How Aphrodisiacs Work

Scents

Scents have a powerful affect when it comes to romance. The memory of the scent of a romantic partner can stay with us long after the romance is gone -- so much so that when we run across the scent years later, we're immediately taken back with a flood of feelings and memories.

Human Pheromones

Human pheromones, which still carry some weight in the field of love research, may actually create sexual interest. The word "pheromone" comes from the Greek words pherein and hormone, meaning "excitement carrier."

In the animal world, pheromones are individual scent "prints" found in urine or sweat that dictate sexual behavior and attract the opposite sex. They help animals identify each other and choose a mate with an immune system different enough from their own to ensure healthy offspring. They have a special organ in their noses called the vomeronasal organ (VNO) that detects this odorless chemical.

Scientists at the Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia and its counterpart in France discovered the existence of human pheromones in 1986. They found these chemicals in human sweat. A human VNO has also been found in some, but not all, people. Even if the VNO isn't present in all of us -- and may not be working in those who do have it -- there is still evidence that smell is an important aspect of love (note the booming perfume industry). Researchers conducted an informal experiment using identical twins. Both twins sat at a bar for an evening, and one of them was sprayed with manufactured pheromones. The result was that the twin who got the pheromone boost was approached three times more often than the twin who didn't.

Music

Music can set the mood, carry the mood and ruin the mood. What appears to be the most effective element of music is the memory we associate with it. If you have fond memories of slow dancing to a special song with someone you loved in the past, it's a good bet that same song will have an effect on you later in life. After all, the dance is a bit of a mating ritual that most of us have experienced at some point in our lives.

Exercise

Not only is it good for your health, but it's also good for your sex life. According to Discovery Health, the aphrodisiac qualities of exercise are associated with the endorphins that are released in the brain with vigorous activity -- like the runner's high. Endorphins are those "feel good" chemicals. Other aphrodisiac affects of exercise come from exercises that increase blood flow to the genitals. These exercises position the body in various ways that stimulate blood flow and can improve sexual abilities and desire.

Exercise and building muscle mass usually increases testosterone levels, too, which may be another reason why exercise increases sex drive.

So is there really something to aphrodisiacs, or is it all in our heads?

Is it All in Our Heads?

Some say the power of aphrodisiacs is all in our heads. In other words, it's a placebo effect -- if we think something is going to put us in the mood for love, we'll find ourselves there. The aphrodisiac we consumed may or may not have anything to do with it.

Are we already halfway there simply by thinking it's going to work? The answer, according to most sources, is yes. Some studies have shown that agents that appear to work amazingly well one time might have no effect the next time, even on the same people. This leads most scientists to believe that aphrodisiacs have a greater effect in our heads than in other parts of our anatomies. After all, the body's most powerful sex organ is the brain. If your head isn't in the right place, nothing is going to happen.

It's possible that historic claims about the aphrodisiac effects of certain foods or supplements could have held more truth at the time than they do today because overall nutrition wasn't as good then. Food was not as readily available and undernourishment was common. Taking or eating something that was rich in nutrients would have had a more profound effect on overall health, which in turn affects sexual desire, making it appear that the food, herb, or supplement had aphrodisiac qualities. People are simply healthier now than in the past, so it's more difficult to see the effects of particular nutrient-rich foods.