Men and women have sought aphrodisiacs, agents that arouse or increase sexual response or desire, since the beginning of time. Aphrodisiacs may well be the one thing that crosses all barriers -- race, culture, ethnicity, age -- making it unanimous: We all want to have better sex.

If you looked hard enough, you could find an authority for almost any folk belief about the stimulating properties of a substance. And although the Food and Drug Administration has determined that all these non-medicinal approaches are ineffective, people still follow their heart's desire in search of the perfect catalyst for love.

Foods

One category of foods that were thought to be aphrodisiacs are foods that resemble genitalia. Eggs and caviar may come to mind, as well as asparagus, celery, and onions. Clams and oysters also lay claim to aphrodisiac qualities because of their shape and texture. Oysters, in fact, are high in zinc -- a nutrient that was lacking in people's diets at one time; eating them could improve a nutritionally deficient diet, thus improving a person's overall health and increasing their sex drive.

Herbs

An herb very commonly associated with love is ginseng. Some say ginseng is an aphrodisiac because it actually looks like the human body. (The word ginseng even means "man root.") Studies have reported sexual response in animals who have been given ginseng, but there is no evidence to date of ginseng having any effect on humans.

Yohimbe is an herb found in Africa and India that for centuries has been thought to possess aphrodisiac qualities. It works by stimulating nerve centers in the spine, there