SC - Aphrodisiac Foods

[Christine A Seelye-King]

While purusing the "Book of Lists" the other day (my lord wanted me to
read Benjamin Franklin's 8 Reasons To Marry An Older Woman), I came
across the list of:

10 Foods Claimed To Be Aphrodesiacs

1. Asparagus. 
	Asparagus contains a diuretic that increases the amount of urine
excreted and excites the urinary passages. The vegetable is rich in
potassium, phosphorus, and calcium - all necessary for maintenance of a
high energy level.  However, it also contains aspartic acid, which
neutralizes excess amounts of ammonia in one's body and may cause apathy
and sexual disinterest. 

2. Caviar
	In addition to being nutritious (30% protein), caviar has been
considered an aphrodesiac because of its obvious place in the
reproductive process.  All fish and their by-products have been linked to
the myth of Aphrodite, the goddess of love who was born from the foam of
the sea.  Supposedly, anything that came from the sea would partake of
Aphrodite's power.  

3. Eel
	Eel, like most fish, is rich in phosphorus and has an excitant effect on
the bladder.  In addition to its general asociations with the aphrodesiac
effect of fish, it has probably been favored as and aphrodesiac because
of its phallic appearance. 

4. Garlic	
	Both Eastern and Western cultures have long regarded garlic as an
aphrodesiac.   The Greeks and Romans sang its praises and oriental lovers
claimed to be towers of strength because of eating it.  

5. Ginseng
	The Chinese call ginseng the "elixer of life" and have used it for over
5,000 years.  Although medical opinion is sharply divided as to its
merits, recent Russian experiments claim that ginseng increases sexual
energy and has a general healing and rejuvenating influence on the body. 


6. Honey
	Honey is highly nutritious and rich in minerals, amino acids, enzymes,
and B-complex vitamins.  Galen, Ovid, and Sheikh Nefzawi, author of "The
Perfumed Garden", believed that honey has outstanding aphrodesiac powers.
 

7. Lobster
	The lobster has been described as an amatory excitant by many writers,
including Henry Fielding in "Tom Jones".  In addition, it shares the
Aphrodite-derived power attributed to all seafood.  

8. Oysters
	Oysters are one of the most renowned aphrodesiac foods.  Like other
seafood, they are rich in phosphorus.  Although they are not a high
source of energy, oysters are easily digestible.  Among the eminent
lovers who have vouched for oysters was Casanova, who called them "a spur
to the spirit and to love."

9. Peaches
	"Venus owns this tree... the fruit provokes lust..." wrote herbalist
Nicholas Culpepper.  The Chinese considered the fruit's sweet juices
symbolic of the effluvia of the vagina, and both the Chinese and Arabs
regard its deep fur-edged cleft as symbolic of the female genitalia.  A
"peach house" was once a common English slang term for a house of
prostitution, and the term "peach" has been used almost universally to
describe a pretty or sexually appealing girl.  

10. Truffles
	Truffles, the expensive underground fungi, are similar to oysters in
that they are composed mostly of water and are rich in protein. Rabelais,
Casanova, George Sand, Sade, Napoleon, and Mme. Pompadour are a few of
the many notables who have praised the truffle's aphrodesiac powers,  An
ancient French proverb  warns "Those who wish to lead virtuous lives
should abstain from truffles." 

Contributed to "The Book of Lists" by Robert Hendrickson
"The Book of Lists" by David Wallechinsky, Irving Wallace and Amy Wallace
Bantam Edition, February 1978

Christianna
________________________________________________________________
GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
Join Juno today!  For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.