very high prices, as demand is very high and supply is low. Contemporary work has proven that this plant contains substances that are chemically related to human sex hormones, which may explain its general stimulating and aphrodisiac action.
- Mint: Used for a very long time as a stimulant and aphrodisiac. Ancient Jews used to sprinkle mint on the bed of newlyweds. According to some studies, the aphrodisiac effects would be linked to the elimination of its essential oil through the mucous membranes.
- Savory: Savory is still known as Satyr's herb and Thore wrote in 1803 that this plant was "so called satyrs, a kind of gods, half man and half goat. They were inclined to women, which is why a plant whose aroma gives it aphrodisiac virtues, so useful to these dissolute gods, was consecrated to them. »
- Ylang-ylang: it is a tree growing in the Philippines, Java and Sumatra that gives the fragrant essence of ylang-ylang. As its Latin name, Unona odorantissima, suggests, ylang-ylang ylang is widely used in perfumery.