Looking for some herbal Valentine’s recipes? I got you covered with two of my favorite herbal aphrodisiac recipes below. But first, let’s talk about what herbal aphrodisiacs are at their core, as aphrodisiacs can have a derogatory implication behind them.
At the root, aphrodisiacs are not meant as something to be used to entice someone or arouse someone into doing something they wouldn’t want to. If someone isn’t aroused to do something they don’t want to already, nothing should ever be used to reverse that, and working with aphrodisiacs isn’t going to change that anyway.
There is often a lot going on behind the scenes in mind and body that impacts someone’s libido and/or desire, to begin with, and as a culture, there can be a lot of trauma and emotional strain in regard to how high or low one’s libido should or should not be. So often aphrodisiacs get tossed into the mix as something to use to “fix” someone as if they are broken when that is far from the truth. In reality, there’s a good chance there is nothing wrong with the person at all and nothing to be “fixed” or things that need to be addressed like society often likes to blame.
So what are herbal aphrodisiacs?
With aphrodisiacs often implied as something that creates a bedroom effect their true value can be overlooked. In the herbal world aphrodisiacs is a term of action given to herbs that increase circulation throughout the body getting the blood pumping to move where it’s supposed to, often while also helping the emotions of the heart to shift and open up. As a side benefit, many are often herbs that also help calm the mind. These positive benefits have far reaching implications beyond just the bedroom and can help support with several ailments from low circulation to stress reduction, and allowing for a more deeper connection between people.
Aphrodisiacs help you let go of a little bit of the worries in the mind that may hinder you from “being in the mood.” You know the stress and worries from the nagging kids, endless emails, and worries of life in general. They bring about some relaxation while also uplifting the spirit to a warmer, happier more at ease filled place. From there whatever happens is whatever you can dream to happen 😉
Rose and Damiana are two herbs known to have an aphrodisiac action and are often combined in many love potions. Below are two recipes that can be enjoyed any time of year and are very easy to make and are wonderful for opening the heart space and making room for some bedroom space 😉
Try them out the next time you want to bring some more joy and pleasure into your world in whatever form that may mean. Or give them as a gift to someone special in your life… if there’s any leftover!
Chocolate Rose Love Crisps- Dairy and Gluten Free
My daughter came up with part of this recipe a few years back and I’ve been making it ever since as an easy way to incorporate more herbs into our diet, and in a very yummy way.
This recipe is super easy to make and is a nice replacement for dairy versions of chocolates that can be so hard to find. These chocolates come out as little thin wafers that look like cookies. They’re an easy treat and the amount of topping options are endless. You can easily swap out for regular milk chocolate… it will just be sweeter.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (I like using 60% cacao as they still have a good amount of sweetness)
1 tablespoon nuts- walnuts, cashews, pecans, or whatever you enjoy
1/2 teaspoon Rose petals
Instructions:
Place a sheet of wax paper on top of a hard surface.
Chop up desired nuts into finely chopped pieces.
Grind the rose petals in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder until powdered.
Add chocolate chips to a small bowl and microwave for 1 minute.
Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir the chocolate until smooth and all the chips are evenly melted.
Using a spoon scoop a dollop of chocolate onto the wax paper.
Use the back of the spoon to push the chocolate around forming a flat circle. Continue on with the rest of the chocolate.
Once all the chocolate is spread out sprinkle a layer of nuts on top of each circle.
Top it off with a dusting of the powdered Rose petals.
Allow the chocolate to cool and harden. Depending on the temperature of your home the chocolate can be hard in about 30 minutes (they can be put in the fridge to harden faster).
Once hardened remove from the wax paper and enjoy.
Makes 12 chocolates.
*If you want to learn more about the amazing benefits of Rose you can check out a post here.
Damiana Rose Love Wine
This is a super simple way to infuse store bought wine into a warm, softening, love elixir. It only takes a day or two until its ready and you can use whatever cheap store bought wine you might have on hand or can find. Nothing fancy or expensive is needed as the flavor is going to change anyway due to the herbs.
Ingredients:
- Bottle of wine- a plain white wine would be best but any can be used
- 1/2 Tablespoon Dried Rose petals
- 3 T Dried Damiana
- Honey to sweeten (optional)
Instructions:
Add the herbs to a quart size jar.
Pour the wine in and give it a stir.
Cover with a lid and let the wine sit for anywhere from 1 day to a whole week. The longer it sits the stronger the taste.
Strain out the herbs and add honey if you prefer to sweeten your beverage.
Rebottle and enjoy!
