Indian aphrodisiacs: turtle blood, lizard sweat
• Sexual Health
Maneka Gandhi writes of animals killed and abused for bogus aphrodisiacs:
Every town has a thriving market of wild animals that are being killed for ‘medicinal and aphrodisiac purposes’. Some are killed for amulets, which bring good luck. I have nailed a man in Delhi who had boxes full of the feet of owls, which he sold for Rs 200 each as ‘taveezes’ (talismans). When caught, he had one live owl and the body of another that had just been killed. ...
There’s also the aphrodisiac market for wild animals. All it takes is one illiterate mendicant to announce that the potion made from a particular animal part can improve a man’s sex life. In no time, the poor animal heads the most wanted list. In little towns in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, eggs are usually sold on handcarts in the evenings. These are eaten by men going home from their work to ‘invigorate’ themselves for the evening ahead. ...
In the old parts of each city in India, you’ll find lizards being roasted alive on iron tavas, squirming in pain. Their ‘sweat’ is sold as an aphrodisiac and each lizard is roasted several times before it dies. ...