Oysters, those slimy sea creatures that can run you up quite a tab, even when they are served just on the half-shell (that is, raw), are believed to have special aphrodisiac qualities that will put you and your significant other in the mood for some amorous activities. The infamous lover Casanova reportedly was a regular consumer of oysters -- some say as many as 50 per day.  So is the power of oysters just an old wives' tale or is there something more to it?

An aphrodisiac is any food, drink, drug, scent or other agent believed to arouse or increase sexual desire or performance.  Oysters have been linked with love and sensuality for thousands of years -- dating back to Greek times, when the goddess of love, Aphrodite, emerged from the sea on an oyster shell and gave birth to Eros -- or love.

From a historical standpoint, oysters have been touted as aphrodisiacs (Don Juan, too, was believed to have engaged in the same regimen as Casanova), but there is mixed thought on whether they have any real physical effect on the body.  The Greek physician, Galen (130-200 A.D.), a respected authority on medicine and philosophy until the Middle Ages, regularly wrote a prescription for oysters for a happy and healthy sex life.

Until recently, medical science has not substantiated claims that any particular food increases sexual desire or performance.  However, a few years ago a team of American and Italian researchers analyzed bivalve mollusks,  a group of shellfish that includes oysters, and found they were rich in rare amino acids that trigger increased levels of sex hormones.  The researchers found two unusual amino acids in oysters:  D-aspartic acid (D-Asp) and N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). These particular amino acids are not commonly available as a supplement in your health food store or pharmacy.  These type of amino acids, when injected into rats, have been shown to increase sex hormones -- in male rats, testosterone and in female rats, progesterone. 

Previous research and speculation on oysters had focused on the high zinc content of oysters, which is essential for the metabolism of testosterone.  Zinc is a vital element in the prostate, which secretes most of the seminal fluid in a mans reproductive system; it requires more zinc than any other organ in the body.  However, controlled, experiments to test the link between the oyster, with or without the zinc, and increased libido or performance has found no link between desire or function and oysters. 

Indeed, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, no known foods increase sexual desire or performance.  And in fact, like other shell-fish, people may be allergic to oysters.  Notably oysters, when eaten raw, can be dangerous; they may contain bacteria, which can cause food poisoning.  "Bad meal" outcomes are minimized when the oysters being consumed are fresh, and occur even more infrequently when you obtain them yourself directly from the ocean.  So if you do eat oysters, you have to take care to eat properly prepared ones. 

Except for this one study noted above, most scientists generally believe that any amorous effect is merely a placebo effect that is, the power of suggestion may be enough to cause an intended result.  But the mind does have great power.  Indeed, if you want to plan a romantic meal at home and include oysters on the menu, there are several books to assist you in meal preparation, including, Temptations: Igniting the Pleasure and Power of Aphrodisiacs  by Michael Albertson (Ellen Albertson, Creator); The Seduction Cookbook: Culinary Creations For Lovers by Diane Brown; and The New InterCourses: An Aphrodisiac Cookbook by Martha Hopkins and Randall Lockridge.

So who's right?  Does it really matter?  Oysters are tasty.  Oysters are good for your waist-line; one dozen raw oysters contain only about 110 calories.  They are healthy, provided that they are clean and properly prepared.   (Note that when you buy them, they must be tightly closed; oysters that are already open are dead and need to be discarded.) 

Oysters are nutritionally well balanced; they contain protein, carbohydrates and lipids.  They are an excellent source of vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C and D, as well as, a variety of minerals, including, calcium, iodine, iron, potassium, copper, sodium, zinc, phosphorous, manganese and sulfur, plus they have the all-important omega-3 fatty acids.

In the end, we should just take our lesson from the great Casanova, who successfully pleasured over 100 women during his lifetime.  He wrote in Volume 6 of his memoirs of the seductive qualities of oysters.  He explained that "by placing the shell on the edge of her lips, the woman sucked in the oyster, which she held between her lips".  Casanova instantly recovered it "by placing his own lips on hers".  In other words, Casanova's oyster-rich kiss led to positive results for him and can for you, too!