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Aphrodisiology - The Art and Science of Enhancing Love

added: Thu, 03rd April 2008 | 123 views | 0x in favourites
feed url: http://www.aphrodisiology.com/rss.xml

The art and science of love and romance.

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Spanish Fly - Legendary and Dangerous Aphrodisiac

Cantharadis beetle used for Spanish Fly Aphrodisiac

    First of all, Spanish Fly isn't from a fly. This so-called aphrodisiac is made by drying and grinding up beetles...


    Second: Most of what is sold as Spanish Fly does not contain any beetle parts. Lot's of advertising hype is out there trying to cash in on the repuation of this insect and the ignorance of the public. Third: Real Spanish Fly is toxic, and doesn't do much for the libido.

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Of Ants and Aphrodisiacs
    You may have read about the riots in China - millions of investors lost big money to a company that had a plan to produce aphrodisiacs from ants. From all indications, this was a scam designed to fleece people of their hard earned Yuan. But there is a tradition of using ants as aphrodisiacs, and some science to suggest how it might actually have a real effect.

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Saffron Update - Crocin
    A new study on the aphrodisiac properties of saffron indicates that the chemical crocin is responsible for the libido-boosting power of this spice.



    Previous research showed that saffron could increase sexual behaviors in lab studies, although the exact chemical responsible was not known (and safranal was suspected). This study provides good evidence that the yellow carotenoid pigment crocin is the enhancing substance.

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Daytona Biketoberfest Gallery 2

Biketoberfest Gallery Image
    Another gallery of pictures from Daytona's Biketoberfest 2007.

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Daytona Biketoberfest 2007 Gallery

Biketoberfest Gallery Image
    Ok, this is not strictly related to aphrodisiacs, but I like going to Daytona for Bike Week and Biketoberfest. Bikes, Biker-chicks, beer, ... what's not to like? Here are some of my photos; click on the thumbnails for the full version.

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Neurally Augmented Sexual Function (NASF)

image of back and cauda equina region of spine
    The idea of strapping electrodes somewhere on the body for improving sex is not new. Sex-hackers on the bleeding edge have been doing this for a while, and there are even a few commercial products out there that claim to make the genitals more sensitive using neuro-electric techniques.
    This practice may soon go mainstream: researchers at a pain management clinic in North Carolina recently published a study on the use of electrical nerve stimulation to treat various forms of sexual dysfunction.

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Bremelanotide Hits Regulatory Wall

molecular structure of bremelanotide
    In a shot of bad news to sex lovers, the US FDA gave an initial "sorry, dear" to the regulatory approval of bremelanotide for erectile dysfunction. Bremelanotide acts on the melanocortin receptors of the brain. Previous research showed that bremelanotide can increase sexual arousal and might be of use for treating various types of sexual dysfunction. There is particular hopes that this chemical might be the female equivalent of viagra.
    The FDA said it was particularly concerned with the possibility that bremelanotide might raise blood pressure in some men. It isn't clear if this will affect the approval process for women, which is on a separate track.

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Liquid Virgin - Vaginal Contracting Drops

Photo of bottle of drops (generic, not Liquid Virgin brand)
    Aphrodisiology got an email asking about Liquid Virgin, a 'vaginal lubricant' product that claims to tighten the vagina. After looking at the ingredients, our impression is that it might work, but some of the ingredients raise yellow flags.
    The biggest concern is with the presence of alum - aluminum sulfate. This compound has astringent properties (which would cause certain tissues to tighten up), and there is concern that aluminum may cause toxicity in the long run. This product also contains glycerin, which has been linked to yeast infections.

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Subliminal Stimuli and Sexual Arousal - 2007 Research
    Can behavior be dramatically modified by subliminal stimuli? That has been much debated since the 1950s when Vince Packard wrote about the practice in a book called The Hidden Persuaders. Many people object to the notion that their decisions may be based on factors beyond their rational control. Some people strongly believe (or are very quick to dismiss) the idea of subliminal manipulation.
    A recent studied looked into the effects of sexually explicit subliminal stimuli on men and women. The results give some encouragement to both camps - the messages do seem to have an effect, but it is not a simple process to control people.

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Quinine, Testosterone & the Decline of the British Empire
    Quinine comes from the bark of the Cinchona tree. Not so long ago, it was the world's leading anti-malarial drug. Quinine water was used as the tonic in Gin and Tonic; the drink started out among British civil servants living in India and other malarial colonies, and then became rather popular at home.
    One small problem. New research shows that Quinine is toxic to the testicles.

