Aphrodisiacs & Love Potions From An Old French Manuscript

by Anonymous, Richard MacPherson

This small but potent collection of 20 aphrodisiacs and love potions came from an old manuscript originally written in the French, and has never been published until now (June, 2012). The original title of the manuscript was "Aphrodisiacs, or Love Potions, for Men, Cold and Impotent; and Women, Prudish or Overmodest." They include elixirs, syrups, powders, pills (pastilles) and lozenges, wine and spirit potions, plasters, salves and liniments, and even a tempting Aphrodisiac Bath! I discovered them in and amongst some old papers at an auction in New England, (USA) and thought them essential for publication. I have translated the recipes into the English language, and provided definitions of many of the more archaic of the ingredients. Although the manuscript was not dated, it appears, based on the birth and death dates of some of the historical figures referenced in the introduction, that they were compiled around the year 1885. (M. Auguste Debay died in 1890 and in this collection is talked of in the present tense, as if he were still alive.) These historical figures were all prominent pharmacologists, chemists, herbalists, and physicians of the 17th-19th centuries and were, in their day, considered pre-eminent in their fields. Some of them, in fact, contributed greatly to the advance of medicine as a science. This is important to realize, and as such, this collection represents an amalgamation of 2 centuries of work in the fields of medicine and chemistry. Some of the ingredients used in this compendium, even at the time of its writing, had already been used for over 5,000 years, and a good many of the ingredients are still used today by herbalists and are quite safe. In fact, they are experiencing something of a renaissance, and are once again available in the forms called for in these recipes. Thus, in addition to being a summation of 250 years of medicine and science, this newly discovered little book is also a culmination of over 5,000 years of work in the arts of love and attraction! However, some of the recipes in this collection call for substances used extensively in the19th and 18th centuries but which today are considered toxic or dangerous, including laudanum (opium), Rectified Spirits (Grain alcohol), ambergris, absinthe, and cantharidine (Spanish Fly). These recipes should be treated only as historical curiosities, and should not be attempted under any conditions. Like all recipes, follow these closely and to the letter, and let their aphrodisiac powers sweep you away, as they have doubtless done for hundreds of years, across all parts of the globe, wherever there are couples, love and romance! -

23 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 3, 2012

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Duane. Grob]

Wasn't what I thought it would be.