World's Strangest Aphrodisiacs

Part of cobra blood’s supposed potency is linked to the danger of catching and consuming it, a Cantonese tradition dating back to the Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220). And yes, catching it kills hundreds of people each year. Aficionados consume it straight or with alcohol—either way, the drink contains choice bits of flesh.

Where to Find It: The Snake Village outside Hanoi in Vietnam as well as at chain restaurant Xin Li Zhi Wan in Guangzhou, China.

Cost: $80 per pound.

One look at this large, fleshy, sausage-shaped sea creature (which reportedly stiffens and squirts fluid when disturbed) is all you need to understand why sea cucumber has a long history as a male performance-enhancer. In China, it’s usually sold in markets dried; cooking it is a lengthy process involving days of soaking, boiling, and seasoning. The end result, though, is apparently rich, buttery, and tender (something like pork fat).

Where to Find It: In Chinese restaurants around the world.

Cost: $3 per pound.

In the Philippines, this sidewalk snack—a duck egg that contains a fetus about 20 days into gestation—is as common as a New York pretzel. Served by vendors who belt out their fetal wares with the chant “baluuuut,” it is considered a delicacy in many countries. The egg is typically tapped, then flipped upside down. The liquid is drunk and then the egg is peeled to reveal part of a duck fetus imbedded in the white, accented by the odd feather.

Where to Find It: All over major city centers of the Philippines as well as in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.

Cost: As little as $1 each.

Hardly the sexiest lizard, this small leaf-eating little critter still possesses the power of seduction. Credited for making the eater irresistible, the skink saw its rise to amorous fame in ancient Greece, where Pliny the Elder, in Natural History, insisted its muzzle and feet should be steeped in wine with rocket seed and drunk to ignite sexual vigor.

Where to Find It: Today skinks are more commonly kept as pets than consumed as aphrodisiacs, though native tribes in North Africa are still said to eat them.

Cost: $30–$100, though of course if caught crossing your path, they’re free.

The nests made by Asian swifts—which employ the cave-dwelling birds’ own saliva as a sort of mortar—have been prized for their aphrodisiac properties by centuries of Chinese. Known locally as “caviar of the East,” the nests are carefully harvested from places that make collection challenging, resulting in an expensive product. One recipe: soak the nest in water overnight, remove loose feathers, and boil, adding rock sugar at the end.

Where to Find It: Restaurants in Bangkok’s Chinatown and luxury hotels like the Liu at the Conrad Hotel and Chang Palace at Shangri-La in China.

Cost: $100 an ounce.

The secretions of a certain type of European blister beetle—which, when applied to human flesh, cause irritation and swelling—have been used to induce tumescence since the days of Julius Caesar. The Marquis de Sade reportedly used them to fuel his exploits; even today the acidic content in the secretions, called cantharidin, is used for animal husbandry in the U.S. Another irony is Spanish fly’s other Viagra-like side effect: priapism, that pesky persistent erection that often requires medical attention.

Where to Find It: True cantharides is illegal but distilled versions can be found in apothecaries all over Europe.

Cost: As little as $3 a bottle.

Though man’s best friend is the more commonly consumed ingredient, wolves are a popular aphrodisiac, particularly during winter months (ask any Mongolian). In the Philippines it’s prepared adobo style, marinated with vegetables, and also served in kilawin, a vinegar-based dish. Beyond the obvious explanation—that any animal that can howl is undeniably sexy—wolf’s warming effect is associated with an eater’s sexual upsurge.

One of the most poisonous sea-dwellers, the blowfish (or fugu) is a prized aphrodisiac. Along with having an ugly mug, it can be deadly: chefs have to earn a special license to prepare the toxic ocean resident. The jury is out on what part is responsible for its passion-inducing power: some say it’s the tingling sensation one gets after eating the nontoxic part of its body, while others insist that the sake-soaked testicles are the true prize.

Where to Find It: In restaurants all over Japan.

Cost: $100–$200 per dish.

An industrious ant known in South America as hormiga culona, or “large-bottomed ant,” leaf-cutters were first prized for their frisky-making powers by pre-Columbian cultures. The wings and legs of the queens are painstakingly separated before the ants are soaked in salty water and roasted. Gifting the ants to newlyweds is still practiced today.

Where to Find It: The Colombian towns of San Gil and Barichara.

Tiger Woods jokes aside, this is one of the world’s most distasteful aphrodisiacs, as it’s partially responsible for the tiger’s near extinction. The market for it is mostly Asian, as traditional Chinese medicine has credited the rare member with bumping up male stamina. Though virtually every part of the animal is turned into some kind of “medicinal” treatment, tiger penis is most often served as a soup, boiled sometimes along with tiger bone, and spiced.

The demand for powdered rhino horn—a singularly potent symbol of power and sexual prowess—has sadly caused the near decimation of the black rhinoceros species in Africa. Most typically used (illegally) in Chinese medicine and in northern Indian tribes, the horn is ground up and served in a soup.

Where to Find It: Rhino horn is, for good reason, illegal. Most often poached in Africa, the major—and unfortunately, increasing—demand is in Asia.