This article is about the detailed description of the term. For other uses, see Aphrodisiac (disambiguation). For Brandy's song, see Afrodisiac (song).
An aphrodisiac is a substance alleged to increase libido, sexual desire, sexual attraction, sexual pleasure, or sexual behavior.[1][2][3] These substances range from a variety of plants, spices and foods to synthetic chemicals.[1][4] Natural aphrodisiacs like cannabis or cocaine are classified into plant-based and non-plant-based substances.[4][5] Synthetic aphrodisiacs include MDMA and methamphetamine. Aphrodisiacs can be classified by their type of effects (i.e., psychological or physiological).[1] Aphrodisiacs that contain hallucinogenic properties like bufotenin have psychological effects on a person that can increase sexual desire and sexual pleasure.[1][3] Aphrodisiacs that have smooth muscle relaxing properties like yohimbine have physiological effects on a person that can affect hormone levels and increase blood flow.[1][4]
It is possible that the aphrodisiac effect of a substance is due to the placebo effect.[2] Substances that impede on areas that aphrodisiacs aim to enhance are called anaphrodisiacs,[2] which have the opposite effects on libido.
Both males and females can potentially benefit from the use of aphrodisiacs, but they are more focused on males as their properties tend to increase testosterone levels rather than estrogen levels.[3] This is in part due to the historical context of aphrodisiacs, which focused solely on males. Only recent attention has been paid to understanding how aphrodisiacs can aid female sexual function.[5] In addition, cultural influence in appropriate sexual behavior from males and females also play a part in the research gap.[5]
^ abcdeMelnyk, John P.; Marcone, Massimo F. (May 2011). "Aphrodisiacs from plant and animal sources—A review of current scientific literature". Food Research International. 44 (4): 840–850. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2011.02.043.
^ abcLehmiller, Justin J. (12 October 2017). The psychology of human sexuality (Second ed.). Hoboken, NJ. ISBN 9781119164708. OCLC 992580729.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ abcSandroni, Paola (October 2001). "Aphrodisiacs past and present: A historical review". Clinical Autonomic Research. 11 (5): 303–307. doi:10.1007/bf02332975. ISSN 0959-9851. PMID 11758796. S2CID 32348540.
^ abcBella, Anthony J; Shamloul, Rany (June 2014). "Traditional Plant Aphrodisiacs and Male Sexual Dysfunction: PLANT APHRODISIACS". Phytotherapy Research. 28 (6): 831–835. doi:10.1002/ptr.5074. PMID 25032254. S2CID 29716079.
^ abcShamloul, Rany (January 2010). "Natural Aphrodisiacs". The Journal of Sexual Medicine. 7 (1): 39–49. doi:10.1111/j.1743-6109.2009.01521.x. PMID 19796015.
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