A note: this article discusses adult themes relating to desire and intimacy.

Every culture on earth has a list of foods, herbs, or substances said to increase sexual desire. Are any of them real? The honest short answer: for most of the things marketed as aphrodisiacs, the evidence is thin to non-existent. But the science of what does influence desire is genuinely interesting — it just points in a different direction.

The aphrodisiac evidence, candidly

Maca: a systematic review found “limited evidence” of effects on sexual function in a small number of trials, with the authors noting the body of evidence is insufficient to draw conclusions.1

Yohimbine: a meta-analysis found a greater probability of improved erectile function than placebo, but some researchers attribute the effect to peripheral vascular changes rather than desire, and flag significant adverse effects including raised blood pressure.2 Not a date-night supplement.

Ginseng: some evidence in erectile-function trials, moderate at best, in populations with dysfunction rather than healthy adults seeking enhancement.3

Everything else — oysters, chocolate, chillies, rose petals: no controlled evidence worth citing. These are cultural associations — which is actually the first clue to what is really going on.

A more useful framework: the dual control model

Researchers building on the dual control model describe sexual desire as a car with both an accelerator and a brake. Arousal requires the accelerator to engage and the brakes to release — and for most people, the brakes are the more important variable.4

The brakes include tension, feeling watched or judged, unresolved resentment, distraction, fatigue, and a sense of unsafety. You cannot pharmacologically override a stuck brake. A substance that marginally increases arousal signals is swamped by a nervous system running a threat appraisal. This is why aphrodisiac trials in healthy adults tend to fail — they add horsepower while the handbrake is on.

Desire is context, not chemistry. A supplement adds horsepower while the handbrake is on.

What actually helps

The research on couples and desire points consistently toward factors that are mundane to name but genuinely important: reduced performance pressure, increased felt safety, mutual attention (both partners present, not one a spectator), novelty of context, and the consistent positive pairing of environmental cues with intimacy over time.5 Not glamorous — but what the evidence supports.

What this might mean for your evening

An evening ritual that reduces sympathetic activation, creates a sense of safety and shared attention, and establishes a repeated environmental context is doing the actual work. That is not marketing. It is the science.

A note. This is general education, not medical advice. If you or your partner are experiencing persistent changes in libido, please speak to your GP, who can rule out hormonal or other medical factors. Nothing here is a claim about any Mythrae product.

References

  1. Shin, B. C. et al. (2010). Maca for improving sexual function: a systematic review. BMC Complementary Medicine / PMC.
  2. Ernst, E. & Pittler, M. H. Yohimbine for erectile dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PMC.
  3. Lee, M. S. et al. (2025). Herbal supplements for erectile dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs. Asian Journal of Urology / ScienceDirect.
  4. Bancroft, J. & Janssen, E. (2000). The dual control model: sexual inhibition and excitation in arousal and behaviour. Kinsey Institute.
  5. Granados, R. et al. (2021). Evidence on the dual control model and sexual response. Psychological Reports / SAGE.

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