Another Valentine’s Day is around the corner. Are you looking to bring a little sexy back into your relationship while tempting your taste buds? You’re in luck. These edibles promise to give your sex drive a boost — backed by science, no less — and help put you in the mood for love.
1Maca Buttercups by Lulu’s Chocolates
These dark chocolate and almond buttercups are infused with mood-boosting maca, a Peruvian root vegetable used by the Incans for thousands of years that reportedly improves libido. Studies have shown maca also has stress-reducing properties and helps people suffering from antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction.
The Cleveland Clinic suggests consuming between 1.5 and 3 grams of maca daily to get its full passion-producing effect. Each buttercup contains 1.875 grams of maca, making this the perfect treat to share.
2The Libido Bar by Starbars
The raw, gluten-free, organic bar contains maca and a dose of raw cacao, which boasts high levels of phenylethylamine — a neurotransmitter often referred to as “the love chemical” since it’s one of the feel-good chemicals released by our brains when we’re happy and feeling passionate. Nibble on one of these after dinner and you just might end your evening on a high note.
3Sweet Love Tea by Kusmi Tea
This sweet and spicy blend contains licorice root, pink peppercorn and guarana seed.
Though guarana has been promoted as an aphrodisiac, the seeds from this fruit actually work as a central nervous system stimulant due to its high caffeine content.
A 2008 study published in the journal Appetite found that guarana improved cognitive performance and reduced mental fatigue in a group of men and women compared to the group given a placebo. So if you’re feeling too flat-out tired to get busy with your sweetie, you could try sipping this tea. It may be just what the love doctor ordered.
4Ottimismo Quality of Life Organic Chocolate by Sabadì
The chocolate bar’s name translates to “optimism” — and if you and your significant other munch on this bar, good things may go down in the bedroom (wink wink). The organic chocolate bar contains panax ginseng and nutmeg — both of which are natural aphrodisiacs that increase sexual behavior, according to a March 2011 study published in Food Research International.
Ottimismo Quality of Life Organic Chocolate by Sabadì, $10, OpenSky
5Get Passionate® – No.17 Herb Tea for the Libido by Republic of Tea
Looking for a love potion sans caffeine? Get Passionate No.17 Herb Tea for the Libido is a blend of organic red rooibos leaves with exotic muira puama bark and ashwagandha root (also known as Indian ginseng), as well as Peruvian maca root.
Sixty-five percent of women who participated in a study by the Institute of Sexology in Paris reported an improved sex drive after taking a daily supplement containing muira puama and ginkgo biloba for a month. Ashwagandha root (Withania somnifera), which has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years, is a known anti-stress agent—and stress is a surefire way to kill libido. Take a sip of this relaxing tea and you just might swoon.
Get Passionate® – No.17 Herb Tea for the Libido by Republic of Tea, $10.50 for 36 tea bags
