There is much debate surrounding the issue of aphrodisiacs and whether they actually work or not. No scientist has come out and made a claim for any one of them, but research into their benefits goes on. Some scientists believe that so called aphrodisiacs act as mere placebos. Sexual arousal is such a complex subject and it’s so difficult to isolate the conditions that bring it about.

The Greek goddess Aphrodite gave us the name and a belief in their various forms has been present all through recorded history. The Chinese in particular treat aphrodisiacs very seriously indeed. In their culture the genitalia of male animals are thought to promote masculine virility. This leads to the buying of genitalia from seals and tigers. It’s bad news for the tigers which are an endangered animal.

Other animals are the victims of a belief in aphrodisiacs. The rhinoceros, also feted for its aggression, is hunted for the horn, which is ground into a powder. This is much sought after unfortunately contributing to the endangered status of the species. Turtles are often poached so they can be killed and dissected for the eggs inside. They are considered a delicacy as well as aphrodisiacs and are eaten raw flavored with lime juice and salt.

The most famous of the aphrodisiacs is probably the oyster. The oyster industry, which is worth millions of dollars, likes to promote its product as the vital ingredient of any romantic, candle lit dinner for two. Does it work? The jury is still out.

It’s well known that most people, especially women, have a weakness for chocolate. There is a chemical in chocolate that some people believe is an aphrodisiac. However, it’s said that you would need to eat a great deal of it for it to kick in. Well, any excuse! At least it isn’t doing any harm. Chocolate isn’t an endangered species, except in my house.

In addition to all the food stuffs we all have fun with when thinking about aphrodisiacs there is a lot of serious research going into developing drugs, which address real problems such as erectile dysfunction and other sexual disorders.

The subject will be argued about for years to come. Is it the candles and champagne that makes us frisky or the oysters? The brain is a very susceptible organ responding to many different stimuli. The mere suggestion or reputation of something being an aphrodisiac may be enough to manufacture a response. It’s probably true to say we all want it to be true. Between the skeptics and the true believers the truth may fall somewhere in the middle. Whatever the scientific value the culture of aphrodisiacs is here to stay.

Ah yes - the aphrodisiac. Is it a myth trumped up by the same ancients who believed gods in chariots and punishing gods would sling arrows of fate, striking down humans at whim? Is it a gimmick contrived by the same money-mongering folks who blew Valentine’s Day up into a multi-million dollar imperative? Or is it a natural and inevitable instigator, in the form of the all-famous oyster, bringing on inspired sensuality as powerful and potent as the Spanish Fly brought bowel irritation in the guise of sexual stimulation?

Your guess is as good as the opinions of the experts. Some will attest to the aphrodisiac that is chocolate, given its properties that stimulate certain hormones, such as dopamine, in the hypothalamus of the human brain. Women always seem to love chocolate. Others will aver that such natural herbs and roots as Yohimbe (or Yohimbine) work to remedy problems such as erectile dysfunction. And still others ascribe to decidedly sexually potent animal parts, foods which have visually allusive shapes, or plants, foodstuffs, or mythically charged animal parts that have been rumored as aphrodisiacs to stimulate sexual arousal.

But as with any tradition, belief, or value that has the potential for changing over time and through the variant translations, the item still deemed an aphrodisiac might just be the aphrodisiac as we know it today but the item serving different purposes in history. For example, an aphrodisiac in ancient times and tribes was a tool for reproduction. Another aphrodisiac was an implement for assuaging fears of infertility. Still another was a way of ensuring performance.

So chocolate, rhino horn, tiger’s penis, the oyster, the potato, and the tomato may be the love fruit, the union key, the horny pill, or the sex stimulator, but may not in fact be an aphrodisiac. At the same time, the derivatives of the above continue to be produced, manufactured, advertised, supplied, and believed in. And the chemical equivalent of aphrodisiacs are making their way and taking their place in line: according to a writer at Wikipedia.com, the first actual aphrodisiac (with physically and emotionally impacting properties, that is) has been synthesized. It’s labeled PT-141, and is said to actually “stimulate sexual desire in men as well as women,” though it is still in the clinical trial phases for future treatments of such disorders as sexual arousal disorder and erectile dysfunction.

While Spanish Fly really was just an irritant to the urinary organs, fooling the influenced one (who took a dose of the beetle powder) to think she has insatiable sexual desire, and while the oyster was originally rumored to be a sexual stimulant merely because it replicates female genitalia, maybe what it comes down to is powers of mind…or powers of suggestion: if you think it’s an aphrodisiac, it will work as an aphrodisiac. So start thinking - and stay within the law.