All living things seem to exist for one purpose and one purpose only- to achieve immortality! It would probably explain Man's preoccupation with sex, since it gives us a chance to make miniature "copies" of ourselves... thereby ensuring that the species doesn't die out and, that a part of us lives on...FOREVER(assuming our progeny go on to make miniature copies of themselves as well).
Of course there are plenty who have sex purely for recreational purposes. For them, pleasure and not baby-making is the purpose. This does not just include us "top-of-the-food-chain-ers". Currently, it is believed that Bonobo monkeys and dolphins are every bit as horny* as us, if not more. (Google: Bonobos). Along with our preoccupation comes our eternal search for the elixir of... sexual desire.
You hear Tongkat Ali, a plant native to Malaysia and Indonesia and one of the first thing that springs to mind to all who are familiar with the plant is, "aphrodisiac".
Mr Rahib a plant expert examining the Eurycoma longifolia a.k.a. Tongkat Ali
With regards to the above claim: Studies on rats showed that those fed tongkat ali exhibited increased sexual performance. This does not automatically translate into the plant being able to increase the sexual performance of human males also since rats and humans are not one and the same. Studies on humans are, unfortunately, lacking...but clearly, that hasn't stopped desperate individuals.
Less known are the other medicinal uses of this plant. It is widely used in traditional medicine to cure indigestion, treat malaria and even as a tonic after childbirth. And the list goes on! Scientific studies have shown that the plant does have antibacterial, anticancer, antitumour, antimalarial and antiulcer properties, so there is some truth to its medicinal properties.
Unfortunately, it's H1N1-like reputation as a cure for erectile dysfunction(Are there really so many men out there who can't...get it up?) means that it is in great danger of being over-harvested.
And next, a fruit some ayurvedic practitioners claim "promotes energies of love". *rolling our collective eyes* Every other fruit, these days, seems to be guilty of getting us in the mood-avocados, bananas, strawberries, figs, rasberries... We can't help but be skeptical of such claims. (where are the citations eh?)
Pineapple fruit (Ananas comosus)
Pineapples are native to South America but are today cultivated throughout the tropics. As such, people around the world have found uses for this yummylicious* fruit(as well as the rest of the plant). Traditional medicinal uses include usage for abortion, to aid in digestion, to prevent conception, to treat arthritis, and as an anti-inflammatory.
In fact, in the Cook Islands, a concoction consisting of an unripe pineapple is used to treat men believed to be impotent.
" A suitable-sized stone is heated until it is red-hot and dropped carefully into the mixture in the coconut. A man considered to suffer from... impotence, sits with the steaming coconut pointed at his genitals, with a cloth wrapped around him. The healer massages him from the flanks to the genitals with coconut oil. Should the genitals retract in the steam, they will return to normal with massage"
-Adapted from Medicinal Plants of the World II, Ivan A. Ross, 2001
We don't think this sounds like a particularly pleasant experience but, then again, it's not like we've had the good fortune to actually experience this. Don't diss* it till you've tried it, perhaps?
References
AyurvedicCure.com. (n.d.). Aprodisiacs. Retrieved March 12, 2010, from AyurvedicCure.com: http://www.ayurvediccure.com
Chua, T. K., Koh, H. L., & Tan, C. H. (2009). A Guide to Medicinal Plants, An Illustrated, Scientific and Medicinal Approach. Singapore: World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
Low, W.-Y., & Tan, H.-M. (2007). Asian traditional medicine for erectile dysfunction. The Hournal of Men's Health & Gender , 245-250.
Ross, I. A. (2001). Medicinal Plants of the World Volume 2. New Jersey: Humana Press Inc.
The Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom. (n.d.). The Food of Love. Retrieved March 12, 2010, from Vegetarian Society: http://www.vegsoc.org/cordonvert/forget.html
Zebutionary
Diss*: To insult or criticize
Horny* : Slang term for being sexually aroused, or lustful
Yummylicious*:Yummy + Delicious
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