Viagra aside, aphrodisiacs from nature are sought out the world over. From indigenous rain forest communities to the high tech modern western world, everybody has their idea of what sets up the libido for a steamy night.

Since the beginning of time when much pressure was put on extending the human race, people have been obsessed with fertility. It is often seen as a failure on the part of somebody who cannot reproduce, even though many people these days chose that way of life.

Aphrodisiac foods, for increasing the libido, fall into different categories. Some are for fertility, male or female, and some are meant to be performance enhancers. Thank goodness they're not all staple foods now.

In ancient times it was said that Aphrodite, the goddess of love, ate sparrows because of their 'amorous nature'. Therefore, sparrows were included in the diet of people hoping to indulge in their conjugal rights.

Around the same time, lizard skins and river snails were also said to do the job. Think I'd rather go without, thank you very much.

Of course, most of the male libido builders are the obvious ones with phallic symbolism that actually don't have any substance in science; carrots, powdered rhino horn, asparagus and bananas being the obvious culprits. Having said that, bananas do have a high concentration of potassium and Vitamin B, both necessary for the adequate production of sex hormones.

On the other side of the coin, anything 'egg' shaped is supposed to aid women's fertility, this not necessarily going hand in hand with libido. Totally unrelated, are mushrooms. There is something in mushrooms that today's nutritionists claim will assist fertility and after a month of my daughters raw mushroom cravings, I now have a grandson!

Avocados are also said to increase libido. It can be no accident that the Aztecs called them 'Ahuacuatl' or 'testicle tree'.

Scientific studies can very rarely find any concrete proof that any food would serve that much purpose in stimulating libido. They believe it is more of a psychological result, mind over matter, type of effect.

The few they would agree with are the ones that irritate the urinary tract on excretion. Strange, but when my urinary tract is irritated the last thing to be stimulated is libido!

Illegal drugs and alcohol do have an effect on sexual intentions. This is purely because they both lower inhibitions, borne out by the fact that so many STD's and unwanted pregnancies are the result of drink or drug fuelled nights.

Of course, if illegal drugs are not your thing, large doses of nutmeg are supposed to have a hallucinogenic effect on women and their libido. So, if you're concerned about your manhood, don't worry, just serve a candlelit meal with copious amounts of nutmeg and she's sure to be impressed.

Mustard is meant to be a stimulant of sexual organs - maybe if you applied it externally a reaction would be induced but I can't say it's ever done anything for me via ingestion.

The healing properties of garlic have long been triumphed and sexual health is not an area it shies from. However, when trying this route it is important to eat it with your partner as one person having a garlic gob without the other is more likely to be a turn off than a libido boost.

In the lead up to every Valentine's Day is the abundance of adverts for chocolates and wine as gifts for your loved one. Both supposedly aphrodisiacs, both playing to the ever hopeful three quarters of the population who hope to have sex on Valentine's Day and the third of those people who truly expect to get it.

Chocolate is thought to contain chemicals that effect neurotransmitters in the brain. It also has more antioxidants than red wine but for the best hope of a night of raised libidos and hot passion, try combining both together.

Personally, I'm in favour of a fat bar of chocolate, several bottles of Rose wine and a hot bath. Better than sex anyday!

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About the Author

Nutritional expert Catherine Harvey looks at the effect on the libido of foods. To find out more please visit http://www.stimulusforwomen.co.uk/