Aphrodisiac Foods and Customs
Aphrodisiac Foods and Customs
In northern Han Chinese folk traditions, there is a unique wedding custom called “Scattering Walnuts and Jujubes.” During the wedding ceremony, after the bride and groom bow to heaven and earth, the accompanying grandmother holds a tray filled with walnuts and jujubes, scattering them onto the bed while singing the “Blessing Song of Scattering Walnuts and Jujubes”: “Two walnuts, two jujubes, sons clever, daughters skillful; Two jujubes, two walnuts, sons outstanding, daughters graceful.” This blessing symbolizes that walnuts, hard-shelled and delicious, represent strong and capable offspring, while jujubes sound like “early children,” symbolizing early conception of precious offspring. Local customs strictly prohibit anyone other than the bride and groom from eating the scattered walnuts and jujubes.
Walnuts and jujubes are both considered aphrodisiac foods. Walnuts are sweet in taste, neutral in nature, and warm. They contain proteins, vitamins (A, B1, B2, C, E), calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, and other nutrients beneficial to sexual function. They help strengthen the kidneys, replenish blood, nourish the stomach, and moisten the lungs. Used for kidney deficiency causing cold lower back pain, impotence, premature ejaculation, frequent urination, and female menstrual disorders or leukorrhea. Jujubes (red dates) are sweet in taste, neutral in nature. They contain proteins, sugars, mucilage, vitamins (A, B11, B2, C), calcium, phosphorus, iron, and other nutrients beneficial to sexual function. Red dates have aphrodisiac properties. Women with qi deficiency and kidney weakness who regularly consume red dates can enhance their libido.
Chinese folk traditions also include the custom of eating fried eggs at the wedding dinner. Frequent sexual activity in newlyweds leads to significant physical exhaustion, and eating eggs helps restore energy. Eggs are sweet in taste, neutral in nature. They contain proteins, fats, various vitamins, zinc, calcium, phosphorus, and iron. They nourish the heart and calm the spirit, replenish blood, and moisturize yin. Egg yolks contain five times more zinc than egg whites, helping tonify the middle energizer, nourish the kidneys, and support yin. Zinc is essential for sexual maturity.
Beyond China, other cultures also recognize eggs as aphrodisiacs: Indians recommend couples eat rice porridge made from eggs, milk, and honey before sex. Arabs traditionally eat scallion-fried eggs in the days before marriage to ensure a fulfilling first night. Since scallions aid normal sex hormone secretion, this dish has scientific basis as an aphrodisiac.
In Europe, French people commonly enjoy chocolate soup with celery, while Spaniards regard chocolate as a food that stimulates sensuality. Chocolate’s energy and stimulating compounds enhance metabolism. Due to its chemical compound PEA, it stimulates the brain’s pleasure centers.
Even in ancient Rome, fish—especially shark meat—were recognized as ideal aphrodisiacs and used as sexual catalysts. Modern medicine confirms that loaches have kidney-nourishing and sperm-producing effects due to a protein called “heilok protein,” which promotes sperm formation.