Thanksgiving Aphrodisiacs

I call my dishes appeteasers, inter-courses and happy endings, a testament to the double purpose each colorful and flavorful dish serves in my home. Everything must be delicious. The meals in my home satisfy tummies. They must also nourish a lifetime of vital living and carnal joy. My kitchen is the wellspring of sensual foods and nourished libidos. After all, true health reform starts in the pantry.

In this way, I join a movement with a venerated history. From Cleopatra to the Mayan Kings, palates have consumed lust-inspiring herbs, spices and foods.
Modern science may question the value that specific foods have any real aphrodisiac properties, but as fans of chocolate and oysters – two famous edibles that delight palate and privates – will attest, the suggestive nature is satisfaction enough (“Sometimes a cigar is more than a cigar”).

The phallic form of bananas; the ripe lushness of avocado; the heady scent of rosemary: these are just some of nature’s gifts to our sexual well-being. Before the advent of Vitamin-V and contraptions to encourage Mr. Limpy, or lotions to lubricate her more delicate parts, humankind turned to foods and herbs to improve procreative health.

Next week, while you are busy preparing a feast for family and friends, lovers will find pleasure in the fact that many traditional foods served on this scrumptious day are believed to enhance the libido. Who knew that cranberries and nutmeg could spice up your love life?

For curious cooks and lovers, here are all time favorite Thanksgiving foods and spices and their aphrodisiac properties to make sure your dinner pleases more than your taste buds.


Bon appetite, and of course, save time for dessert. Moderation is the key with food, and sometimes, when it comes to making love too…

Cranberries: Good urinary health is a must for the plumbing to work. Cranberries are packed with Vitamin C, vital for the vitality of the sex glands, and Vitamin A, an important aid to the circulatory system. Getting your blood pumping, and your bodies thumping, cranberries are little jewels of health and pleasure. What a shame that Thanksgiving’s most famous side dish is relegated to once a year status. Makes you almost feel like relishing the love year round.

Celery: Besides its phallic form, celery is actually packed with nutrients that aid the pituitary gland, a key player in hormone secretion and regulations. It also contains androsterone, a hormone men secrete that turns women on. Whether the 'pheromone' properties will make your sweetheart swoon at the table has yet to be seen, but at least you know that the crunch in your stuffing from the healthy goodness of this green giant will go good with….

Nuts: I do mean those that grow on trees. They're beneficial for many reasons. Many are rich in zinc, a lack of which is linked to impotence. Ginkgo nuts are proven to stimulate blood circulation, and the Romans believed that walnuts improved fertility. Pine nuts and almonds get high marks for nourishing libidos with the right kind of fat and zinc, so top off those green beans with toasted goodness – do what you must to eat those nuts.

Cinnamon: Cinnamon is a versatile spice that goes with sweet and savory temptations. A very little bit of this potent ‘warming’ flavor and it’s yummy goodness goes a long way to tickle your fancy – in your pumpkin pie, hot cider, cup of tea or your favorite sensual oil. Cinnamon also plays nicely in the sandbox with that other temptation called…

Nutmeg: For 5000 years, nutmeg has been known for its medicinal and sensual properties. In large quantities, it can be hallucinogenic, but what you add to your favorite pies, soups, vegetables or stuffing can sweeten the breathe (for those after-dinner kisses), and we know how delicious it is with the following holiday favorite.

Apples: What is Thanksgiving without pie from apples, venerated fruit with a lavish history. Long accused of being the temptress of knowledge, apples may indeed cause a sin or two. As super foods high in antioxidants, apples have lots of free-radical fighters that keep our bodies healthy and youthful. Sustain your after dinner activities with the energy from baked apples as a nutritious alternative to pie, and see what sweetness you’ll cook up all weekend long.

Pumpkin: Who knew that before our puritan forefathers established this holiday, the world was eating pumpkin to treat low libido? That’s enough to make those starched shirts squirm! Indeed, pumpkin blossoms have been used medicinally to treat fertility and the flesh packs a healthy dose of sex-friendly antioxidants. The smell is also seductive; along with vanilla and lavender, it’s one of a few tested scents that is arousing to men. Not that we are suggesting you bathe in the raw stuff, though you may love eating the zinc-rich seeds (good for getting blood pumping).

Hungry for More?

In general, aphrodisiacs can be classified into two categories:

They either look like certain body parts and therefore inspire erotic thoughts, or they feed specific organs and improve overall health to enhance erotic deeds.
When it comes to the latter, there are two organs we most want to feed: the heart and the brain. The latter is our primary sex organ, and it needs lots of healthy fats (think Omega 6) to cook up our fantasies and function at top form.

What’s interesting to note is that our heart sends more signals to the brain than the other way around. While science figures the meaning of that out, the rest of us can concur that when it comes to making love, a healthy heart is key.

As someone once told me, ‘Our skin may be the largest organ, and the one that experiences most of the sexy fun, but it is our heart that we most want touched when we are engaged in nocturnal pleasures.’