Tiger penis versus healthy hearts
By May Chow | AsianWeek Staff Writer
Related: Asian Woman Seeking Water and Wit, Mood Food
Do you smell that? Love is in the air. With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, folks are gearing up for Cupid’s visit and hoping to receive that fateful arrow.
As the unofficial resident love expert at AsianWeek, I have put together a list of aphrodisiacs that are sure to get your mojo moving and light your firecrackers on Feb. 14.
Much has been said about the purported effects of Asian aphrodisiacs, so I did some research and came across pills, gels and powders derived from “ancient secrets” that allege enhanced sexual prowess and performance.
Have you heard of “Thrust Eternal,” “Buddha’s Yang” or “Victorious Easterner”? No, they are not pornographic films. These are some products that supposedly boost yin and yang.
Products made from tiger genitalia or rhino horns are packaged and sold in many Asian herb and specialty shops, marketed as potent remedies to rejuvenate a man’s libido and correct impotence.
Chances are, when you enter into any of the Chinese herbal shops in Chinatown, you’ll come across products that claim to heighten sexual energy or extend duration. Potent potables like tiger, bear and deer penises in rice wine are said to enhance virility. Other common ingredients include baby harp seal genitalia, deer antlers, moth larvae, green sea turtles and sea horses.
The names of many of these products are written in Chinese characters, but the pictures and the look these people have on their faces on the labels give their purpose away. Personally, I think the only revving up one can obtain from these products are the suggestive pictures and the badly written description on the boxes. Many of these products are illegal because they are smuggled, unsafe or contain endangered animal ingredients.
In recent years, however, many who practice Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) have spoken out about the confusion that many Westerners have had about their practices. They claim that their practice doesn’t include animal prescriptions for sexual stamina. The practitioners say tat although rhino and tiger parts are part of the TCM pharmacopoeia, nowhere in its codified system of medicine are they prescribed for sexual uses. Rather, tiger bones are used to treat arthritis and rheumatism, to suppress pain and to reduce swelling, and rhino horns are used as a fever-reducing remedy. Kind of hard to swallow, huh?
Rather than list ingredients that read like a recipe for witches’ brew — eye of newt, horned toads, toenails — and require you to ingest byproducts of endangered species, I’ve gathered some more natural and accessible ingredients that will put you in a better mood because they make you feel better naturally. A happy, healthy person makes a better companion. And lest we forget, you can purchase these items with a conscience.
Look around you. What symbol represents Valentine’s Day? Hearts. And that is what you should think about when you’re thinking about what aphrodisiacs to indulge in with your valentine.
If you have a healthy heart, you have a happy heart. Look at your body as having electrical wiring that dictates sexual function. The cardiovascular system, the heart and blood vessels and the nervous system all benefit from eating good food.
Buy some of these ingredients and surprise your sweetie with a Valentine’s Day dinner or cook a meal together. Half the fun is in preparing the foods and feeding them to each other.
Whatever food you choose to get you in the mood, remember that the recipe for any healthy relationship extends beyond the palate. Food enhances happiness and affection, but doesn’t mask incompatibility and insincerity.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Reach May Chow at mchow@asianweek.com.
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