Absinthe - A banned green liquor, once made in France from wormwood, marjoram, oil of aniseed and other essential oils. Reputedly a powerful aphrodisiac, this was the drink of Verlaine, Toulouse-Lautrec and other self-destructive geniuses. Regular consumption of absinthe leads to insanity and death which is why it was finally prohibited. (See also Alcohol) Links: Absinthe Info.

Adam and Eve - A name for the basic sexual posture; the figura veneris prima of the Romans: also known as the matrimonial, frontal and missionary position. Apparently it acquired its last name because the Polynesians - who prefer the squatting or Oceanic positions - concluded by discreet observation that it was the preffered method of their visitors. All lovemaking positions where both legs of one partner are within the other partner's legs (irrespective of who is on top) fall into this broad category, provided they are facing. The fact that the couple face each other is the key to the popularity of this posture, or it should be. Each partner can read the needs and register the pleasure of the other - the essence of good lovemaking. If the man is considerably taller than the woman, the basic frontal position is less satisfactory because each cannot see face of the other. If the man is very much larger his weight may also be a problem. If he is much smaller than his partner there is less disadvantage since he finds himself between her breasts which is fun for everybody. There are numerous variations of this posture which preserve its advantages while avoiding the problems of height-weight disparity.

Agate - In the Middle Ages this stone was used as a talisman. It was widely believed that wearing agate - which is associated with the god Mercury - increased the sexual energy and attractiveness of its possessor.

Alcohol - Taken in relatively small quantities, alcohol can act as a stimulant and may help people overcome inhibitions which can hinder relaxed, enjoyable sex even in some well-established relationships. Alcohol is certainly an ingredient in many of the aphrodisiac recipes in this book, probably for that reason. Nor is there any better overture to lovemaking than a quiet dinner with wine: a Roman poet said that 'Venus is lovely without Ceres and Bacchus (food and wine)'. However, in large quantities alcohol is a sedative and therefore a powerful anaphrodisiac or passion killer. Choose quality rather than quantity, always. (See also Armagnac, Anise, Benedictine, Calvados, Champagne, Chartreuse, Cognac, Essential Oils, Wine)

Al Fresco - Providing you have the sense of humour to overcome the occasional hazards such as a bottom covered with insect bites or discovery by a troop of scouts, sex in the open air is fun. The danger itself is stimulating for some people, while others enjoy becoming part of the natural environment in the most natural way there is. Sex al fresco was always the ultimate intention of those elegant picnic parties recorded by Watteau and other eighteenth-century painters. Be adventurous. Take a hamper! (See also Spontaneity, Water)

Almond - A wide variety of aphrodisiac concoctions and recipes from many different cultures and periods feature almonds. In The Perfumed Garden Sheikh Nefzawi recommends almonds and pine kernels mixed together in thick honey and taken at bedtime on three successive nights as a way of sharpening the sexual appetite in men. A modern gourmet recommends a soup made from powdered almonds, egg yolk, chicken stock and cream as an erotic stimulant to both sexes. Almonds also feature in Italian folk medicine as excitants. The almond tree seems to have been associated with ancient fertility cults in the Near East including that of Cybele and her consort/son Attis in Anatolia. In the language of flowers almond blossom indicates passion. Almonds also yield a fine oil which can be used in cooking or as a medium for massage. (See also Massage, Perfumed Garden)

Ananga - Ranga - A love manual written by the Hindu scribe Kalyana Malla in the Middle Ages. Although inferior to the much older Kama Sutra as a work of literature it contains a wealth of practical information. The author states his intention to demonstrate that one partner is sufficient for anyone: 'I have in this book shown how the husband, by varying the enjoyment of his wife, may live with her as with thirty-two different women, ever varying the enjoyment of her and rendering satiety impossible'. Apart from an exhaustive catalogue of sexual postures to excite both partners, there is great emphasis on foreplay and wooing in the Ananga-Ranga. The author is also a shrewd observer who remarks that a woman's sexual appetite is often strongest just before and just after menstruation. Despite its tiresome insistence on categorization, Ananga-Ranga (State of the Bodiless One) is a surprisingly modern work containing much that is relevant to a society living with the AIDS virus. (See also Erotic Literature, India)

Anaphrodisiacs - Practices or substances which are thought to reduce or remove sexual appetite have been employed - usually by repressed males - throughout human history. The early morning cold bath once favoured by English public schools came from Ancient Rome and Greece via the Medieval monasteries together with the rest of the curriculum. In case the chilling effect wore off later in the day Galen, the second century Greek doctor, had the resourcful idea of wearing sheets of lead next to the skin. If this did not remove lust completely it must have made the execution of it extremely uncomfortable. Cooling drinks and plants have also been used as weapons against lust. The limp lettuce favoured by monks is altogether believable but the cucumber - seriously suggested as a potent anaphrodisiac by some authorities - somehow seems to lack the right qualities.

