World Chocolate Day: Chocolate is an aphrodisiac, here’s all you need to know about how it boosts your sex life

The word aphrodisiac traces its origins to the Greek goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. The Mayans considered chocolate as ‘food of the gods’, in other words, ‘Theobroma’. Can you think of tasty bakery items when you think of this word? Chocolates contain an amino acid called L-arginine that can be effective natural sex-enhancers for both women and men. It increases nitric oxide and promotes blood flow to the sexual organs, which contributes to increasing sensation, satisfaction, and desire. Interesting, isn’t it? That’s not all, ever wondered why you find yourself craving chocolates or food containing chocolates on stressful days? That’s also because chocolates stimulate and elevate mood.

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Chocolate gained its reputation as an aphrodisiac because of recorded history from Western civilization. The Mayans, in their version of ‘red-light areas’ used cacao beans to pay for concubines. Montezuma, the great Aztec ruler was one of the first ‘lovers’ in history who tapped into the strengths of the aphrodisiac qualities of chocolate. Reportedly, he consumed as much as fifty cups of a cocoa elixir before heading to his harem. History also speaks of Casanova, the legendary lover, who touted the aphrodisiac of chocolate for its ability to exude energy for a night out. Chocolate is also likely to turn the pleasure sensors on in the brain and Casanova understood this well. It may not wrong to say that chocolate, the darker the better, is among the world’s finest aphrodisiacs, second only to Champagne.

ALSO READ: History of chocolate, from beverage to chocolate bar

In today’s day and age, stress and anxiety has conquered our body and minds and the after-effects are known to cause great inconvenience. One of these is a low sex drive regardless of age and gender. Nearly 50% of women suffer from intimacy issues, which include not being able to climax, studies have shown. One-fifth of men too face problems concerning libido (sex drive), which impacts their relationships.

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Dark chocolate is excellent for overall sexual health as it increases dopamine levels, the chemical affecting the pleasure centres in the brain. Lifestyle factors namely diet and exercise too, play an important role in overcoming health-related issues.

The Journal of Proteome says that eating 40g of dark chocolate everyday for 14 days can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol in our body. It also helps in reducing blood pressure. Since this in turn helps mitigate hypertension - a major cause for a reduced sex drive and in some cases, even erectile dysfunction, one can say that dark chocolate is the aphrodisiac you need to spice up (and probably sweeten) your sex life.

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Some interesting historical facts about aphrodisiacs:

* Libidinous food was first documented in the Vedic texts and the Bhagavad Gita in India, in ancient Chinese scriptures, in the writings of Pliny the elder and Discordes in circa 1 AD.

* Vedic science that probes the sexual power of food in ayurveda is called rasayan tantra (nutrition therapy) and vajikarana (virilisation)

* The Vedas also cite onions as the cheapest aphrodisiac to promote harmony in bed. Other traditions around the world endorse it too.

* A few other recommended aphrodisiacs are sage, anise, basil, pistachio nuts, orchid bulbs, arugula, sea fennel amongst others.

* The Arabian text, The Pefurmed Garden and India’s Kama Sutra speak of commonly-found kitchen condiments like nutmeg, cloves, cardamoms and ginger that trigger sex drive.

* Mango is still considered a symbol of male sexuality. It is often compared to a sealed jar of ‘paradisiacal honey’. According to mythological references, the flower of a mango tree represents Cupid’s arrow.

* An egg is associated with new life and a symbol of fertility. Egyptians believed that God created a white and a yellow egg out of the sun and the moon. In France, brides break an egg on their doorstep to promote fertility.

* Caviar, the Persian egg of strength, and one of the most sought-after gourmet food items in the world has high zinc content and amino acid that act as a vascular dilator, increasing blood flow and increasing libido.

* It is said that the Venetian adventurer and author Giocomo Girolamo Casanova de Seingalt, the celebrated French courtesan Madam Dubarry and the Russian spy Rasputin all declared their fondness for caviar, calling it the ‘aphrodisiac of their choice’.

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