APHRODISIACS - THE SCIENCE AND THE MYTH

APHRODISIACS
THE SCIENCE AND THE MYTH

P.V. TABERNER

CROOM HELM
London & Sydney
© 1985 Peter V. Taberner
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1985
Croom Hehn Ltd, Provident House, Burrell Row,
Beckenham, Kent BR3 1AT
Croom Helm Australia Pty Ltd, First Floor, 139 King Street,
Sydney, NSW 2001, Australia

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

Taberner, P.V.
Aphrodisiacs.
1. Aphrodisiacs
1. Title
615'.766 HQ12
ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-6702-4 e-ISBN-13: 978-1-4684-6700-0
DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4684-6700-0

Typeset by Mayhew Typesetting, Bristol, UK

CONTENTS

List of Figures
Preface
1. Introduction: The Nature of Aphrodisiacs
What are Aphrodisiacs? 3
Aphrodisiacs and the Law 6
Advertising Aphrodisiacs 11
2. The Ancient Traditions 21
The Hindu Tradition 21
China and the Far East 25
The Near East 29
The Greek Tradition 31
The Roman Tradition 33
The Arab Tradition 36
3. Magic Charms, Potions and Philtres 41
Sex and Magic 41
Hippomanes 46
Cockle-bread 46
Dragon's Blood 47
John the Conqueror Root 47
Magical Love Charms 49
4. Herbalism and Quackery 55
Herbalism 56
Witchcraft and the Church 57
Vegetable Aphrodisiacs 60
Ginseng 65
The Legacy of the Herbalists 73
Quackery 74
Aphrodisiacs in Early Materiae Medicae 85
Modern Quackery and Pseudo-science 87
5. The Classical Aphrodisiacs 99
Rhinoceros Horn 99
Spanish Flies 102
The Mandrake 111
Alcohol 120
v
vi Contents

6. The Scientific Approach to Sex and Aphrodisiacs 139

Endocrinology of Sexual Function 139
The Nature of the Sex Honnones 140
Fonns of Sexual Inadequacy 144
The Origin of the Erection 145
Physiology of the Erection and Ejaculation 146
Testicular Transplants: the Monkey Gland Story 150
The Therapeutic Role of Testosterone 155
Prolactin 160
Oral Contraceptives and Frigidity 161
Use of Sex Honnones as Anaphrodisiacs 162
Assessing the Effects of Potential Aphrodisiacs 164
The Placebo 167
7. Drugs of Abuse 173
Amphetamines 177
Cannabis 180
Cocaine 187
Opium and the Narcotic Analgesics 195
Nicotine 199
Nitrites 202
Nutmeg 204
LSD and the Psychedelic Drugs 206
Hypnotics and Sedatives 210
Kola, Khat and Other Stimulants 212
8. Drugs used Clinically as Aphrodisiacs 215
Introduction 215
The Use and Limitations of Testosterone 216
Yohimbine 217
Strychnine 222
Luteinizing Honnone Releasing Honnone (LHRH) 223
Dopamine and Sexual Function 224
Serotonin and Sexual Function 233
Drugs with Aphrodisiac Side-effects 238
Drugs with Anaphrodisiac Side-effects 239
9. Aphrodisiacs in the Future 243
Introduction 243
Pheromones 244
Perfumes 246
Aromatherapy 248
Bodily Secretions 249
 Contents vii

Brain Stimulation 253

Subliminal Stimulation 255
Conclusion 256
Appendix 1: List of Aphrodisiacs 257
Appendix 2: Effects of Drugs on the Nervous System 263
Bibliography 265
Index 271
FIGURES

