Spice it up: Surprising aphrodisiacs

by Roxanna Sarmiento, Posted Feb 4th 2008 12:47PM

The belief that certain foods have the power to improve your sex drive is almost as ancient as recorded history - even Pliny the Elder was a believer. In fact, aphrodisiacs are named after Aphrodite, the ancient Greek goddess of love because procreation was considered a religious rite and not just a recreational activity.

Some foods are considered to be aphrodisiacs merely because they are said to resemble the sexual organs (like oysters and celery) or because they are obvious symbols of fertility (eggs). While this might sound silly, poor nutrition can lead to loss to libido and malnutrition was common in ancient times. Modern science has even found some links between foods and pleasure (most notably, they've studied the power of chocolate on the brain) so we may soon find that the ancients were on to something!

Do aphrodisiacs work? Try some of these surprising aphrodisiacs and find out for yourself!