Chocolate - Between An Aphrodisiac or Better Sex

The saying may go, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach", but what about women? It is a long standing tradition to present a woman with a box of chocolate as a romantic gesture. Is it simply because women love chocolate or does the root of this tradition go deeper?

What is An Aphrodisiac?

An aphrodisiac is reputed to "put you in the mood for love" and the name comes from the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite. It is possible that the aphrodisiacal qualities come from our own mindset and expectations. First of all, we get a certain amount of pleasure from consuming chocolate. For one, the melting point of chocolate is slightly below human body temperature so it melts in your mouth. That in itself is a stimulating experience but what about the substances found in chocolate? And what are the roots of chocolate as an aphrodisiac in history? Those are a lot of useful information but as you would expect, there are conflicting arguments on whether or not it is an aphrodisiac.

Chocolate is An Aphrodisiac in History

One report said that the Aztecs considered all chocolate an aphrodisiac. Because of this, all foods made with chocolate were strictly forbidden to women. However, another report stated that the Aztecs and Mayans were the first to recognize the potency of this food, celebrating the harvest with festivals of wild orgies. Both could be true (and may be) but it seems to me that if they were having wild orgies, they would want the women to eat it. From the time the first coca beans were harvested by the Mayans, there has been the belief that chocolate has a euphoric impact on the body’s senses. The conquistadores saw the Emperor Montezuma of the Aztecs consuming a large quantity of cocoa in the form of a beverage called chocolatl before entering his harem. May be, the Aztecs apparently considered it an aphrodisiac.The invading Spaniards spread the Emperor’s belief that cocoa was an aphrodisiac and brought it to Europe. This belief was also shared by one of history’s most famous lovers, Giacomo Casanova.

There are people throughout history who also believed in the stimulating qualities of chocolate. In 1624 Johan Franciscus Rauch, a professor in Vienna, condemned chocolate as an inflamer of passions and urged monks not to drink it as he wanted to ban it in the monasteries. It is said that Madame du Barry, courtesan and mistress of Louis XV, always served her lovers a cup of chocolat before they were let in to her bedroom, and that the great lover and alchemist Casanova, who drank his cioccolata at Cafe Florian in Venice, considered chocolate more stimulating than champagne and called it the "elixir of love". Montezuma supposedly drank a cup of chocolate before entering his harem.

Since then, the use of chocolate as part of the mating ritual has been firmly established. More recently it has been shown that not only does chocolate increase the sexual appetite but also produces a sense of elation similar to an orgasm.

Chocolate’s psychotropic properties

People in history have found chocolate to be an aphrodisiac, but why? It has only been in recent times that scientists have unravelled chocolate’s psychotropic properties and the effects it has on us. Neither of these properties by themselves provides the connection between eating chocolates and heightened sexual pleasure. It is in fact the rush of endorphins produced by eating chocolates, particularly dark chocolates, which is most similar to the bliss associated with a healthy sexual relationship.

Phenylethylamine

Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a naturally occurring amino-acid which some consider to have aphrodisiacal effects and is even said to be able to "cure" hangovers. Phenylethylamine is a substance which is released naturally in the human body when you're in love. P phenyl-ethylamine, which is known to stimulate the release of dopamine into the pleasure centers commonly associated with an orgasm.

Dopamine and Serotonin

Other stimulants present in chocolate are dopamine and serotonin, which alleviate pain and encourage a good mood. Serotonin, a chemical naturally produced by the brain, which is known to reduce anxiety and produces feelings of pleasure in a similar way to sunlight. Serotonin is most commonly associated with the effects of marijuana or getting ‘stoned’ (you would have to eat 25lbs of dark chocolate at once to achieve the same effect).

Caffeine and Theo-bromine

Chocolate has been found to contain modest amounts of the stimulants caffeine and theo-bromine, (much less than in coffee or tea). Theo-bromine, a chemical stimulant frequently confused with caffeine, but has very different effects on the human body. It is a mild, lasting stimulant with a mood improving effect. Its presence is one of the causes for chocolate's mood-elevating effects. (Note - In chocolate, theobromine exists in doses that are safe for humans to consume in large quantities, but can be lethal for animals such as dogs and horses, as they metabolize theobromine more slowly.)

Addition

In addition to this scientific evidence, a great deal of behavioral research has been done to study the sexual behavior of women who eat a lot of chocolate and those who don’t. The conclusion of this is that women who consume large quantities of chocolate have more satisfying sex lives. However the reverse correlation could also be assumed where women with satisfying sex lives tend to eat more chocolate.

Despite the fact that the relationship between sex and chocolate can’t be proven with 100% certainty, the scientific evidence combined with behavioral studies provides a compelling argument for cocoa’s impact on our sexual drive - it is convincing enough for chocolate to have become a part of the daily diet!