RAW Aphrodisiac is Greater than an Aphrodisiac

The Art of Synergy and Synthesis

When I sat down to write this article, the title that popped into my head was "Intelligent Design: RAW Aphrodisiac." What better way to capture the true essence—the underlying wisdom—of this remarkable elixir than "intelligent design"?

Yet, sadly enough, the phrase "intelligent design" has already been taken—taken and misused—and it is not a phrase that I would like to invoke here.

So I chose the greater-than symbol.

Because this formula—our aphrodisiac elixir—is greater than an aphrodisiac.

Formulas > Combinations 

It doesn’t happen often, but every once in a while you come across something that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. And when that unique combination of synergy and synthesis occurs, it is glaringly obvious that you are onto something special. And I believe that our RAW Aphrodisiac Tincture is just that: something greater than the sum of its parts, something special. That is, a combination of synergy and synthesis.

In herbalism, there are three broad approaches to using herbs:

1.  Simple – Common throughout Western herbalism, a simple is a singular herb. It is when a single herb is taken. While the term can feel almost disparaging, it should not lead us to look down upon it. There is beauty in simplicity. And we’ve always been proponents of less-is-more at RAW Forest Foods—in herbalism and in all things (except, perhaps, in kindness). You may take a Chamomile tincture to help you relax the nervous system, or an Echinacea tincture at the first symptom of a cold coming on.
2. Combinations – A combination commonly masquerades as a formula. A combination is when like-sounding herbs are combined into a blend. Here, several adaptogenic herbs may be combined into a single preparation: Reishi, Ashwagandha, Chinese Ginseng, all in one. This is the more-is-more approach, and for experienced herbalists, it is a red flag of inexperience. Unfortunately, these blends are all too common today, signifying the changing face of herbalism—where marketing, not tradition, and sales, not support, appear to be the primary motivation.
3. Formulas – The distinction between a blend and a formula, between a combination and a formula, is a nuanced distinction—one that may feel overly pedantic, like splitting hairs. But it’s not. How herbs are combined into one matters. Herbs have real therapeutic qualities—qualities due to their therapeutic compounds. Just as pharmaceutical drugs should not be combined without understanding their interactions, potential negation of effects, and potential synergistic benefits, nor should herbs. And just as the rules of grammar can combine words into prose, so can the rules of herbalism. Traditions such as Ayurveda and Classical Chinese Medicine provide an operating framework for formulations, where herbs are not simply combined, but are alchemized in synergy and synthesis.

At RAW Forest Foods, we specialize in formulas. Our RAW Aphrodisiac is a formula. Not a blend. And we are proud of this distinction.

Time as an Expression of Wisdom

We took our time—as we always do—in releasing an aphrodisiac formula. While we received many, many requests for an aphrodisiac elixir, and many, many inquiries into the aphrodisiac qualities of our products and others, we spent years in contemplation and quiet formulation before we released our RAW Aphrodisiac Elixir.

We did not want to develop just another "aphrodisiac." It’s not what we do, and the market is already full of aphrodisiacs that, at best, are imaginative blends and, at worst, an insult to herbalism.

Where would the value be in reproducing what’s already been done? The RAW Forest Foods ethos doesn't include polluting the world with more needless products. Nor is it marketing for the sake of marketing. Profiting on the hopes of others.

We strive to add value and worth to the world, not to huck a product. You can find that elsewhere.

So we studied, and we experimented, and we didn't release an aphrodisiac product. Instead, we listened, we learned, and we didn't release an aphrodisiac product.

That is, until we had something worthy of sharing.

Greater than the Sum of Its Parts

This past spring we very quietly released our RAW Aphrodisiac Tincture. We call this an elixir tincture, speaking to the alchemy and the synergistic nature of the formula.

What changed between thinking about releasing the formula and releasing the formula?

Well, what changed is that it became obvious—glaringly obvious—that we were onto something good. And that it was time to share it.

Building a unique aphrodisiac—something that works, something that contains that synergy, that alchemy, that synthesis—requires not just a thorough understanding of the herbs that go into it, but a thorough understanding of the unique needs that people are bringing and experiencing—the needs, the hopes and wishes and desires—which leads them to seek out such a product.

It is not enough to say that "X" herb is an aphrodisiac. Herbs do not work like that. People do not work like that. Sexuality does not work like that.