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Perfume, Gender & Testosterone - Unexpected Effects

perfumer of female gender
    What type of man would wear a delicate floral perfume? Apparently, one that wants to increase his testosterone levels.
    According to a recent study, men who were exposed to a floral scent saw their testosterone go up, while a musk scent made testosterone drop. The opposite was true in women: the floral scent we think of as feminine made chick-testosterone (and probably arousal) drop, while musk boosted it.

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Urban Legends about Aphrodisiacs

spreading a sexual rumor
    Urban legends and folk beliefs are in interesting part of human nature. They reflect deep-seated hopes and fears. Some rumors are absurdly false and others are too strange to make up. Here's a list of some urban legends regarding aphrodisiacs and sex. (Updated August 30, 2007)

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Dandelion Increases Estrogen, Progesterone, FSH Activity

photo of dandelion, which affects hormone receptors
    A September, 2007 study from Japan found that an extract of dandelion could increase the number of sex hormone receptors found on the surface of cells. The study, which was carried out on mice, found an up-regulation of estrogen, progesterone and FSH receptors, which presumably increase the activity of whatever amounts of these hormones are present in the blood.
    As an added benefit, the extract made the mice more responsive to gonadotrophin. When this hormone was injected to mice, those that were dandelioned-up responded by producing more sex hormones.

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New Research: Viagra Does Increase Lust

molecular structure of sildenafil, aka Viagra
    The Standard Wisdom (which Aphrodisiology has long challenged) is that Viagra is not a true aphrodisiac. Most of the pharmacy geeks have claimed that these ED drugs simply improve blood flow to the penis, but do not increase libido or emotions related to love.
    New research finds that viagra does increase arousal in the brain. A team from the University of Wisconsin found that Viagra makes certain nerves in the brain more likely to fire, releasing more of the oxytocin hormone that is associated with intimacy, arousal and social bonding.

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Hibiscus Leaf: Anabolic & Phytoandrogen Properties

photo of hibiscus, a phytoandrogen
    The leaves of one species of Hibiscus have traditionally been used as an aphrodisiac in Africa. New research shows that the leaves do contain substances with anabolic and phytoandrogen properties.
    The plant apparently does not contain testosterone, but does contain something that mimics the action of testosterone, stimulates the testosterone receptors, and has the same effects as testosterone.

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The Aphrodisiac Scent of Toilet Bowl Cleaner
    Just the other day, I was reading a sex column about a guy who was surprised to find that his date got totally turned off when she saw how disgusting his toilet bowl was. She called off the whole night. Made me ponder how some women simply can't get in the mood when there are dirty dishes around and water is dripping from a leak in the ceiling.
    And then I stumbled on Jason Rohrblogger's Pern For Women. Perfect! Someone read my mind and did the work for me. Click on the link or image to be teleported to his collection of photos that reveal women's deepest fantasies. Gotta run and tidy up a bit, catch you later.

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Anthocyanins Against Erectile Dysfunction

photo of red wine and blueberries, rich sources of malvidin
    You've heard that red wine is good for you - better in some ways than other forms of alcohol. The pigments that make some wines red (which are also found in purple grape juice, blueberries and other fruits) have been shown to inhibit the phosphodiesterase enzymes - which is how Viagra works.
    Adding the healthy red and blue colors from anthocyanin pigments to your diet won't give the immediate, powerful kick that comes from the little blue pill. But it can make a difference and should be considered a first-string treatment for preventing or reversing Erectile Dysfunction.

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Erectile Dysfunction

photo erectile dysfunction impotence

    ED. Erectile Dysfunction. Impotence. A few years ago, this topic was taboo, but now billions of dollars are spent to advertise and 'educate' the public. Politicians and NASCAR drivers act as spokesmen for ED medicines, which are also promoted in Superbowl commercials. People are finally opening their eyes to a problem that was formerly ignored and denied.

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Epimedium - the Horny Goat Weed
    Horny goat weed has a long history of use as an aphrodisiac in Asia, and recently has been shown to have a natural viagra-like effect in animal studies. According to the research, Epimedium increases engorgement of the corpus cavernosum, the blood vessel structure involved in erections. Like Viagra and Cialis, Epimedium influences the nitric oxide/cyclic guanosine monophosphate chemical pathways and promotes blood flow to the genitials.

Horny goat weed got its name by loosely translating the Chinese name: ying-yang-huo. According to legend, a shepherd noticed that goats grazing on this plant got friskier and sexually charged. Herbalists soon found that Epimedium has a similar effect in humans.

