Duke specialist weighs on power of aphrodisiacs

Aphrodisiacs—substances that boost libido—have been speculated to be more mental than physical. There has, however, been some science behind the notorious claims. Although studies have not found a direct link between chocolate consumption and heightened sexual arousal, Cynthia Kuhn noted that it is hard to deny the effects chocolate has on an individual. Kuhn is a professor of pharmacology and cancer biology at the School of Medicine. Kuhn spoke with The Chronicle about the link between chocolate and sexual desire.

—There is no miracle compound that gives chocolate its purported aphrodisiac qualities. But research has uncovered many psychoactive compounds, such as pheneylethylamine and anandamide, that may trigger love-like symptoms. Pheneylethylamine, a stimulant related to amphetamine, is released in the brain when someone is in love. The other, anandamide, is known to cause dopamine production and, in turn, leads to feelings of well being that people associate with a high.

—Not the aphrodisiac that it’s made out to be in popular culture, chocolate will induce minute changes in your body. But an individual would need to eat about 50 chocolate bars to experience a behavioral arousal, a stimulation that is caused in part due to its great smell and its sugar and fat content.

—The media has touted the effects of common aphrodisiacs, such as oysters, red wine and hot peppers, but many of these claims are speculative. None of these really increase sexual desires, but the vast majority of such substances simply increase blood flow to the genitals, a desired effect.

—Women are thought to be more sensitive to the effects of chocolate but not so much other aphrodisiacs. For instance, many herbs are touted to increase erections, but effects on women are not known. The Spanish fly, a type of blister beetle famous for its widespread usage as a libido-enhancing substance, merely increases blood flow to genitals in both men and women.

—It is significant to note that such desire is initiated in the brain, not in the genitals. Some addictive drugs like heroin have been said to give a feeling like orgasm, but people do not really know how to increase desire, especially in women, except by the sensory qualities of the partner.

—Stories of true aphrodisiacs that increase desire are few and far between. Some herbs—such as the bine herb—have been proven to increase erections in men, but desire is far more complex than a single chemical.

—The chemicals linked to attraction in many species are known as pheromones, which give olfactory stimuli that then increase sexual behavior. Animals use pheromones to communicate nonverbally, transmitting the chemical signals often through air. They are suspected, but not proven, to be active in humans as well.