The saying may go, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”, but what about women? It is a long standing tradition to present a woman with a box of chocolate as a romantic gesture. Is it simply because women love chocolate or does the root of this tradition go deeper? Curiosity led me to do some research on the subject and here is what I found.
First of all I wanted to know if chocolate was truly an aphrodisiac. An aphrodisiac is reputed to “put you in the mood for love” and the name comes from the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite. It is possible that the aphrodisiacal qualities come from our own mindset and expectations. First of all, we get a certain amount of pleasure from consuming chocolate. For one, the melting point of chocolate is slightly below human body temperature so it melts in your mouth. That in itself is a stimulating experience but what about the substances found in chocolate? And what are the roots of chocolate as an aphrodisiac in history? I found a lot of useful information but as you would expect, I found conflicting arguments on whether or not it is an aphrodisiac, so I decided to come to my own conclusion and I urge you to do the same.
Early Aztecs and hot chocolate
The Aztecs made hot drinks from chocolate – they thought it was a drink given to them by the Gods — and believed in its power as an aphrodisiac; they shared their chocolate and its properties with the Europeans when they introduced them to this wonderful confection. The famed lover Casanova is said to have drunk chocolate before seducing his women.
One report said that the Aztecs considered all chocolate an aphrodisiac. Because of this, all foods made with chocolate were strictly forbidden to women. However, another report stated that the Aztecs and Mayans were the first to recognize the potency of this food, celebrating the harvest with festivals of wild orgies. I guess both could be true (and may be) but it seems to me that if they were having wild orgies, they would want the women to eat it. I don’t know, that’s just my opinion, but in either case, the Aztecs apparently considered it an aphrodisiac.
There are people throughout history who also believed in the stimulating qualities of chocolate. In 1624 Johan Franciscus Rauch, a professor in Vienna, condemned chocolate as an inflamer of passions and urged monks not to drink it as he wanted to ban it in the monasteries. It is said that Madame du Barry, courtesan and mistress of Louis XV, always served her lovers a cup of chocolat before they were let in to her bedroom, and that the great lover and alchemist Casanova, who drank his cioccolata at Cafe Florian in Venice, considered chocolate more stimulating than champagne and called it the “elixir of love”. Montezuma supposedly drank a cup of chocolate before entering his harem.
Chocolate’s mood enhancing abilities
Does chocolate really have qualities to enhance romance and attraction or is it all just a myth? Researchers have discovered that chocolate has two mood enhancing chemicals as part of its makeup. These substances, Phenylethylamine and Seratonin, both naturally occur in the human brain. When a person is happy or experiencing pleasure – including the pleasures of love and lust – the brain releases Phenylethylamine and Seratonin into the nervous system. Once they are in the nervous system, they can improve a person’s mood, increase the heart rate and blood pressure slightly and invoke pleasurable and euphoric sensations throughout the body.
When a person eats chocolate, these two chemicals act on the nervous system in the same way as they do when the brain releases them. So, eating chocolate can induce some of the same feelings that love does. In addition, chocolate offers an energy boost. Part of this can be attributed to its caffeine content, but the Seratonin also has an energizing effect. This increased energy can also improve longevity and stamina, which in turn frequently has the effect of increasing libido. All of these effects have been scientifically confirmed. So, technically chocolate is not an aphrodisiac because it is not a direct sexual stimulant. Chocolate may also be addictive for some people.
Ok, I am convinced that people in history have found chocolate to be an aphrodisiac, but why? Chocolate contains phenylethylamine, a naturally occurring amino-acid which some consider to have aphrodisiacal effects and is even said to be able to “cure” hangovers. Phenylethylamine is a substance which is released naturally in the human body when you’re in love. Other stimulants present in chocolate are dopamine and serotonin, which alleviate pain and encourage a good mood. Serotonin produces feelings of pleasure in a similar way to sunlight. Chocolate also contains theobromine, a chemical stimulant frequently confused with caffeine, but has very different effects on the human body. It is a mild, lasting stimulant with a mood improving effect. Its presence is one of the causes for chocolate’s mood-elevating effects. (Note - In chocolate, theobromine exists in doses that are safe for humans to consume in large quantities, but can be lethal for animals such as dogs and horses, as they metabolize theobromine more slowly.)
The stronger the chocolate…
It does not matter what kind of chocolate you consume; it is all in the strength of the chocolate. Whether you want to consume chocolate candy, a cake, torte or a chocolate soufflé, you can enjoy some of the delightful benefits of this treat.
The effects of chocolate
While the documented effects on the nervous system do not necessarily make chocolate an aphrodisiac, they do give it benefits similar to that of an aphrodisiac. In addition, chocolate is delicious. So, a gift of chocolate or sharing chocolate with a loved one may certainly enhance feelings of love and romance. One interesting fact is that chocolate has a stronger effect on the body chemistry of women than it does on men. What does this mean to you? If you are trying to invoke feelings of love in a woman, sharing some chocolate with her may have a positive effect and it certainly can’t hurt! Worst case, you can give yourself a mood boost with your own chocolate dessert.
Wow, no wonder I love it so much! What more does a person need than a mood elevating, stimulating, pleasurable, not to mention, great tasting, experience? I must mention, however, that some sources state that there is no evidence of chocolate having a true aphrodisiac effect. My opinion, who cares? With all that happening, if it doesn’t put you in the mood, it won’t take much encouragement to get you there. Excuse me, I seem to be craving some chocolate……
Now, do you wanna learn how to make chocolate cake?
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