With Valentine’s Day just passed many people may have tried some strange recipes thought to enhance their randy romps. But sadly they may have discovered, as I did researching the topic for a class, that aphrodisiacs are nothing but a farce. They are simply ancient myths and folk-lore.

The idea of aphrodisiacs has been around for ages. The word actually comes from Aphrodite, who was the Greek goddess of love. They were also praised by the sex-crazed Roman culture of the ancient world. With such a long history one would think these sensual substances might have some effect.

I unfortunately was also tricked into believing in aphrodisiacs. Personally I’ve never tried them but they have always been a quick topic of discussion on the radio or television. I heard about them so much that the propaganda was ingrained in my mind. Never once did I doubt that strawberries could enhance a male’s sexual desire. I never even bothered to research if chocolate was the next best thing for a female. Plus, just look at the word aphrodisiac. Any word that is that long and that hard to spell certainly has to be real, right? OK, so my logic is a little twisted but it made sense to me, at least until I did some research.

First of all, let’s start with a simplified definition of “aphrodisiac.” Basically it is any substance that can enhance your desire, drive or arousal and if you are lucky, all three. There are supposedly aphrodisiacs meant for just males, just females and ones that work on both sexes.

Whatever gender it is intended for, the purpose is to boost your bedroom Olympics. You are going for the gold.

Now that we know what it is, it’s time to research for some common products thought to increase libido. But if you want to do your own research, remember this is not an easy topic to search via the Internet.

Why, you ask? For better understanding let’s set up a simple chain: Aphrodisiacs are associated with sex, sex is associated with nudity, and both nudity and sex are associated with pornography. I am surprised the computer monitor didn’t come yell at me in the lab with all the XXX sites that were popping up on my screen. It was kind of embarrassing. Despite the filthy sites, though, I was able to find a couple of decent sources.

I found a list of common aphrodisiacs on the web that also described why they might increase sex drive. At this point I was still convinced that aphrodisiacs really worked.

The site lists things like ginkgo nuts and oysters as substances that might cause a chemical reaction in the body that positively affects sexual performance and drive. Things like rhinoceros’ horn and coco-de-mer were noted for their genital-like appearances. The best of all, however, was Spanish Fly.

Before researching the topic of aphrodisiacs I never really knew what Spanish Fly was. The idea is that something in Spanish Fly, which is actually a blister beetle, irritates the genitals making a person have an uncontrollable urge to have sex.

The truth is that Spanish Fly actually causes a male dysfunction known as priapism, a constant and abnormal erection. In fact the toxin that caused priapism can also be fatal. Problems with priapism is the link to why Spanish Fly is supposed to be an aphrodisiac.

Likewise it is suggested, to the disappointment of many, that aphrodisiacs are merely cognitive. The Food and Drug Administration claims there is no scientific support to prove the reality of aphrodisiacs.

So the idea is a farce. They may cause diseases that may cause erections, but they do not really affect or enhance anyone’s sexual anything. Sorry friends, there are no real remedies to help you out in the intimacy department.

Ayrel Clark is a freshman in pre-journalism and mass communication from Johnston.