Aphrodisin is a soluble glycoprotein of hamster vaginal discharges, which stimulates male copulatory behavior. Natural aphrodisin was purified and its post-translational modifications characterized by MALDI-MS peptide mapping. To evaluate its ability to bind small volatile ligands, the aphrodisiac protein was expressed in the yeast Pichia pastoris as two major isoforms differing in their glycos...

AIM To evaluate the phytochemical constituents and the aphrodisiac potential of the aqueous extract of Fadogia agrestis (Rubiaceae) stem in male albino rats. METHODS The aqueous stem extract of the plant was screened for phytochemical constituents. Male rats were orally dosed with 18 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg and 100 mg/kg body weight, respectively, of the extract at 24 h intervals and their sexual beh...

Garden cress has been considered as an important medicinal plant since the Vedic era. In Ayurveda, it is described as hot, bitter, galactogogue and aphrodisiac and claimed to destroy Vata (air) and Kapha (phlegm). In Unani system of medicine, seeds and leaves of this plant have been reported to possess diuretic, aperient and aphrodisiac properties and are recommended in inflammation, bronchitis...

A healthy man developed gastrointestinal symptoms after ingesting purported aphrodisiac pills. He had severe unrelenting bradycardia, hyperkalaemia, and acidosis. He rapidly developed severe life threatening cardiac arrhythmias and died after a few hours. He was found to have positive serum digoxin concentrations, although he was not taking digoxin. Toad venom poisoning is similar to digitalis ...

Plants can recruit parasitic wasps in response to egg deposition by herbivorous insects-a sophisticated indirect plant defense mechanism. Oviposition by the Large Cabbage White butterfly Pieris brassicae on Brussels sprout plants induces phytochemical changes that arrest the egg parasitoid Trichogramma brassicae. Here, we report the identification of an elicitor of such an oviposition-induced p...

Cantharidin is a poisonous substance secreted by blister beetles, including the 'Spanish fly'. Historically, cantharidin was used as an aphrodisiac, vesicant and abortifacient. Symptoms of poisoning include gastrointestinal and genitourinary mucosal irritation along with renal dysfunction. We present the case of a reckless 23-year-old soldier who accepted the challenge of eating a beetle (Berbe...

Herbal medications are being progressively utilized all over the world. Nevertheless, herbal remedies are not without hazards and several cases of adverse reactions have been described. Tribulus terrestris is traditionally used because of its aphrodisiac and antiurolithiatic activities with almost complete inhibition of stone formation. We report a case of T. terrestris-induced hepatotoxicity, ...