Oysters

Oysters are an aphrodisiac

Not everyone appreciates the salty, slimy joys of slurping raw oysters, but many people will sample these shelled delicacies just because of their legendary properties. After all, oysters are supposed to get you in the mood and increase your sexual powers.

Rumors of the powers of the oyster go all the way back to the birth of the word “aphrodisiac.” Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, was born from the sea on an oyster shell and gave birth to Eros. Just as the oyster and the sea gave birth to Aphrodite and Eros, the slippery oyster is supposed to give birth to sexual desire and prowess. In the second century, the Roman satirist Juvenal described how the Romans considered oysters an aphrodisiac food, and even wrote about how women behaved recklessly when they had consumed wine and giant oysters. Legend has it that Casanova, known for his sexual conquests, ate fifty oysters for breakfast every morning to fuel his escapades. Some people think that oysters stay on the list of aphrodisiac foods because they resemble the female genitalia. (Certain foods are believed to fuel sexual appetites because they resemble sexual organs in some way.)

Despite the long-standing reputation of the oyster as a sexual booster, there is no evidence that the oyster has actual powers of sexual rejuvenation. There are no studies documenting increased sexual desire or performance in connection with eating oysters. There is just no science to support the claim that oysters are an aphrodisiac.

Happily for those of us who love oysters, we can still comfort ourselves that they might contain some things that help with sexual performance. Oysters are a good source of zinc, and zinc is needed to make the male sexual hormone testosterone. Having enough zinc in your body is also important to making healthy sperm. Recent studies also suggest that raw oysters contain D-aspartic acid and N-methyl-D-aspartate, two amino acids that increased testosterone levels in a study of male rats. An increase in testosterone levels could result in a boost to your libido. Remember, oysters have never been proven to make any difference in sexual drive, but there is nothing wrong with hoping that they might keep your sperm healthy and your libido strong.

In fact, it is that hope which is likely responsible for the continued belief in the oyster as an aphrodisiac. When we believe that something works, it sometimes does just because of our belief. This is called the placebo effect. Our minds are powerful, and when our mind is convinced that something will have a particular effect on the body, we sometimes can see (or think we see) that effect. Sexual desire is strongly influenced by our state of mind. If you believe that oysters are going to rev up your sex drive, you just might find yourself in the mood after slurping down a few of the bivalve mollusks. It was probably your brain that got you in the mood—not the oysters—but you can enjoy that mood nonetheless.