“A group of scientists has been inundated with requests after calling for newlyweds to test the legendary aphrodisiac effects of an ancient honey-based drink. The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) wants one couple to drink honey mead — a fermented mixture of honey and water — every night for 30 days after taking their vows in June and to keep a diary of their honeymoon relationship… Mead, first brewed in Babylon more than 4,000 years ago making it one of the world’s oldest alcoholic drinks, has long been believed to increase fertility and sex drive. In ancient Persia couples were expected to imbibe the sweet mead every day for one “honey month” — hence honeymoon — after they tied the knot to achieve the right frame of mind for a successful marriage.” — CNN (UK)

While no doubt this is an interesting experiment — one that has probably caused web users to go on a mad search for mead recipes — you can’t help but maintain a certain scepticism about aphrodisiacs in general. In the first place, you have to distinguish between substances that suppress self-consciousness (such as alcohol) and substances that actually stimulate sexual drive (such as Viagra). Mead clearly belongs to the former category and probably works the same as any alcohol: by dampening inhibitions, performance anxieties, etc.

In the second place, if you’re truly excited about your partner, there is nothing more superfluous in the world than an aphrodisiac. It follows, therefore, that aphrodisiacs are only really useful when desire has waned. (Or also when desire was never inflamed in the first place, although in that case the term “aphrodisiac” gives way to “date-rape drug.”) Aphrodisiacs are essentially anti-depressants for the libido, and thus a sobering observation on modern life can be found lurking in this scientific experiment: to wit, that marriage depresses the libido (else newlyweds wouldn’t be volunteering in droves for experiments in aphrodisia).

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