Sex.co.nz

If you want to get your partner lusty, you may be tempted to slip them a few shellfish, a glass of wine, or Spanish Fly.  But do these purported aphrodisiacs really work?  We find out.

Don’t bother trying Spanish fly.  The name is a misnomer, as Spanish fly is actually the European blister beetle.  Ingesting Spanish fly will make you feel hot, but the warm sensation you feel has nothing to do with sexual stimulation.  Your urinary tract is actually burning as a result of a toxic substance found in the beetle, cantharidin.  Consuming pepper would deliver the exact same feeling without the toxic effect.

Don’t waste your money on powdered rhinoceros horn, either.  Although traditional Chinese medicine associated the erect horn with an erect penis, the powdered horn has little nutritional value and offers nothing better than the placebo effect.

There’s a little more merit to oysters, which Casanova supposedly ate for breakfast.  But don’t bother feeding them to the ladies; oysters contain high levels of zinc, which help in sperm production, and may increase testosterone levels.

Alcohol can lower inhibitions, but it can also cause other parts of the body to droop.  Party drug users experience greater problems with erectile dysfunction.

Strangely enough, three of the most potent aphrodisiacs aren’t food at all.  Psychoanalysis, getting in shape, and respecting your partner are three of the greatest libido enhancers, according to LiveScience.