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The Tennessee Truffle Boom

photo of Tennessee Truffle
    We may be witnessing the beginning of an American Truffle Boom according to a number of recent news stories. A Tennessee biologist-turned-truffle-farmer recently brought in the first commercial harvest of 30 pounds of the aphrodisiac nuggets, worth about $24,0000.
    Aphrodisiology.com wrote about truffles a while back. These underground 'mushrooms' contain androstenol, a musky steroid that is a pheromone and aphrodisiac. Strangely, the articles from big media outlets make no mention of androstenol or sexual arousal.

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Mediterranean Diet Improves Sexual Function

photo olives mediterranean diet sexual dysfunction
    An August, 2007 study found that women with metabolic syndrome who adopted a Mediterranean diet improved their sexual functioning by 32% compared to similar women who made no changes. The improvements seemed to be small and across the board when the individual variables were examined (desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, pain) - but taken together, the women's sex lives improved significantly.
    Previous studies have shown similar results for men.

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Tryptophan - Aphrodisiac and Empathogen?

    Tryptophan is an essential amino acid. It is used by the body to produce both serotonin and niacin. 5-HTP is another form of tryptophan, one which is better at crossing over the blood-brain barrier, and which is more quickly converted to serotonin. There is some evidence that these can act as empathogens and aphrodisiacs.
    There is no doubt that if a person has low tryptophan levels, they will have low levels of serotonin, one of the feel-good neurotransmitters. In that case, a tryptophan supplement may improve mood. Anxiety is reduced, and an overall feeling of well being is fostered. And this improvement can sometimes be dramatic, and spill over to bedroom activities. And that's not all ...

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Green Up Your Sex Life?

    While researching Omuboro, I came across treehugger.com's page on How to Green Your Sex Life. They have some good tips worth reading.

    There's a rundown of potential problems with PVC sex toys, discussion of green lubes and vegan condoms (most contain milk products). They mention luxurious bamboo sheets (As a bamboo fetishist, I'm curious to try those).

    A few other tips they suggest: save water by showering with a friend, try fair-trade chocolate or a natural aphrodisiac. Sounds good to us.

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Types of Pheromones

image of source of pheromones
    Most people talk about pheromones as if there is one single chemical. Wrong. There are many different types of chemicals that act as smell-signals.
    Not all pheromones are related to sex - pheromones can communicate many things. Ants use them to mark trails to food. When dogs mark fireplugs, they leave a lot of information about themselves - think of it as the neighborhood bulletin board for the canine community.
    There are at least 3 types of sex-related pheromones in mammals that have been characterized by biologists:

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Silly Aphrodisiacs
    People do silly things. Little Wally (pictured on left) is proof of that.
    To honor this silly behavior, Aphrodisiology.com has created a new award, The Little Wally. Aphrodisiology starts out by bestowing this prestigious award to George May, who demonstrated a fine example of aphrodisiac-related behavior that makes us all scratch our our head and ask 'what the hell was he thinking'?

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The Cordyceps Gold Rush
    Since Aphrodisiology wrote about Cordyceps about a year ago, there have been a number of curious stories coming out of China and Tibet. The demand (and high price) for this aphrodisiac fungus has led to an economic boom in parts of the Himalayas, with a gold-rush mentality and all the problems that go with it.
    The executive synopsis: The wild cordyceps can be worth as much as gold, although typically it is worth only a thousand dollars a pound. Villages are waging gun battles with each other over who can harvest where. Large groups of Cordyceps hunters were trapped in a freak blizzard this spring, and an unknown number of people froze to death. China is using Cordyceps profits to fuel economic development (and Beijing's control over Tibet), while independence groups and thugs are using their fungal profits to buy weapons.

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M-vix: New E.D. Drug from Korea

Korean flag
    If Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra aren't enough for you, consider M-vix, a new pharmaceutical treatment for erectile dysfunction, which is going on the market in Korea.
    M-vix is the fifth ED drug to be approved in Korea; the fourth was Zydena (aka Udenafil). Zydena is made by a company called Dong-A Pharm - I am not making that up.

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Omuboro : Aphrodisiac Citrus Root from Africa

The Omuboro tree is well regarded as an aphrodisiac in Uganda. A little too well regarded. There are concerns that the slow-growing tree is disappearing due to its popular reputation as an herbal alternative for Viagra.

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Ten Politically Incorrect 'Truths' About Sex
    Evolutionary biologists look at the mating game, and turn conventional wisdom on its head. Psychology Today has a good article that challenges beliefs that are widely (and deeply) held. Some of these won't seem controversial to aphrodisiology's readers, but others are thought-provoking.

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