Alcoholic aphrodisiacs everywhere
For some time now, the electronic media has been awash with commercials promoting sex enhancement alcoholic drinks which supposedly improve the performance of men in bed, and successively, the commercials seem to be going down well as some men, especially the young, patronise these drinks massively.
Most of the drinks have been packaged colourfully and are said to be manufactured with herbs that can improve longevity and enhance sexual performance.
Aphrodisiacs
An aphrodisiac is a food, drink, drug, scent or device that promoters claim can arouse or increase sexual desire or libido. Named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of sexual love and beauty, the list of supposed sexual stimulants includes anchovies and adrenaline, liquorice and lard, scallops and Spanish fly among other items.
Reasons for patronage
In trying to find out why the patronage of these sex-enhancement alcoholic drinks is on the rise, a young man, Thomas Adjei, a “trotro” mate at the Circle station told The Mirror that Ghanaian ladies were increasingly becoming sexually insatiable and he feared his girlfriend would leave him if he failed to satisfy her sexually.
He said in the past, he used sex enhancement drugs but stopped after he heard on radio that these drugs could have negative implications on the user.
“I usually bought drugs from some women who sell at the station but when I heard these drugs are not good for my health, I stopped buying them.”
Adjei said he had resorted to these drinks because they were made from herbs which were not harmful to a person’s health.
Another young man, who only gave his name as Kwame, said he buys these alcoholic drinks because he had heard on radio that these drugs could enhance his sexual performance.
Medical implications
Dr Jeseline Asamoah, a Health Development Consultant, revealed in an interview that relying on alcoholic drinks or any substance that is intended to enhance sexual perfromance could have negative implications on the user, explaining that such substances could reduce the body’s capacity to stimulate itself through natural means.
“ Using these substances could result in a dependency syndrome, which means the user would always need it to perform sexually and may even need more if the body becomes used to the substance.”
She said using such substances at an early stage, especially could result in impotency as the body was not allowed to grow naturally.
On the use of alcoholic drinks as aphrodisiacs, she said users of such products faced a high risk of liver malfunction and other alcohol related problems since they tended to take in too much alcohol.
She explained that excessive intake of alcohol decreased the body’s ability to function, reason and its potency.
Dr Asamoah advised that anyone who had sexually related problems should seek medical advice and desist from self medication.
“The issue is, most of the time, you cannot even tell the kind of aphrodisiacs used in the preparation of these drinks, some marketers also say it just to attract buyers so if you realise you have a problem, the best thing to do is to seek medical advice”.
Food and Drug Authority
In an interview, the Deputy Chief Executive of the Foods and Drugs Authority(Food Safety Division) , Mr John Odame Darkwa said there was no scientific proof that these products peddled in the media and sold over the counter (OTC) as aphrodisiacs could treat sexual dysfunction.
He said many Ghanaians drunk a lot of alcohol all in the name of aphrodisiac, adding that for want of sexual enhancer, a lot of people were being led by commercials and good marketing practices to believe these unfounded claims.
“The FDA holds a strong stand against the sale and advertisement of any form of aphrodisiacs as we see it as a detriment to public health, but because we do not regulate advertisement of these products, it is quite difficult to control them. ”.
Mr Odame Darkwa cautioned unsuspecting users of these products to put an end to it, saying they were not only ineffective but could be dangerous and fatal to their health