1.1 An Advertisement for Mormon Elders Damiana

Wafers (courtesy of the New York Historical Society) 19
2.1 The Ceremony of Drawing Down the Moon. From an
illustration on a Greek vase 32
3.1 The Dragon Tree 48
4.1 Panax ginseng and Mandragora officinarum 66
4.2 A Bottle of 'APHRODISIAC' Tablets (from the
Wellcome collection at the Wellcome Museum of
the History of Medicine, London) 79
4.3 A Contemporary Advertisement for an Aphrodisiac
Preparation 91
5.1 The Single-horned Rhinoceros 102
5.2 Lytta vesicatoria, One of the Species of Blister Beetles
Known as Spanish Flies 104
5.3 A Bottle of Joshua Barrett's Mandrake Embrocation
(from History of Medicine (1971), 3(1), p. 20) 112
5.4 The Saxon Method for Collecting Mandrake Roots 113
5.5 The Relationship Between Blood Alcohol Concentration
and the Level of Intoxication 126
5.6 Effects of Alcohol Consumption on Plasma Testosterone
and Luteinizing Hormone Levels 129
6.1 The Physiological Control of Sexual Activity 142
6.2 The Nervous System Control of Erection and Ejaculation 147
6.3 Correlation Between Plasma Hormone Levels and Sexual
Arousal During the Menstrual Cycle 158
7.1 Effects of Illicit Drug Use on Libido and Sexual
Performance in Narcotic Addicts 176
7.2 A Privately-sponsored Card Warning of the Hazards of
Marijuana 182
7.3 An Advertisement for a Tonic Wine Containing Cocaine
(Courtesy of Yale Medical Historical Library and
Robert Byck) 188
8.1 Sequence of Events which Regulate the Release of Prolactin 225
8.2 An Advertisement for an Adult Movie Featuring L-DOPA 229
9.1 The Chemical Structures of some Pheromone Sex
Attractants 245

viii
PREFACE

The planning and writing of this book has taken rather longer than I
had originally intended; what began as a modest literary project for two
second-year medical students has expanded over eight years to become
a complete book. The subject matter lent itself all too easily to a sen-
sationalist approach yet, on the other hand, a strictly scientific
approach would probably have resulted in a dull dry text of little
interest to the general reader. I have therefore attempted to bridge the
gap and make the book intelligible and entertaining to the non-special-
ist, but at the same time ensuring that it is factually correct and
adequately researched for the scientist or clinician.
I have always been impressed by Sir J .G. Frazer's introduction to his
classic book The Golden Bough in which he apologizes for the fact that
an article originally intended merely to explain the rules of succession
to the priesthood of Diana at Aricia had expanded, over a period of
thirty years, to twelve volumes. The present work cannot pretend to
such heady levels of academic excellence.
In spite of this expansion there are areas upon which I have only
been able to make the briefest comment. There was no room for Hoff-
man's Water of Magnanimity or the winged ant sweetmeats of the
harems of Arabia. An entire book could have been devoted to the
subject of alcohol, the universal social lubricant, and certainly the most
widely used aphrodisiac today. New drugs of abuse have probably
become fashionable since Chapter 7 was written. New case reports of
drugs with unexpected aphrodisiac or anaphrodisiac side-effects will
most likely have appeared in the medical literature. New pseudo-
aphrodisiacs have certainly appeared in the ever-increasing number of
hard-core pornography magazines. In fact, I do not imagine for one
moment that the present work represents the last word on the subject;
the legacy of Aphrodite is still too active an influence on our social and
marital habits for that.
A large number of individuals have contributed directly or indirectly
to the writing of this book, but I am particularly indebted to Boz and
Judie, who started it all; Jeannie, Pat and Erica for typing early drafts
of the text; to Jeanette Edwards for her excellent artwork; Phil Darby
ix
x Preface

for his fine photographic work and assistance with the figures; Vivian
Brown for proof-reading the quotations in French; Professor Burrow
for translating the Anglo-Saxon text; Dr Roger Price of the Wellcome
Museum of the History of Medicine and to Dr Philip Brown and Pro-
fessor Gerald Kerkut, who provided essential advice and enthusiasm at
key moments.
Finally, I thank my wife, who provided invaluable practical support
and help throughout the protracted gestation of the book and to whom
it is dedicated, with much love.