Baylor lab celebrates Valentine’s Day with aphrodisiac education

Leading reproductive medicine researcher Dr. Dolores Lamb and her lab celebrated Valentine’s Day with a unique tradition – an aphrodisiac luncheon.

Lamb, director of the Center for Reproductive Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, and her lab have held the luncheon annually on Valentine’s Day for the last 10 years.

Lab members, including Lamb, research foods that are proven aphrodisiacs and assembled their best recipes.

“This is really just a fun way for the lab to get together on Valentine’s Day and do something fun,” said Lamb, who made chili with various aphrodisiacs including onion, garlic, ancho chili and various peppers. “We give an award for the best recipe and the dish with the most aphrodisiacs included.”

Some of today’s dishes included lavender lemon bars (best dish winner), tamales, chocolate covered strawberries and fruit salad (most aphrodisiacs included).

According to Lamb, the following are considered aphrodisiacs:

A

• Abalone
• Absinthe
• Acai
• Apple
• Apricot
• Arugula (rocket)
• Asparagus
• Avocado

B

• Bacon
• Banana
• Basil
• Bay leaf (bay laurel)
• Beets
• Blowfish
• Blueberries

C

• Caviar
• Celery
• Champagne
• Cheese
• Cherry
• Chile pepper
• Chocolate
• Cinnamon
• Clams
• Coconut water
• Coffee
• Conch
• Cranberry
• Cucumber

E

• Eggs

F

• Fennel
• Figs
• Fugu (blowfish)

G

• Garlic
• Ginger
• Ginko
• Ginseng
• Goji berry
• Grapes

H

• Hemp
• Honey

K

• Kava

L

• Lavender
• Lobster

M

• Mallow (marshmallow)
• Mango
• Maple syrup
• Mint
• Mushrooms
• Mussels
• Mustard

N

• Nutmeg
• Nuts

O

• Oats
• Oysters

P

• Peach
• Pepper
• Pineapple
• Pomegranate
• Pumpkin
• Pumpkin pie spice

R

• Raspberry
• Red wine
• Rocket (arugula)
• Rosemary

S

• Saffron
• Salmon
• Sandalwood
• Scallops
• Seaweed
• Sea cucumber
• Sea urchin (uni)
• Shark
• Shrimp
• Strawberry
• Sushi

T

• Tarragon
• Tomato
• Truffle
• Tuna
• Turkey
• Theobromine (cacao)

U

• Uni (sea urchin)

V

• Vanilla

W

• Watermelon
• Wedding cake
• Wolfberry (goji berry)

Y

• Yarsabumba

-By Glenna Picton