In medicine, successful treatment or management of an illness is more than knowing what disease is present; you must also know its origin, its etiology, and its progression. This is true in Western medicine, and it is true in Ayurveda as well as in Classical and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

And understanding and applying aphrodisiac herbs is no different. It requires understanding the bigger picture and the individual nuance. If there is a point A where the person is right now and a point B where the person wants to be, the bigger picture and the individual nuance involve identifying the past, the present, and the future of point A and point B—and the interactions, intersections, and influences between them. This is the art of formulation. This is the distinction between formulas and blends.

There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Herb

The connection between Pine Pollen and libido lends itself to the many questions we’ve received about “what is best for libido?” And while I understand the question—the question at hand, where the question is coming from, and where the question wants to go—there is no answer to it. What stands between the question and an answer is that the question is predicated on the one-size-fits-all approach to herbs.

It is a question born out of our dominant Western culture of consumerism. Products are advertised in a way that both creates a problem and offers a solution. In this approach, it is common to not realize that you need something—not realize that you are lacking something—until you are offered something to buy which will fill that void. Heal that void. The one that didn’t exist until you were offered a solve.

And not to disparage the use of simples—of single herbs—because there very much is beauty in simplicity, but no single herb is universally appropriate. Take Echinacea from our previous example. Echinacea is an immune stimulator—it stimulates the immune system. At the very earliest sign of a cold (and for someone without an autoimmune disorder), Echinacea can be beneficial in calling the immune system to arms. But if the cold is already established and the body’s inflammatory systems are in progress, Echinacea can make things worse, exacerbating the inflammatory state well beyond what is helpful. This is especially true for those with an autoimmune disorder. In such cases, Echinacea can both worsen and prolong symptoms of the illness.

So while there is beauty in simplicity, simplicity requires nuance.

The very first pharmaceuticals came from Western herbalism, and the use of simples—of single herbs—is a hallmark of Western herbalism. Willow Bark became the first recognizable pharmaceutical drug: aspirin. First it was a tincture, then it was a pill.

This is the progression from Western herbalism to Western medicine. This is not inherently problematic.

What is problematic is how pharmaceutical drugs came to be marketed—and, in turn, how this approach to marketing came to define Western herbalism. For symptom X, take Y. Or, in marketing terms: if you want to feel like Z, but currently feel like X, buy Y.

The issue? There is no one-size-fits-all anything.

The Formula and the Ingredients

The type of marketing described above isn’t just predatory, but its predicated assumptions—its promises—are wrong.

We crafted the RAW Aphrodisiac Elixir with these fallacies in mind. How is it different? The formula addresses a broad spectrum of issues—of etiologies, of past, present, and future—which would lead one to seek out an aphrodisiac formula. True, it is one product, and in that way it is a one-size-fits-all, but we crafted it in such a way as to address many needs at once, creating a true synergy of its ingredients.

