For many decades, a variety of love potions and aphrodisiacs bearing this name have been available on the market. A few drops of Spanish fly are said to put women in the mood of making love and give men raging erections that claim to make them happy.
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What is exactly a Spanish Fly?
The term “Spanish fly” refers to an insect that is said to have sexually stimulating properties, which are most likely due to a toxic substance called cantharidin. Cantharidin’s aphrodisiac emitted from Spanish fly claims and reports that it hazardously affects an individual’s blood vessels that could cause priapism, a painful, persistent, and dangerous erection lasting more than four hours.
How does It look like?
The Spanish fly, also called by its scientific name Lytta vesicatoria, is an emerald-green blister beetle. Other similar species and Spanish flies were used in traditional apothecary preparations known as Cantharides or Spanish flies. A toxic blistering agent is found in the Spanish fly which contains the terpenoid cantharidin which was once used as an aphrodisiac. For over 2000 years, these insects have been used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Where they can be found?
The roots of Spanish flies are stretched back to South Europe, though its habitat range is spread throughout from South Europe to Siberia and Eastward to Central Asia.
True Spanish flies are made from blister beetles, specifically cantharidin, a substance produced by the beetles.
Earlier, the dried beetles used to get crushed and mixed with drinks or sweets, often without the recipient’s knowledge and consumed to promote feelings of warmth throughout the body and swelling of the genitals. However, these warm fuzzies are caused by inflammation rather than attraction and could be harmful to an individual’s health.
Does Spanish Fly work?
The term aphrodisiac is derived from the name of Aphrodite (Greek goddess of love), which is used to describe substances that stimulate sexual desire.
The term “Spanish fly” refers to an insect that is said to have sexually stimulating properties when consumed by mouth, an effect that is most likely due to a substance called cantharidin.
Cantharidin is extremely toxic and, if consumed, can result in serious injury or death.
Under no circumstances should anyone consume Spanish fly or anything containing it or cantharidin.
Should one try Spanish fly Drug?
Cantharidin is extremely poisonous and, if consumed, can result in serious injury or death. There have been reports of cantharidin poisoning and death at various concentrations, leading some researchers to believe that even small amounts can be lethal. Though Cantharidin has not been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there are still products on the market that claim to contain Spanish fly.
However, no matter how daring or experimental you are, you should never consume a Spanish fly or anything claiming to contain a Spanish fly or cantharidin. The Spanish fly, being a poisonous insect, can burn anyone’s mouth and throat and can cause urinary infections, urethral scarring, and, in rare cases, death, too.
What exactly are aphrodisiacs?
Aphrodisiacs are commonly thought of as substances that increase sexual desire, but the term isn’t well defined. Some people have immense faith and belief that these substances boost a person’s libido, potency, or sexual pleasure.
And, while a variety of substances derived from plants and animals have been considered and used as aphrodisiacs in traditional medicine, there is little or no scientific evidence at all to support these claims. But that hasn’t stopped scientists from continuing their search. Some of the most well-known purported aphrodisiac herbs are:
- Tribulus Terrestris
- Maca
- Horny goat weed
- Damiana
- Ginkgo Biloba
- Korean ginseng
Can poisoning happen from Spanish fly?
While most commonly available Spanish fly preparations contain negligible amounts of cantharidin if at all, the chemical is available illegally in concentrations capable of causing severe toxicity. Cantharidin poisoning symptoms include mouth burning, dysphagia, nausea, hematemesis, gross hematuria, and dysuria. Upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract mucosal erosion and hemorrhage are observed. Renal dysfunction is common, and it is associated with acute tubular necrosis and glomerular destruction.
Is it still available for purchase?
Spanish fly products are still available online and in sex shops today, though they do not contain cantharidin or the insect. Even those claiming to be genuine and original, Spanish fly contain ingredients are found in most other herbal or natural aphrodisiacs, such as maca, ginseng, and ginkgo Biloba.
Despite the disapproval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for cantharidin, researchers are still investigating its effects on a variety of conditions, including certain cancers, molluscum contagiosum, and warts.
What are the Drawbacks of Spanish Fly?
Since then, the risks of using Spanish fly have been extensively documented.
- Painful urination
- Blood in urine
- Vomiting blood
- Difficulty swallowing
- Priapism —painful erections
- Abdominal pain
- Kidney failure
- Gastrointestinal bleeding
- Convulsions
- Seizures
- Coma
- Death
- Including vaginal and rectal bleeding,
- Miscarriage,
- Potentially fatal condition known as disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC)
Other alternatives to Spanish Fly
There are absolutely no grounds on the basis which anyone can claim that Spanish flies work and will leave no side effect. Most probably if a person gets himself consuming it, the most probable chances are that he/she will have a side effect. At best, they are ineffective, and at worst, they may be contaminated or dangerous.
But, there are some people out there who want to increase their sexual performance, for those you can still try some of the methods which won’t be causing any harm to your health and on the other hand also improve your health.
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Get rid of stress
Stress can have an impact on all aspects of your physical level, mental level, spiritual level including your libido. Stress raises your heart rate and blood pressure which have a negative impact on sexual desire and performance. Any kind of stress on psychological level can also meddle with obtaining an erection or having an orgasm.
Try massage
Massage boosts serotonin and dopamine levels which results in lowering cortisol levels, which is a stress hormone. Furthermore, touch is extremely pleasurable and increases intimacy between partners. Trying out activities such as sensual massage will definitely help you and your partner releasing the stress. All you need is some massage oil and your hands. Touch acupressure points such as the scalp and feet to take massage to the next level.
Increase your physical activity
One of the best ways to improve your health as well as your sex life is doing cardiovascular exercise and being active in your daily life. Even though sex might get your heart rate up, but regular exercise and some daily physical activity can definitely help your sexual performance by keeping your heart in shape.
So, do keep in mind to include daily 20-30 minutes of workout, such as running, cardio and swimming to enhance your sexual performance.
Avoid bad habits
Avoiding bad habits will not help you only in keeping yourself healthy but also improve your sexual performance. If you are a drinker or a smoker, get rid of all those bad habits if you want to make some positive changes in your sex life.
Stimulants have been linked to impotence by narrowing blood vessels.
Conclusion:
True Spanish fly is extremely dangerous and nearly impossible to locate these days. Products with the name are still available, but they are either ineffective, or both potentially dangerous.
But, if you are one of those who want to improve their sex life, try going for the healthy route. It might take some of your time, patience, blood and sweat, but it is worth implementing. The best part about it is that there are no side effects and makes you stable not only on physical level but also on mental and emotional level.
