Watermelon
Some studies suggest people have more sex on the brain in summertime and we wonder if this warm-weather favorite fruit might have something to do with it. Researchers at Texas A&M University found a nutrient contained in watermelons, citrulline, can have a Viagra-like effect on the body. Citrulline is converted into arginine in the body. “Arginine boosts nitric oxide, which relaxes blood vessels, the same basic effect that Viagra has, to treat erectile dysfunction and maybe even prevent it," Dr. Bhimu Patil said in a release.
Saffron
Stories abound about the use of saffron by famous historical figures, such as Cleopatra, who is said to have taken baths in waters scented with saffron prior to making love. Alexander the Great used saffron as a curative for battle wounds.
There's a claim that wealthy Romans used to sprinkle their marriage beds with saffron.
Oysters
Skeptics have dismissed the purported aphrodisiac benefits of eating oysters as purely psychological, based on their suggestive shape and slippery texture. But Gloria Tsang, a Vancouver registered dietitian and the founder of nutrition network HealthCastle.com, says there may be something to the belief. “A lot of shellfish—including oysters, clams, crabs, lobsters and mussels—are high in zinc, which can trigger a surge in the production of sex hormones.”
Tsang adds that these bivalve mollusks also contain two rare amino acids: D-aspartic acid and N-methyl-D-aspartate. Joint American-Italian research in 2005 at Barry University in Miami and the Laboratory of Neurobiology in Naples, Italy, found that giving these amino acids to rats increased testosterone in the males and progesterone in the females—both are hormones associated with greater sexual activity.
