This famous lover believed that oysters would increase his libido. Throughout history people have sought foods they hoped would increase sexual desire. The list is long – asparagus, ginseng, yohimbine, mushrooms, chocolate, licorice root, truffles, watermelon, garlic, and of course Casanova’s oysters, just to name a few. Foods that resemble sex organs, like carrots and figs, were believed to be aphrodisiacs in primitive societies.
The main source of sexual arousal is the brain so if you expect a food to be a stimulant, it often turns out to be. This is also called the placebo effect, you anticipate that something will cause a change and it does. Most reports of foods increasing libido are anecdotal and these claims cannot be proven.
Regular exercise, on the other hand, which releases pleasurable endorphins, has been shown in several studies to act like an aphrodisiac increasing sexual desire along with other health benefits. Many experts are not convinced that aphrodisiacs are real. There is no clinical evidence to prove that aphrodisiacs work, but there’s also no clinical evidence to prove they don’t.
