Mankind has been fascinated for ages with any powders or fluids that can make the blood run faster and stop inhibitions from interfering with a good time. From the exotic tales of Arabian Nights, where cunning sultans slipped aphrodisiacs into the wine of beautiful women, and on to the tale of Tristan and Isolde, who fall in love after drinking a special potion, men and women have been dreaming of such a magic way of finding love. And through the ages they have also searched for it, experimenting with many natural and artificial substances.
Most of the natural aphrodisiacs are based on the ancient idea of sympathetic magic. For instance a powder obtained from ground rhino horn was thought to be a highly effective aphrodisiac because the horn looked similar to a huge erect penis. And so were bananas. Clams and oysters were also used because of their appearance. Smell, taste and appearance were all taken into account in order to determine the properties of a fruit, vegetable or exotic ingredient.