This is Page 4b of a six-page article on hot chocolate; here, chocolate as an aphrodisiac. Click on the black links below to visit other pages.

• Page 1: Introduction
• Page 2: The History of Hot Chocolate
• Page 3: The Difference Between Hot Cocoa & Hot Chocolate
• Page 4a: Health Benefits Of Cocoa
• Page 4b: Chocolate As An Aphrodisiac
• Page 5: The Hot Cocoa/Hot Chocolate Mix Manifesto
• Page 6: Make Hot Chocolate From Scratch: Recipes
• Go To Part 2: Reviews Of The Best Cocoa & Hot Chocolate

Chocolate As An Aphrodisiac

Is it possible that drinking chocolate can affect your sex life? Is it really the case that chocolate is an aphrodisiac? Most people have heard the story about Montezuma, the Aztec emperor said to quaff great quantities of the chocolate beverage, “which they said was for success with women,” according to the memoirs of a conquistador. He was the first of a long line of lovers to rely on the aphrodisiac qualities of chocolate.

Danucci Gourmet Chocolate Company has this to say about the matter: “Scientists have exercised their minds over the link between chocolate and sex for some time now, and have concluded that eating chocolate releases phenylethylamine and seratonins into the body, creating a mild euphoric high. This is why we feel so deliciously self-indulgent when we are seduced by a fine chocolate! Chocolate’s legendary properties as a mood-enhancer have made it the gift of choice between lovers for centuries, and many an ardent lover has claimed that chocolate has helped them [sic] achieve peak performance. Of course, the much-noted female penchant for chocolate means you do have to be careful in your choice of aphrodisiac: she might prefer to devote herself to the chocolate!”

Passionfruit creme-filled hearts from Kee’s Chocolates, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.

Very amusing, to be sure, but to date there is no scientific evidence that chocolate is an aphrodisiac. Phenylethylamine is an amphetamine-like substance and a naturally-occurring trace chemical known to affect the brain’s pleasure-center; but whether or not eating chocolate increases production of this substance has not been proven scientifically. Chocolate also contains some quantity of tryptophan, an amino acid that controls production of mood-affecting seratonins.

To be brief, consuming chocolate in any form could elevate your mood, at least slightly and at least temporarily. I know many men who like the effect chocolate produces on their wives and girlfriends (and it may work on men as well, but the anecdotal evidence isn’t there). But like so many things in life, chocolate doesn’t come with a guarantee. And like so many things, it’s often a question of perception versus reality.

Continue To Page 5: Cocoa/Hot Chocolate Mix

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