Professional Documents
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As you may already know, it isn't the "food" per se that is the
aphrodisiac, it's the constituents in certain foods as relates to the
deficiencies of the person eating them, that is the aphrodisiac. All to
say that if your body is lacking certain nutrients that it needs to boost
the sex hormones like testosterone, estrogen, seratonin, dopamin and
the like (each person needs a whole web of hormones to have a
healthy libido, even the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline).
Often, individuals with weak libido's are suffering from reduced levels
of these hormones, singularly or in concert and that is what needs to
be tested in order to evaluate what ingredient is right for a particular
individual. You may also be aware of a burgeoning industry called anti-
aging, which I have been involved with since the inception of the
American Academy of Anti-aging Medicine (A4M) in 1993. One of the
key topics is increasing the libido through HGH (Human Growth
Hormone) a controversial, FDA monitored 'drug" even though it is a
naturally occurring protein derivative in all humans. In order to boost
any libido, our HGH levels have to be optimal as well.
While some cultures would suggest that eggs and herbs like asafetida,
are excellent aphrodisiacs, in our culture the scents of sulfur and garlic
would be an immediate turn-off. So for our purposes, we should
evaluate true aphrodisiacs and not those foods from ancient mythology
or lore that either look like a sexual organ (asparagus) or supposedly
boosts libido without physiological, hormonal or scent support.
Although, some foods, like bananas, that are full of healthy potassium
and complex carbohydrates for energy (include whole grains like
quinoa that also have a broad array of amino acids and healthy fatty
acids) fit both categories. So there are exceptions.
Primarily, we have seen that foods high in healthy fatty acids, minerals
and vitamins, like avocado, fit the bill nicely. We haven't really touched
on the herbal and spice factor, which fills the scent and physiological
precursor category very well. What this means is that many herbs act
as hormone activators because of their ability to stimulate blood
supply, a key to any aphrodisiacs effectiveness. It's well known that the
blockbuster drug, Viagra, was discovered as an accident to research on
improving cardiovascular disease (CVD). Then, the medical condition of
erectile dysfunction (ED) was literally created overnight! So to improve
the pliability and functioning of our arteries and veins, we now know
that certain herbs like Thai green tea, turmeric and other spicy fruits
(peppers) and spices, such as ginger and nutmeg that improve mental
acuity as well as circulation of the blood, among other positive affects,
are improvements for CVD.