Some foods considered aphrodisiacs
(and are legal)
in Chinese medicine are:

Lychees – are great for increasing intercourse-related secretions

Epimedium (also known as horny goat weed) – is good for increasing overall sexual desire

Goji berry (also known as wolf berry) – is said to increase strength in the renal system which, according to TCM, is the centre of sexual energy

Ginseng – a powerful aphrodisiac

Schisandra berries – also a powerful aphrodisiac.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been around for more than 2,000 years maintaining good health and well-being as an integral part of Chinese life. Certainly in more traditional families and those with members from older generations, TCM is common – we know someone whose grandfather regularly goes to China to eat cat because it’s supposedly good for his health.

Good health, of course, includes robust sexual health. Part of our core functions as human beings, many would argue, are intercourse and reproduction and losing those, or even if they deteriorate, can be very damaging to a person and even affect their daily lives. Chinese medicine approaches such problems on a large scale – it looks at all aspects of one’s life to determine the best way to treat the difficulties. Prescribing herbs or animal products is just one part of the solution to an often multi-faceted problem.

Of course, most people have what they consider ‘normal’ sex lives, though many would like to spruce their experience up a bit. This is where the aphrodisiacs come in. The western world has recently seen a burgeoning trade in chemical sex enhancers – extraordinary claims have been made for pharmaceuticals like Viagra and Cialis, though these only address physical problems and do little to enhance desire or arousal. More traditionally, westerners have believed some foods like oysters, caviar and chocolate make the hormones sing. However, certain skeptical scientists claim the effect is psychological rather then physiological: oysters, it has been pointed out, tend to look like a woman’s vagina (though if I were a bloke I’d run in the other direction if a vagina looked like that), and the association of fertility with caviar (fish eggs) is obvious.

It can also be said that the effect of Chinese aphrodisiacs has more to do with the mind than anything else, though traditionally tiger’s penis, rhinoceros horn, turtles’ eggs and deer antlers have reportedly boosted couples’ intimate relations for hundreds of years. Dr Steve Pain, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, says phallic objects or those directly associated with sexual organs or sex were automatic choices to prescribe for sexually troubled people.

However, there is some science behind such prescriptions. Ingesting the sexual organs of animals, especially males, introduces more androgens, such as testosterone, into the body. Testosterone is one of the main hormones that initiate our sex drives. Deer antlers and rhino horn both contain hormones and chemicals that enhance the overall well-being of the body which, according to Chinese medicine practitioners, is very necessary for a hearty sex life.

In recent years, though, the steady destruction of animals’ habitats and an increasingly lucrative trade in their body parts – especially the tiger and rhinoceros – means many species are no longer found in large numbers. In fact, the tiger population currently numbers no more than 2,500 globally. So measures have been taken to protect endangered species, such as the CITES agreement which Hong Kong is party to, and local legislation restricting the trade of certain animals and animal products.

Does this mean prescribing aphrodisiacs in Chinese medicine is a dying art? Not according to Dr Pain. “There’s been a shift in the Chinese medicine community to recognize these problems, and help solve them by embracing nature and working with it,” he says. Chinese medicine is primarily based on herbs and barks, so it is not a difficult shift to make, though the medicines – sex arousers included – may take more time to prepare than the popping of the small white pills westerners are used to. Herbals need careful mixing before they will successfully do their work.

For a traditionalist, herbal mixtures may be all very well and good, but he may still insist his sex life wouldn’t be the same without doses of tiger’s penis. Although many of the traditional aphrodisiacs are now on the restricted list, we wondered how easy they are to obtain over – or under ­– the counter. Wandering through some of Hong Kong’s Chinese medicine shops, we came across many products that claimed to have tiger parts in them: wines, tonics and powders, but on closer inspection most labels stated they did not really contain tiger parts at all. Hoping for a scoop, we were pretty disappointed but it seems unlikely that a medicine selling for around $100 would contain any real tiger parts. However, it is still possible to find deer antlers, and seahorses in the traditional medicine shops, both of which have reputations as aphrodisiacs. Although trade in them is restricted, and seahorses were added to the CITES agreement in 2004, they are still available in the market.

According to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), “Hong Kong is recognized as one of the best places within CITES in the implementation of the Convention.” Last year four prosecutions were made against traders of illegal medicinal products made from endangered animals, and 17 grams of seahorses, 1kg of pangolin scales, 293 grams of claimed tiger bone and 15 packets of claimed bear capsules among others were seized.

From surveys taken by NGOs and feedback at exhibitions and consultations, AFCD has come to believe that the public is not willing to purchase items containing products from endangered species. The department promotes awareness of restricted products through various means including public posters, exhibitions, their website and by talking to students at schools. And with a high penalty – a fine of $5 million and two years in prison – trading in such products is a gamble not worth taking.

Certainly it might seem that with the advent of modern drugs, the need for traditional Chinese medicines is slowly fading. Will TCM become obsolete? Dr Pain thinks not. “In fact, I’ve seen a rise in the people coming to see me because they want a holistic solution rather than a quick fix,” he says, “There are lots of ways to treat sexual problems, but really the best aphrodisiac is a balanced lifestyle.”

Thanks to the HK Baptist University Bank of China (Hong Kong) Chinese Medicine Centre for allowing us to take photographs of their exhibits.