The word “aphrodisiac” comes from the Greek name for the Goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. There are few aspects of folk medicine that gain more attention than the use of traditional aphrodisiacs.
Most people are familiar with oysters as a means to increase sexual desire and many people have heard the term “Spanish fly”. In folk medicine, aphrodisiacs come in many different forms. There are remedies for impotence as well as aphrodisiacs meant just to boost our carnal desire. There are also a variety of recipes which either arouse desire in someone else, sometimes without the person even knowing, or to destroy sexuality in another.
Aphrodisiacs in Folk Medicine – Love Foods
For centuries many foods and drugs have gained a reputation as aphrodisiacs. Oysters are the best known of the food aphrodisiacs and it’s quite likely that their reputation comes from their resemblance to testicles.
This is not an uncommon occurrence in the world of folk medicine. Many times if a plant resembles a certain body part it is thought to benefit that particular body part. For example, it’s long been thought that beans are beneficial to the kidneys and medicines for the blood are often red. According to this belief, medicines in nature are marked by a visual indication of their intended use.
Another example of this “doctrine of signatures” is the tubers of some orchid plants. They are considered aphrodisiacs because of their shape, which once again resembles testicles. Another example is the use of cucumbers in love charms. This is an often used charm in folk medicine and the phallic shape of the cucumber has always been a part of its lore.
Besides oysters, garlic and onions are probably the most well known food aphrodisiacs in folk medicine but there are others as well. Cayenne pepper, for example, is believed to arouse passion because of its “hotness. Summer savory is considered an aphrodisiac and has been used as such for centuries.
Aphrodisiacs in Folk Medicine – Spanish Fly
Spanish fly is a term many people have heard although they might not know exactly what the substance is. It is an aphrodisiac made from the crushed bodies of dried beetles and is quite toxic as well.
The preparation of Spanish fly causes irritation to the urinary tract and increases blood flow to the pelvic area. There is no scientific proof that it increases sexual arousal and it is quite poisonous. It’s not recommended to ingest this aphrodisiac no matter what you might hear about it. It is toxic enough to cause severe health problems or even death.
Aphrodisiacs in Folk Medicine – Mandrake and Ginseng
Mandrake is another of the more popular aphrodisiacs in folk medicine. The mandrake root is forked, giving it the appearance of a human with legs. Additional forks in the root sometimes look like the male genitals. This keeps in concordance with the doctrine of signatures discussed above. The roots with “male genitals” are extremely prized as aphrodisiacs.
The effects of Mandrake that have been discovered, or proven rather, are sedative and anesthetic. It is very unlikely that these roots are actually aphrodisiacs but the folk medicine traditions hold on to this belief.
American ginseng is another of the aphrodisiacs in folk medicine with quite a reputation. Like mandrake root, the ginseng root sometimes looks like a human form. It is believed, in folk medicine, that ginseng root rouses sexual desire, especially in older men.
Aphrodisiacs in Folk Medicine – Magical Aphrodisiacs
Many aphrodisiacs in folk medicine are magical in nature, especially those intended to arouse desire in others. An example of such magical aphrodisiacs in folk medicine is the belief that a woman can make a man love her by powdering dried leaves shaped like hearts and sprinkling it on his bed.
There are many more aphrodisiacs such as this one. One of the most common of the magical aphrodisiacs is menstrual blood. Folk medicine tradition says that if a woman can put a small amount of her menstrual blood into a man’s food and if he consumes it, he will be attracted to her in an overpowering way that he cannot resist.