Anchovy - Perhaps because they are both fish and salt - two common aphrodisiacs the world over - anchovies have a well-established reputation as a sexual stimulant.

Anilingus - (See Feuille de Rose also Bottoms and Buttocks, and Postillionage).

Anise - An umbelliferous plant indigenous to the Levant. It was mentioned by the Greek botanist Dioscorides and has long had a reputation in Europe and the Middle East as an aphrodisiac. The essential oil, anise vert, is used in perfumery. Aniseed can be used in cooking and anise is also available in a wide range of alcoholic drinks. Pernod, Ricard and Pastis from France are the most widely available, but Greek ouzo and Turkish raki are also good. Th best and driest ouzo is manufactured on the island of Mytilene (Lesbos). (See also Essential Oils, Massage).

Aphrodisiacs - For those who like to categorize things, aphrodisiacs can be divided into five groupings: analogous, associative, 'cannibalistic', therapeutic and sensory. There is a sixth category which almost deserves to be a group of its own: these could be called novelties. Any new food tends to be described as 'aphrodisiac' by those eager to sell it. For no other reason were potatoes once on the list. In practice, many aphrodisiacs fall into more than one group. Analogous aphrodisiacs resemble sexual parts in some way, e.g. ginseng; mussels. Associative aphrodisiacs are connected with erotic activity, often in a long forgotten way e.g. the hare is sacred to Aphrodite; sticks of bread to the fertility god Priapus (but they are also analogous of course). These relics are part of our folk inheritance. 'Cannibalistic' is a misuse of the term but it well describes the common idea that if you eat the vital organ of another animal (even if it is not another human animal) you will absorb its strength or essence in some way, e.g. rams' testicles. Therapeutic aphrodisiacs are those substances which are thought to have a sexually stimulating effect on the body of the user, whether drunk, inhaled, eaten or applied externally. This group can be sub-divided. There are substances that create a sense of warmth (the opposite of frigid). Secondly there are substances which relieve inhibition. Thirdly there are substances which have a diuretic effect. Lastly, and most mysteriously, there are substances which may or may not replicate our own sex hormones. Sensory aphrodisiacs include massage, erotic art, literature and performances, and sexual games and techniques which prolong, or give intensity or variety, to lovemaking.

Apple - This delicious fruit is as rich in symbolism and mythology as it is in vitamins (C and several of the B group) and minerals. It is the ultimate symbol of our own sexuality because it was with an apple that Adam tempted Eve. There is an ancient folk saying that if you cut an apple from top to bottom you will have revealed to you the temptation which Eve offered to Adam. How many unsuspecting maidens must have blushed when they carried out the experiment and realized that they were looking at the shape of their own vulva. Apples, and the products of apples such as cider and the incomparable spirit Calvados, have long been thought to possess rejuvenating and aphrodisiac qualities. There is evidence that the 'food of the gods' in Norse legend, which restored vitality and youth, was apples and cider. Good quality, unsweetened apple juice is widely available and contains many of the qualities of the original fruit. Apples were used in love magic in Europe in the Middle Ages. If a woman slept with an apple under her arm 'or some other privvy place' and in the morning persuaded a man to eat it she would become the 'apple of his eye'. (See also Alcohol, Sex Magic).

Apricot Brandy - Long considered an aphrodisiac drink. In a Midsummer Night's Dream the fairies are told of the efficacy of apricot and Shakespeare seems to have been drawing on an established folk tradition. Dried apricots steeped in sweet muscat wine for a week or two are a favourite sweetmeat with which lovers can feed each other.

Armagnac - Henry IV of France, whose numerous mistresses made enormous demands on him, always preceded his lovemaking with a thimble glass of Armagnac. Less widely known than Cognac this excellent brandy from Gascony has a richness and earthy quality that is all its own. (See also Alcohol)

Arrow Through the Arch - A Chinese name for the basic frontal sexual posture. In Chin P'Ing Mei, an erotic novel of the Ming Dynasty, it is called 'the oldest, fiercest game'. For urgent, uninhibited lovemaking it is probably the best position of all. (See also China, Erotic Literature)

Ars Amatoria - Ovid's famous poems on the Art of Love were the ostensible reason for his exile from the Rome of Augustus in AD8. The real reason had more to do with politics. In Ars Amatoria he is scathing about some of the contemporary poisonous potions employed to 'compel Venus' but lists more palatable aphrodisiacs: Eat the white shallots sent from Megara Or garden herbs that aphrodisiacs are, Or eggs, or honey on Hymettus flowing, Or nuts upon the sharp-leaved pine trees growing Ars Amatoria is a great work of literature: elegant, wise and full of psychological insight. Ovid was about fifty when he completed the work and he had been a great lover of women in every sense. Much of his no-nonsense advice is addressed to women. With a new lover he suggests 'reckon up each of your charms and take your posture according to your beauty ... if you are especially attractive of face, then lie on your back.' Ovid discusses a large number of sexual postures and concludes (perhaps because his health was no longer robust): 'A thousand modes of love are there; and the simplest and least laborious of all is when the woman lies reclined on her right side' (i.e. spoon fashion). Ars Amatoria is about the light-hearted enjoyment of sex. It is also about love. (See also Erotic Literature)