• RAW Pine Pollen (Pollen Pinus massoniana) – Providing an immediate increase in phytoandrogenic analogs of testosterone and other important androgenic hormones. While the use of Pine Pollen as an herb comes to us from Classical Chinese Medicine, we include RAW Pine Pollen in this formula from a lens of Western herbalism, because of the beneficial and immediate effects that the phytoandrogens in Pine Pollen have on the libido of both men and women.
• Mucuna Seed (Semen Mucuna pruriens) – A strong aphrodisiac and adaptogen that impacts the arousal and desire neurotransmitter dopamine, Mucuna pruriens has been used for centuries within Ayurveda as a vajikarana herb. We include Mucuna in this formula both for its tradition as a vajikarana herb (a rejuvenative and aphrodisiac) and for its unique ability to increase the pro-neurotransmitter levodopa (L-Dopa). L-Dopa is a precursor used by the body to synthesize dopamine. Dopamine influences, among other things, mood and sexuality.
• Catuaba Bark (Cortex Trichilia catigua) – The use of Catuaba Bark originates in indigenous Brazilian herbalism, first with the Tupi and other groups and later more broadly in Brazilian and Afro-Brazilian folk medicine. Historically, the name Catuaba has referred to two different plants with similar properties—both regarded as strong aphrodisiacs and both earning the moniker “potency wood”: Trichilia catigua and Erythroxylum vacciniifolium. Today, most research into Catuaba Bark is conducted on Trichilia catigua—and this is what we use in this elixir. Contemporary research highlights two main effects in the herb: first, Trichilia catigua appears to sensitize the brain to dopamine, working synergistically with Mucuna Seed; second, compounds in Catuaba demonstrate vasodilatory activity. In this way, Catuaba Bark exerts an effect somewhat similar to Yohimbe (Pausinystalia johimbe), though it does not contain yohimbine and does not come with the same contraindications as use of Yohimbe does.
• Muira Puama Root and Bark (Radix et Cortex Ptychopetalum olacoides) – Muira Puama is a strong aphrodisiac, long appreciated for its ability to enhance sexual drive. Muira Puama comes from the rainforests of Brazil, with ancestral traditions in Indigenous and folk medicine—similar to Catuaba Bark. While several species within the Ptychopetalum genus have been used interchangeably as Muira Puama, Ptychopetalum olacoides is the most common, the most researched, and the one we use here. Scientists have been investigating how Muira Puama works as an aphrodisiac since the 1920s, which speaks to its well-regarded strength and reputation. While Muira Puama is also noted for its adaptogenic, antifatigue, antistress, and central nervous system–supporting properties, we include it in this formula primarily for its traditional and researched use in cases of erectile dysfunction and impotence.
• Epimedium Leaf (Folium Epimedium brevicornum) – Most commonly known in the West as Horny Goat Weed, Epimedium is a potent Yáng tonic and a strong aphrodisiac herb, long celebrated in China. We find the name Horny Goat Weed rather regrettable, disparaging an important—and scientifically vetted—herb and reducing it almost to a joke. In Chinese medicine, Epimedium (Yín Yáng Huò) is considered a classic Yáng (male tonic) herb, traditionally used to support libido and vitality. Modern research suggests that Epimedium may influence hormone regulation, including effects on luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), which play a role in testosterone production. Epimedium has also been shown to increase nitric oxide (NO) production, supporting erectile function and vascular health—working synergistically in this formula with Catuaba and Muira Puama. The primary bioactive compound in Epimedium, icariin, is under active study and shows promise as one of the more effective herbs for supporting erectile function and sexual performance.
• Royal Jelly – Secreted by young worker (nurse) honey bees, Royal Jelly is the exclusive food of the queen bee, future queen bees, and larvae. Nurturing all larval bees, triggering the sexual maturation of future queens, and promoting the remarkable longevity and reproductive capacity of current queens, Royal Jelly is one of nature’s most celebrated substances. Like Pine Pollen, Royal Jelly serves as a foundational food—in essence and in practice, a kind of colostrum of the wild. In this elixir, Royal Jelly is included not as an aphrodisiac, stimulating sexual interest or arousal, but as a restorative—replenishing Yīn and supporting those whose interest is diminished by exhaustion, whether physical, mental, or both. Royal Jelly adds fuel—adds substance—where it is lacking.
• Deer Antler Velvet (Cornu Cervus nippon Temminck) – Long celebrated in Classical and Traditional Chinese Medicine as one of the strongest Yáng tonics known, Deer Antler Velvet (Lù Róng) is the source-revival of primal sexual drive. Traditionally, Deer Antler Velvet has been used to provide an immediate increase in fiery Yáng energy—the energy linked to sexual drive and passion—while simultaneously offering long-term nutritive (Yīn) properties to support reproductive health and system-wide functions throughout the body.
• Kava Root (Radix Piper methysticum) – Kava is the empathogen of connection: an aphrodisiac to celebrate, relax, and enjoy. From the islands of the South Pacific (in particular Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, and Samoa), Kava Root is a hypnotic herb long celebrated for its ability to loosen and relax the body—like a full-body massage for the central nervous system (CNS). But it is more than simply an anxiolytic herb (anti-anxiety); Kava can help foster meaningful connection, disinhibiting and allowing one to become more fully oneself. If you ever find yourself standing in the way of who you know you are, Kava can help restore that connection. Kava is a strong phytotherapeutic herb, and as such, it needs to be used with care—never abused—and never combined with recreational drugs or alcohol. In this elixir, Kava eases the mind and body, allowing waves of sexuality to flow freely through the body.

Always a Full 2:1 Extract

Our RAW Aphrodisiac Elixir Tincture is a full 2:1 extract, which means that two parts of herbs are used to produce just one part of tincture. A 2:1 extract results in the equivalent of approximately 2.5 grams of fresh herb per dropper of tincture (read more about this here). What this means is that you get a very real, significant amount of each of the herbs when you take this product—and more bang for your hard-earned buck.

The Take Home Message

As stated above, we worked diligently and intelligently to produce a comprehensive answer to the aphrodisiac question, and we have been very pleased with the finished product—receiving great feedback from our customers.

Our concluding goal in the development of this product is to assist people in rediscovering their sexual flame—it is never extinguished, but sometimes it needs a little fuel. This is your fuel. This is your synergy and your synthesis. Allow this elixir to be your invitation to discover the infinite power within.