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damide that has an effect on the brain similar to that of marijuana. The amount of anandamide is tiny, not enough to make one “high,” but it can make another contribution to those chocolaty good feelings.

Last, but certainly not least, are oysters. Probably no other food has as mighty a reputation as an aphrodisiac as oysters. They’ve been documented as such by the Romans since the second century A.D., when the satirist Juvenal wrote of the wanton ways of women after drinking wine and eating “giant oysters.”

There do seem to be concrete reasons for the amorous reputation of oysters. They’re high in zinc, which has been linked with improving male sexual potency. Recently oysters, along with mussels and clams, have been found to contain D-aspartic acid and N-methyl-D-aspartate compounds that may be effective in releasing sex hormones such as testosterone and estrogen.

Though it’s fun to speculate (and experiment), whether and how much the nutritional and chemical components of foods play into their sexiness will always be a matter of conjecture. But one thing’s for sure. As has been said before, the most important sexual organ is the brain. With the right attitude, the right setting and the right sense of adventure, you can make whatever you eat into an amorous experience.