Jerry Hopkins - Asian aphrodisiacs: From Bangkok to Beijing - the search for the ultimate turn-on

Constantly I encountered two things in my search for aphrodisiacs that worked yet inevitably got in the way.

One was that so little clinical examination had been carried out under acceptable laboratory conditions. By the time researchers finally were finding that some foods, herbs, and other supplements did stimulate production of hormones or other chemicals that affected the libido, they still didnt know if those chemicals were produced in sufficient quantity for anyone to really know the difference. To be fair to those scientific explorers, one of the reasons there isnt much hard research in the area is that libido is a difficult thing to study.

So the facts are hard to pin down. Still, it does appear that some of whats been praised for centuries does offer more than mere promise. As so many of my teachers long ago said at the end of a semester: lets review.

Even the most casual reader will have noticed that most of the stuff claimed to have aphrodisiacal qualities wouldnt even make a good cup of tea. This has been true through the ages, and not just in Asia, but everywhere.

It should also have been clear that many of the substances, both animal and vegetable, were often consumed for reasons other than increased sexual prowess. Many of these also promised overall good health and long life, or a way to fight off cancer or flatulence, so those individuals who paid good money for the potions or pills or expensive bowls of soup could tell themselves that even if it didnt make them Asias answer to Warren Beatty, it served them in other ways.

Okay, lets get down to the nitty-gritty. Putting aside the placebo effect, which apparently has real if mysterious effect but obviously is not anything you can count on, lets first look back at some of the herbs and plants touted in the millennia-old medical systems found in China, India, and else-where. One of the most important things to note is that no quick fixes were promised: if you want results, you have to consume the stuff for an extended period of timeand it wouldnt hurt any if you stopped drinking and smoking, started exercising, reduced stress, and improved your diet. The guy who gulped a jamu tonic in Jakarta on his way into a brothel may think it did some goodand therefore maybe it did, through the placebo effectbut that isnt the way jamu works. Whether youre trying to maintain or restore balance between yin and yang or your doshas or whatever, balance and commitment are as important as the ingredients consumed.

Bottom line: those who adhere to the shock tactics of Western medicine may remain skeptical. The developed world is embracing the holistic approach to health rapidly, but as even Carroll Dunham, the Dr. Ruth of the Himalayas and a true believer, admits, there is an alarming absence of clinical testing that is acceptable in the West. She and others like her, including a majority of the people in some of the most populous countries on earth, will continue to credit the thousands of years of medical history in Asia as something too good to be ignored, as something that for them really works.

All that said, there are several substances that time seems to favor, even amongst non-believers. Opium and marijuana are two, especially the latter. And any botanical ingredient that stimulates blood flow, any product that contains zinc or amino acids, and anything that produces an itchiness in the genital area probably contributes to the pleasure of sex if taken in reasonable quantities.

The same thing can be said about alcohol and many of the chemicals, especially the modern ED drugs, along with the counterfeit copies, but also the illegal ones such as Ecstasy, amphetamines, and poppers.

Theres more. Most lubricants do precisely what theyre supposed to, with or without camphor and other stimulants added. Massage is nearly always effective, as it arouses the natural endomorphins or feels good because its been a long time since youve felt a friendly touch on what is, after all, the largest organ in the body with the most nerve endings, the skin.

Many of the mechanical devices do the job, as well, although much of the workmanship is shoddy and theyre usually overpriced. For instance, dildos and vibrators perform admirably, often better than most men. Cock rings usually deliver a longer, harder erection for men and anal beads may offer him or his partner an added kick.

Pornography can be a turn-on, for those who enjoy it, for women as well as men. And in Asia, unlike in the West, when its bootlegged its affordable.

Music can provide a nice prelude and an exciting accompaniment.

And surgery can make you bigger where you want to be bigger. Or turn you into the opposite sex.

A little caring, loving attention doesnt hurt, either. And usually it will go a lot further than all the stuff wed done to ourselves in its absence and consumed along the way.

This book is different from most books about aphrodisiacs in that most usually praise or damnand rarely both and the vast majority are so flattering or, hidden in what the authors think is objectivity, they are no more helpful than the so-called aphrodisiacs themselves.

And theyre all so damned serious. Ive tried to have fun with the remedies because, after all, thats a large part of what sex is all about: having fun. So my best advice is to have fun, try not to spend too much money, and dont get your hopes up, because thats all that may come up in the end.