"Venus and Anchises" by William Blake Richmond, Public Domain
Please Note: This article is Part II of my previous blog article, "Aphrodite: Goddess of Sex, Aphrodisiacs and Sacred Prostitution". In this article, I cover the aphrodisiacs associated with Aphrodite. I also share some seductive exotic edible aphrodisiac recipes for each one as well as some titillating topical essential oil recipes both of which help to arouse the senses, awaken sexual desire and enhance orgasms.
Aphrodite's Erotic Belt
Detail from Painting By Henryk Siemiradzki, Public Domain
As we discovered in Part I of this article, the Greek Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, adorned her lovely hips with a magical belt which she filled with sensual libations made from powerful aphrodisiacs.
Due to the war on plant medicines that has been going on for centuries we have lost a great deal of historical information pertaining to botanicals, so the exact contents of Aphrodite's belt remains a mystery.
Many references in the Goddess of Love’s mythology reveal that her shaman's bag contained potent aphrodisiacs. There are a number of aphrodisiacs associated with Aphrodite and it is more than likely that some of these were stashed in her medicine satchel. Aphrodite's magical girdle was sought after by many of the Gods and Goddesses due to the legendary seductive effects of the contents contained within. This is a clear indication that Aphrodite was the keeper of some impressive tantalizing love potions!
Aphrodisiacs
The word aphrodisiac comes from the Greek word ἀφροδισιακόν, aphrodisiakon, i.e. "sexual, aphrodisiac", from aphrodisios, i.e. "pertaining to Aphrodite" (References 1,2).
Aphrodisiacs are substances which increase sexual appetite and desire and enhance sexual behaviour and pleasure.
How do aphrodisiacs work? Hormones, in particular testosterone, influence our sex drive. Through our senses (smell, touch, taste, sound and sight) we may come across something which ignites our sexual arousal. For instance, a soft touch, the twinkle in a lover's eye, the scent of the perfect combination of intoxicating pheromones mixed with sweet perfume, the taste of a strawberry dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with cardamom, the sexy sounds our lover makes when they are in the heights of sexual ecstasy and so on.
A particular encounter experienced through our senses sets off a chain reaction throughout our bodies. Signals are sent from our brain through our central nervous system to the sexual organs causing the blood to flow to our genitals making them swell and ultra sensitive to touch and increasing the potential for exquisite orgasms. This increase of oxygen in our blood also causes our hearts to become more stimulated. All the while, our brain re