Dietary Aphrodisiacs through the Elucidation of the Secrets of Lawful Intercourse by al-Šayzarī (13th Century)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3989/aem.2021.51.2.10Keywords:
medieval sexuality, aphrodisiacs, Islam, pleasure, semen, coitusAbstract
In this article we examine the use of aphrodisiacs in one of the most complete works written during the Islamic Middle Ages, namely The Elucidation of the Secrets of Lawful Intercourse by the Damascus writer al-Šayzarī (13th century). The main objective of this work is to connect the significant role played by culinary elements and sexual hygiene in Islamic society with the arts of love, collected in the Arab and Islamic erotic genre of ‘ilm al-bāh. This author provides a veritable compendium on the medical-amatory arts, compiling, ex profeso, a rich display of learning derived from previous and contemporary authors such as Galen, al-Ṭabarī, al-Rāzī, Avicenna al-Ṭūsī or al-Tīfāšī.
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