Artemisia - A genus of aromatic perennial herbs including Mugwort and Wormwood from which absinthe was once made. (See also Absinthe, Mugwort)

Artichoke - Street vendors in Paris had a special cry for this vegetable: Artichokes! Artichokes! Heats the body and the spirit. Heats the genitals. Catherine de Medici liked artichokes! Artichokes can be eaten hot or cold but they must first be boiled for about half an hour. The fleshy base is the part you eat, pulling it off the bristly leaf with your teeth. Bland on their own, hot or cold artichokes should be served with a tangy dressing: the oil and wine vinegar base can be flavoured with some of the other reputed aphrodisiacs such as garlic and fresh coriander, or chopped capers. The dressing should be mainly oil with only a little vinegar or lemon juice. The ritual is to peal off a leaf, dip in the dressing and straight to your mouth. When all the leaves are gone, cut off the bristly cone and eat the remainder of the fleshy heart. Artichokes make an excellent and leisurely beginning to a romantic meal. Philandering men were once said to have artichoke hearts ... 'for every girl a leaf'. (See also Eating and Food, Erotic Cuisine)

Asana - The term simply means 'position' and is used not only in the Sanskrit sex manuals but also in Indian dance and in Hatha-Yoga. The famous Lotus Position is an asana. Much use is made of the word asana in describing lovemaking positions in this website because - as in yoga and dance - it implies a posture held for a time which then moves fluidly and easily into another. The whole reason for studying different positions is to give variety and a multiplicity of sensations to your lovemaking. Put together different asanas, as you would put together different foods and spices to create a meal. (See also Bandha, India, Tantra, Yoga)

Asparagus - The ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks were all fond of asparagus which was cultivated mush as it is today. Although it disappeared from the European table during the Middle Ages its use was widespread in the Arab world. Sheikh Nefzawi recommends a daily dish of what sounds very much like an asparagus omelette as a powerful aphrodisiac. The Sun King, Louis XIV, reintroduced asparagus - perhaps because of its erotic reputation - to his glittering Court at Versailles. It has always been expensive but is a delicious appetizer. It can be eaten cold but is better hot. Asparagus should be boiled upright in a bundle so that the edible tips cook in the steam. As you eat each tip, dip it into a shared bowl of melted butter, hollandaise sauce or oil and vinegar. Only the fingers should be used so that the erotic symbolism of eating asparagus can be used to the best effect. (See also Eating and Food, Hops)

Astrology - Most of the early European herbalists believed that there was some correspondence between the Zodiac and those plants which affect the human body - for example a plant dedicated to Venus was thought to affect both sexual performance and function. Different parts of the human body were also thought to be associated with the various astrological signs. This link could be either negative or positive and can therefore be included among occult aphrodisiacs. In caressing or massaging your lover it may be useful to refer to the illustrations of astrological correspondence included in Nicolas Culpeper's original Herbal. If your lover is a Taurean it may be worth looking for erotic trigger points in the area of the neck; with a Cancerian try the breasts - if the Sun was in Scorpio when your partner was born proceed straight to the genitals!

Aubergine - The eggplant or aubergine is mentioned in very early Sanskrit texts and may have been a native of India. The plant came to Europe via the Arab world during the Middle Ages and is now grown in warm climates everywhere. Aubergine is a principal ingredient of the Provencal dish ratatouille which contains various other aphrodisiac plants (onions, red and green peppers, tomatos, garlic, coriander) although no-one seems to have made the connection. In the West Indies a dish made from aubergine, chives, pimentos, vanilla pod and peppercorns in a white sauce was used as a sexual excitant. The classic aubergine dish is Imam Bayildi from Turkey. The hollowed vegetable is stuffed with the same ingredients as ratatouille (without the courgettes) and slowly simmered in olive oil for two or three hours. Usually it is eaten cold. A Turkish Imam is said to have fainted with pleasure after the women of his harem fed him the aphrodisiac dish: its name means 'fainting imam'.

Avocado - The Spanish conquistadores brought back the avocado pear to the Old World where its reputation as an erotic stimulant soon became well-established at the royal courts. The Aztecs called it ahuacatl which means testicle, presumably a reference to the stone rather than the entire pear, unless there was something about the Aztecs which history has failed to tell us. Many women find the sensation of eating avocado especially pleasing and the texture has been compared to semen. (See also Link: Avocado Org.)

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