Feed Your Sex Drive

THROUGHOUT history, many foods have been touted as aphrodisiacs, able to arouse or stimulate sexual desire. While the aphrodisiac quality of many has not been scientifically proven, some experts -- and avid users -- will tell you that there are certain types of foods that have been serving as sexual sustenance in many cultures for thousands of years.

So if you are going through a bout of low libido and want to rise above it, then maybe it is time to check your refrigerator and restock if necessary!

Ripe bananas are believed to contain the bromelain enzyme, which increases libido

* Cow cod soup: This is a Jamaican dish that many men swear by. Ask any man and he will tell you that the dish, made from the nether regions of the bull and cooked with bananas and scotch bonnet pepper in a white rum-based broth, is the fastest way to get them aroused.

* Mannish water: This a goat soup believed to have properties to put you in the mood. It is made from various goat parts, sometimes including the head and brains.

* Ginseng: A 2002 study by the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine found that in laboratory animals, both Asian and American forms of ginseng enhance libido and copulatory performance. These effects of ginseng may not be due to changes in hormone secretion, but to direct effects of ginseng, or its ginsenoside components, on the central nervous system and gonadal tissues. In males, ginsenoside can facilitate penile erection, the study said.

* Celery: It is believed that this is a fantastic food source for sexual stimulationi. This is because it contains androsterone, an odourless hormone released through male perspiration and turns women on. This is more effective if eaten raw.

* Raw oysters: This is said to be one of the most popular types of aphrodisiacs. Oysters are high in zinc, which raises sperm and testosterone production. Oysters also contain dopamine, a hormone known to increase libido. Some men even feel that sucking a raw oyster is in itself erotic.

* Ripe bananas: Ripe bananas are believed to contain the bromelain enzyme, which is believed to increase libido and reverse impotence in men. Additionally, they are good sources of potassium and B vitamins like riboflavin, which increase the body's overall energy levels.

* Avocado (pear): Some natives of central Mexico called the avocado tree 'testicle tree' mainly because avocados tend to look like that body part. These fruits are believed to contain high levels of folic acid, which helps metabolise proteins, thus giving persons more energy. They also contain vitamin B6 (a nutrient that increases male hormone production) and potassium (which helps regulate a woman's thyroid gland), two elements that help increase libido in both men and women.

* Dark Chocolate: This is believed to be one of the more potent turn on foods, thus the reason for its popularity come Valentine's Day.

--Donna Hussey-Whyte