Does Mukombero and others really work?
Aphrodisiacs are any food or drink that stimulates your appetite for sex. Do you know of any? Do aphrodisiacs actually work?
If you live in Kenya. You are likely to have come across numerous posters on ‘kuongeza nguvu za kiume’ translated to mean ‘increasing male libido.’ Have you ever called the numbers on the posters? Did you ‘ongeza nguvu?’
Today, anyone wants to help everyone increase sexual desire and improve performance. While some opt for medical solutions or mganga kutuka pwani, others prefer natural alternatives.
Aphrodisiacs are top of the natural alternatives sought.
If you’re looking for a natural way to spark passion in the bedroom (or kitchen, or car, or maize plantation), you may have tried some things. Weird things even. Maybe you read somewhere that this or that can work? Or it was recommended by a friend? Did it work?
Though aphrodisiacs have been used for thousands of years in different parts of the world, scientists have not shown much interest in finding out why and how these foods and plants affect sexual performance. Maybe they don’t have libido issues. Or they have better things to do, like investigate why the hen crossed the road.
A lot of things are suggested as aphrodisiacs, yet only a few are actually believed to affect peoples’ sex lives. This can be through increasing desire or arousal, improving erectile function, or just making sex more pleasurable.
Aphrodisiacs believed to work include:
Certain foods
In many African and Asia countries, certain foods are believed to increase sexual desire and improve performance. Food such as carrots, groundnuts, strawberries, watermelon, and bananas are believed to contain aphrodisiacs qualities.
Certain plants
If you’re from Western Kenyan, you can probably write a book about Mukombero. If you live in major towns, especially in Nairobi, you may have seen hawkers selling yellowish sticks. They will tell you that these sticks will improve a man’s libido. This belief has been contested. In the end, all the claims about Mukombero have not been proven through research thus they remain assumptions.
What other plants are believed to increase sexual desire or performance?
Chocolate
When it comes to setting the mood for romance, indulging in chocolateis believed to increase sexual desire. The aphrodisiac effects might be due to ingredients that increase levels of feel-good chemicals in the brain like serotonin and endorphin according to researchers.
Alcohol
OK, now we get to a bit controversial. You might not expect to find alcohol on a list of aphrodisiacs, but it’s an obvious and popular one, if you think about it – although you might take a dim view of booze on religious or health grounds. Alcohol’s psychological effects include lowering inhibitions, and that makes it easier to go with the flow and enjoy sex without worrying too much.
However, it’s important to go easy on your beverage of choice. Too much booze can make for slobbery kisses, feeble fumbling and a drooping erection. What’s more, you can end up doing something you seriously regret later.
There’s also the issue of consent. When you’re intoxicated, you are not in the right mind frame to consent or to even seek consent.
Bottom line:
Clearly, the effects of aphrodisiacs are largely psychological, not physical. It has also been suggested that in some cases people have a very deep belief that these substances work that for some reason their expectations are met, they take that result as the gospel truth. Ever heard of the placebo effect?
Well, bear in mind that there’s not enough scientific evidence to guarantee that these items will produce the desired romantic effects, the researchers are careful to say.
To be fair, these items might just help put you in the mood for love-making. It’s like the way people have lucky numbers or places or people that improve their mood. Don’t forget to go easy on the booze, watch your waistline with the chocolate, and don’t go broke buying pricy aphrodisiacs.
If you are not into aphrodisiacs, no need to worry at all. You can always turn to the good old kissing and cuddling. Do whatever you do to put you in the mood for sex.
In conclusion, let’s focus on what matters most: a healthy body and a healthy mind. These play an important role in helping a man sustain and/or improve their sexual desire and confidence. Also, in case you have any reproductive health issues e.g. erecticle issues, talk to a doctor as they are best placed to recommend medically approved solutions.
What other aphrodisiacs have you heard of or tried? Do they work?