Abstract This paper presents a detailed look at the world of aphrodisiacs. For many years the world has debated the validity of whether certain foods and drugs enhanced the ability to become sexually aroused. This paper takes a close look at some of the more commonly touted aphrodisiacs and the stories behind them. Many facets of the field are explored with an emphasis on the belief that chocolate is one of the most potent of the aphrodisiacs.
This paper discusses aphrodisiacs, various substances that, throughout all cultures and times, have been associated with enhancing sexual pleasure and performance.
Abstract This paper explains that the popularity of aphrodisiacs has not waned over the past millennia; moreover, the subject of aphrodisiacs is not unique to folklore, literature, religion, and mythology. The author points out that, in the past century, pharmacology has replaced folklore. The paper shows that, in 1989, the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that there is absolutely no proof that over-the-counter aphrodisiacs affect sexual desire or performance.
From the Paper "However, sexuality is chemical, and any substance that alters brain chemistry can affect the libido. Even exercise can be considered an aphrodisiac, since it causes the release of neurochemicals and sex hormones. Any substance that triggers the production of testosterone in men or women will act as an aphrodisiac, and any substance that affects the balance of neurotransmitters like norepinephrine and dopamine will affect libido ("Sex, Scent, and the Senses"). Therefore, aphrodisiacs do have definite physiological components, however subtle."
A review of the book "The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium: An Englishman's World" by Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger.
Abstract This paper examines Robert Lacey and Danny Danziger's book "The Year 1000: What Life Was Like at the Turn of the First Millennium: An Englishman's World," a look at life in medieval England. It shows how Lacey and Danziger's careful research make the book as informative as it is interesting by providing a captivating insight into medieval times through the recounting of the daily lives of the people of the time. It describes how the book covers a wide range of human experience from peasants to aristocracy and gives the reader an intimate knowledge of life, death and adversities faced by people of the time as well as covering topics including how clothes were fastened before buttons were used, medieval aphrodisiacs, folk cures for common ailments and even medieval brain surgery.
From the Paper " The authors continue the book in the same captivating and conversational tone, and never fall into the trap of inundating the reader with dull statistics and information that plague so many historical texts. For example, Lacey and Danziger also dispel the popular misconception that English women of the time did not have as much property and influence as did their male counterparts. The authors note that women could own property, divorce their husbands, and receive an inheritance. When groom's families paid for a virgin girl, the money often went directly to the girl herself."
Abstract This paper explains that, throughout history, different countries and cultures have had their own ways of utilizing the many various types of members of the very large orchid family. The author points out that, even in antiquity, during the Middle Ages and to the present, orchids are supposed to have medicinal properties such as aphrodisiacs and as a cures for a wide variety of disorders from combating heart troubles to treating scabies. The paper relates that a number of orchid species have been used as a source of food but the only widely used product is salep; however, the only orchids that have any fiscal impact, outside the flower market, is vanilla.
From the Paper "Vanilla ice cream is one of our familiar desserts, but have we ever heard about "fox testicle ice cream"? Koopowitz introduces Eric Hansen's experiences about such a kind of ice cream. Eric Hansen relates his experiences in Turkey researching a form of ice cream made from the tubers of orchids. The Turkish name salepli dondurma translates literally into "fox testicle ice cream". The history of this dessert goes back nearly 500 years. Hansen describes the ice cream is " slightly sweet with a subtle, nutty flavor similar to drink milk powder. It also had a hint of mushroom, yak butter, or goats on a rainy day." And he calculated that one ice cream store about 2.5 tons of dried orchid tubers, which translates into nearly 5 tons of fresh tubers. With each tuber weighting only a few grams, millions of plants need to be harvested each year to supply a single ice dream producer. But the locals claim that the plants are still abundant and unaffected by the harvest. This ice cream is reputed to have several health benefits including improving a man's sexual prowess."
Abstract This paper describes the history, origin and medical uses of the Yohimbe herb. The paper explains that it is popularly used in West Africa as an aphrodisiac. Furthermore, the paper describes the characteristics of the Yohimbe tree and discusses the contraindications for usage of the Yohimbe Herb.
From the Paper "Yohimbe Bark Yohimbe is an herb obtained from the inner bark of the Yohimbe tree that grows wild in various countries in Africa. In West Africa Yohimbe has been and continues to be widely used as a medical plant. The inner bark is used as the herb and is available in tablet liquid extract and powder forms. Traditionally, both the crude bark and purified compound have been used as an aphrodisiac and smoked as a hallucinogen. The bark has also been used in traditional..."
Abstract Chocolate, a popular and coveted food world over, is often referred to as the food of the gods. This description is not surprising considering that a number of delightful sensations are associated with chocolate. Indeed, chocolate is perceived as a delightful treat, a comfort food, an aphrodisiac, a sensuous experience, a romantic gift, an energizer and a mood enhancer. It is the objective of this paper to explore and discuss the factors that explain the multifaceted aura around chocolates, beginning with an analysis of its history.
Outline
I. Chocolate, often called the food of the gods, has always enjoyed a multifaceted aura.
II. History
a. Origins as a Mesoamerican beverage
b. Expensive European import
c. Symbol of wealth and social status
III. Production and Marketing
a. Cultivation of cocoa beans
b. Production process
c. Marketing
IV. Chocolate as an aphrodisiac a. Myth and legends
b. Ingredients
i. Scientific evidence
ii. Psychological effects
V. Types of chocolate
a. Occasions for usage
b. Forms of usage
c. Types
VI. Health and Nutritional properties
VII. Summary
From the Paper "However, it appears that the Maya and the Aztecs nevertheless placed a great deal of value on their bitter chocolate beverage, as evidenced by the importance of the role the drink played in their religious and social life. For instance, although chocolate was a favorite beverage of Maya royalty, the common people could consume the drink only on special occasions. The Aztecs went many steps further in turning chocolate into an elitist product, decreeing that only privileged people such as rulers, priests, decorated soldiers, and honored merchants could partake of the brew (Kerr, 2002)."
From the Paper " Cantharidin (Spanish Fly)
The pharmacologic potential of the substance, cantharides, has been known for thousands of years. This crude concoction is produced by grinding dried blister beetles. The best known blister beetle is Cantharis vesicatoria, or the Spanish fly. The agent responsible for cantharides' physiologic effects is the chemical, cantharidin. One of the many consequences of cantharidin ingestion is priapism. This finding has caused many to mistakenly assume that cantharides, or rather "Spanish fly," is an aphrodisiac. While the substance may in fact cause priapism, its primary pharmacologic effects are actually those of a potent toxin.
People have used Cantharides powder since at least the time of Hippocrates (10:33). In fact, Hippocrates himself recommended."
Abstract This paper discusses steroid use in American high schools. It begins by describing the pressure to win in American high school sports and how this pressure impacts the use of steroids in schools. The paper presents two case study examples of student sportsmen who were pressured to take steroids in order to excel in their sport and the effects that it had.
From the Paper "Victory is likely the most addicting feeling in the world. We have all felt it at one time or another, whether it was when we were young, or when we were old. The feeling that winning gives a person can be compared to the euphoric feeling a person may experience when they are under the influence of a narcotic. Perhaps Alexander Graham Bell said it best, "What this power is, I cannot say. All I know is that it exists...and it becomes available only when you are in that state of mind in which you know exactly what you want...and are fully determined not to quit until you get it." This feeling that is so addictive and powerful that a person would go to great lengths to achieve it. A feeling is the exact reason why young athletes are ruining their lives. The need to have this feeling is why young athletes are introducing their bodies to steroids."
