It is said that the Aztecs and Mayans celebrated the cacao bean harvest with orgies, and Montezuma is credited with using a spicy chocolate drink, which included red chillies, to increase his libido.
The Aztecs and Mayans added sugar and nuts to their chocolate drink to make it less bitter.
(The Nahuatil word, from which the English word "chocolate" comes from, means "bitter water.
") The nuts might have contributed to the potency of the drink as an aphrodisiac.
It has been discovered that the raw bean from which chocolate is derived contains theobromine (drink of the gods) and caffeine which makes them a mild stimulant and diuretic.
The raw bean also contains anandamide which gives a mild high similar to that of marijuana, and it also contains tryptophan which is a building block of serotonin, the feel-good chemical produced in our bodies.
The beans also contain phenylethylamine which is a stimulant related to amphetamine which is released in the brain when we "fall in love.
" Dark chocolate is closest to the properties of the raw bean as it contains more cacao solids, so if chocolate is an aphrodisiac, then dark chocolate is the type that is rather than milk or white chocolate.
Scientists have been at pains to prove one way or another that chocolate is an aphrodisiac, but have so far failed to come up with conclusive evidence.
Dark chocolate is certainly a mood enhancer, and has been associated with sex and romantic love for centuries.
On Valentine's Day we give chocolate to our loved one, and certainly eating chocolate is a sensual experience as its flavour melts warmingly in the mouth.
In 2010 a scientific study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology stated "Consumption of cocoa flavanols results in acute improvement in mood and cognitive performance during sustained mental effort.
" Clearly chocolate has a lot going for it.
It is said that Casanova drank chocolate to stimulate his libido, and as his name has become one associated with licentiousness, then if it was good for him, it might be good for us.
The Aztecs and Mayans (and the 17th century Spaniards) kept their chocolate drink for the wealthy, the priestly class and the Emperor- all men.
Women weren't supposed to drink it in those ancient civilizations.
The Duchess Du Barry mistress of Louis XIV used to have chocolate in her private chambers though, and the monks in Europe were not supposed to have chocolate in order for them to remain celibate.
The raw beans contain vitamins A, C, E and K as well as some of the B-complex vitamins, and the minerals copper, zinc, iron, manganese, magnesium, calcium and potassium, so it is no wonder that the raw bean has been hailed as a superfood by scientists (along with broccoli and kiwi fruit among others, just to put this in perspective).
They know the genome sequence of the bean and are hoping to come up with ways of altering it in order to help combat diabetes, and also to improve cardio-vascular and cognitive functions.
They say that the raw bean has more antioxidant properties than found in green tea or red wine.
Eating dark chocolate or drinking it may well be very beneficial to our health and mood.
However, whether or not it is an aphrodisiac remains up to the consumer to decide.
The Aztecs and Mayans added sugar and nuts to their chocolate drink to make it less bitter.
(The Nahuatil word, from which the English word "chocolate" comes from, means "bitter water.
") The nuts might have contributed to the potency of the drink as an aphrodisiac.
It has been discovered that the raw bean from which chocolate is derived contains theobromine (drink of the gods) and caffeine which makes them a mild stimulant and diuretic.
The raw bean also contains anandamide which gives a mild high similar to that of marijuana, and it also contains tryptophan which is a building block of serotonin, the feel-good chemical produced in our bodies.
The beans also contain phenylethylamine which is a stimulant related to amphetamine which is released in the brain when we "fall in love.
" Dark chocolate is closest to the properties of the raw bean as it contains more cacao solids, so if chocolate is an aphrodisiac, then dark chocolate is the type that is rather than milk or white chocolate.
Scientists have been at pains to prove one way or another that chocolate is an aphrodisiac, but have so far failed to come up with conclusive evidence.
Dark chocolate is certainly a mood enhancer, and has been associated with sex and romantic love for centuries.
On Valentine's Day we give chocolate to our loved one, and certainly eating chocolate is a sensual experience as its flavour melts warmingly in the mouth.
In 2010 a scientific study published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology stated "Consumption of cocoa flavanols results in acute improvement in mood and cognitive performance during sustained mental effort.
" Clearly chocolate has a lot going for it.
It is said that Casanova drank chocolate to stimulate his libido, and as his name has become one associated with licentiousness, then if it was good for him, it might be good for us.
The Aztecs and Mayans (and the 17th century Spaniards) kept their chocolate drink for the wealthy, the priestly class and the Emperor- all men.
Women weren't supposed to drink it in those ancient civilizations.
The Duchess Du Barry mistress of Louis XIV used to have chocolate in her private chambers though, and the monks in Europe were not supposed to have chocolate in order for them to remain celibate.
The raw beans contain vitamins A, C, E and K as well as some of the B-complex vitamins, and the minerals copper, zinc, iron, manganese, magnesium, calcium and potassium, so it is no wonder that the raw bean has been hailed as a superfood by scientists (along with broccoli and kiwi fruit among others, just to put this in perspective).
They know the genome sequence of the bean and are hoping to come up with ways of altering it in order to help combat diabetes, and also to improve cardio-vascular and cognitive functions.
They say that the raw bean has more antioxidant properties than found in green tea or red wine.
Eating dark chocolate or drinking it may well be very beneficial to our health and mood.
However, whether or not it is an aphrodisiac remains up to the consumer to decide.