Firsthand experience tells me that vodka usually works as a, uh, social lubricant. But that’s just me.
Now along come the makers of an herbal-based soft drink called Turn On, and they claim that their product can boost sexual desire.
Despite the customer testimonials to the drink’s sexual benefits splashed across the company’s website, sex therapist Judith Silverstein has her doubts. “I don’t see anything in here that would cause sexual arousal or desire,” she says of the drink’s active ingredients.
Silverstein adds, “There’s no regulation of things like drinks by the FDA, so [the makers of Turn On] can claim anything they want to.”
A quick glance at the ingredients show that Turn On is packed with vitamins and herbs such as ginseng, gingko biloba and what the makers call the key to its aphrodisiacal powers: schizandra, a small, red fruit from China.
Silverstein remains skeptical. “The only thing I could see in here that would stimulate sexual functioning is caffeine, because it improves the circulation a tiny bit. It’s a vasodilator.”
Dr. Caroline Apovian of Boston University Medical Center cautions that use of Turn On could pose risks.
“Drink this soda at your own risk,” she warns. “Beware of nutritional supplements. Really read the label and then do your own research, and you’ll find that many of these herbal substances really haven't been studied very well.”
On the other hand, one can’t discount the placebo effect. Experts say the primary sex organ is the brain. If a consumer believes Turn On really boosts the sex drive, chances are it’s not from what’s in the can, but what’s inside the user’s head.
Me? I’m sticking with good, old-fashioned Stolichnaya martinis served straight up with an olive.
