“Whoa, you’re Indian!? Do you wanna get together sometime to teach me the Kama Sutra?”  This was a very lame pick-up line, indeed, salaciously slurred at me by a very lame boy in high school. I never took him up on the advance, but this is the stereotype that has come to blur the realm of Indian aphrodisiacs in most common knowledge of the subject.

Once upon a time, there was a culture rich in sensuality thriving in India. The “Sexual Revolution” of the 1960s sought to revive this open awareness of passion, but that flame fizzled quick in comparison to the ancient traditions that are now sadly becoming myth buried in antiquity. India’s status in the realm of aphrodisiacs goes way back; the nation owns a rich history in sensuality, so much to the point that all of sexuality was once considered part of an elaborate science. India is the motherland to many varieties of aphrodisiacs, and laced throughout its culture they maintain a stronghold on the subject, considering history as well as the diet and lifestyle of its modern people. From pomegranates, pistachios, the sacred herb ajwain, to the ancient Tantric sexual statues, residing within the belly of India are time-tested aphrodisiacs that have been responsible for getting the masses off since the days before organized religion was set about conquering the earth.

Their effectiveness and lasting ability proves India’s ancient sexual knowledge is still ultimately relevant to the present. Tantric sex cults, in which practitioners reach exalted states of consciousness through the orgasms of meditative sex, were once a mainstream occurrence some 4,000 years ago. In quest of sexual freedom, this seems like true Eden in comparison to the ways the extremists of the world are seeking to destroy all outlets and forms of sensuality and sexual expression.

In existence today, still remaining are erotic sculptures depicting gods and goddesses entwined sinuously in acrobatic positions of ecstatic fornication. These heavenly beings were so meticulously created, capturing the most sensual of embraces, curves of the naked muscles, and serene expressions upon their faces. These are, perhaps, the oldest forms of erotic art.

Ancient India was once a place of extreme sexual acceptance, of glorified hedonistic pleasures, in which all of culture worshipped the very art of passion; prayers were chanted in the form of sighs, moans, and gasps of orgasm. Life was lived as an aphrodisiac; everything in life was directed towards the creative sexual energies within. Sex was considered a pathway to the heavens, to the gods. It is from this society that the ancient texts on love, the Kama Sutra, originated. The Kama Sutra is much more than just exotic sex positions and literature detailing a more spiritual attitude to fucking; it is an all-encompassing manual for love, erotic pleasure, and everything that could possibly come in between them. It simply told the tale of a completely aphrodisiac way of life.

In accordance with its greatly sensual history, it would be incomplete and foolish not to include details of the India’s diet that have inspired its rise to being the second most populated nation on earth. Native to India, loaded with health benefits, and enjoyed for their sexual prowess centuries before Christ, are some very fine edible aphrodisiacs.

The pomegranate, currently regarded by doctors throughout the world to be a superfood for its intense concentration of antioxidant properties, has long been entwined within legend, myth, and actuality in terms of its ability to fuel the sex drive. There is some speculation that in the Garden of Eden, it was actually a pomegranate, not the apple, which with Eve tempted Adam. This precious fruit has also been associated with sex to such a degree that in the East, during fertility and marriage ceremonies, it was pomegranate seeds thrown, similar to the Western tradition of rice thrown at weddings to symbolize the blessing of much fertility and fruitfulness.

Aside from such rituals of yesteryear, today pomegranate juice is now so widely available almost everywhere you can buy juice, and is an excellent substitute for wine for more than one reason. The pomegranate fruit is visually arousing just in appearance, so very beautiful with its deep magenta hue. Its naturally potent Vitamin C content will deliver a burst of energy, which is always useful when you are directing that energy in a lustful direction. It is also a very heart-healthy food when you consider its antioxidant content, and metaphorically speaking, one’s heart should be strong when it comes to games and vices of love.

Pistachios are nuts of utter importance when it comes to getting all hot and bothered. Although I’m sure you can think of some other kind of important nuts when thinking of aphrodisiacs and arousal… The edible kind that are grown on trees are a delightful aphrodisiac, with their claim to fame dating back to a Babylonian queen of Sheba, who demanded they remain a delicacy only for the wealthy and affluent, intending to keep pleasure from lower classes. So popular in their reputation as having the potential to ignite the flames of passion, they are also delectable and lend themselves impeccably to desserts, as well as being quite perfect in the raw, naked flesh.

The scientifically sexy symbolism of the pistachio is that there are male and female varieties of the pistachio tree, the female bearing the nuts, the males producing the pollen. When the two get together to truly make love, they must throw all caution to the wind, for it is in the wind’s power to spread the pollen and make those pistachio babies! The health properties of pistachios, high in protein, minerals, fiber, potassium, and vitamin E, are also worth mention, because they will help keep your body in optimal shape… in turn, resulting in optimal performance when time is of the titillated essence!

And now, for the back breaker: the mightiest of the Indian aphrodisiacs, the time has come to talk about the ever-powerful ajwain, also known as “carom.” This Ayurvedic herb’s medicinal use as an aphrodisiac dates back in history thousands of years, and throughout India it is still quite commonly used to ignite a feeble libido. The seeds of this plant are its most potent constituent. To access their full salacious force entirely, the ajwain seeds are to be crushed and fried in butter, oil, or ghee (Indian clarified
butter) for optimal extraction. To complete its effectiveness, one teaspoon of this elixir is to be taken with milk and honey before getting on the lewd action to assure virility. Lore also has it that ajwain provides protection against two of man’s nasty little enemies in the performance department: premature ejaculation and impotence. In addition to its obvious sexual status, ajwain is also a common remedy for ailments such as gas (which is never an aphrodisiac, and can be quite an impediment) and is also known to alleviate shortness of breath, which can come in quite handy during intense skirmishes of athletic couplings!

Above all, through our travels to the South Asian continent in this lesson on keeping the flame of lust burning strong and stimulated, we must not forget that a nation of over one billion people finds a way through the sadness of mass poverty to seek refuge within the comfort of sensual pleasure. Through starvation and the worst possible living conditions, the spirit of creation, the omnipresent internal drive will not stop people from relishing in the most enjoyable gift bestowed upon all creatures: sex. Modern India is a direct expression of that fact. Life itself is an aphrodisiac.