The rapid growing use of the internet and social media platforms, has no doubt resulted in the sex revolution being witnessed in the country as Nigeria seem to be fast catching up with what obtains in some other parts of the world.
In fact, sex is no longer what it used to be, as many things once considered taboo and socially deviant are now being done openly.
They stare us in the face, everywhere we turn and we waste no time as we find excuses for engaging in them. Markets and shop shelves are flooded with various varieties of drinks and drugs meant to boost energy and sexual performance.
From Alumo Bitters, to Action Bitters, Babyokwu, Kerewa, Koboko, Apari, Sabina, Ogidija, Origin herbal, to the great Bullet and a list of several imported energy drinks.
These are drinks alleged to contain aphrodisiac components used by guys to supposedly boost their energy levels and ultimately improve sexual performance.
Drugs such as Manpower, Ever ready, Energiser are also popular among guys.
However, gone are the days when sexual stimulants were thought to be the exclusive drugs of randy men, today, the revolution has hit the women and they are now leaving no stone unturned in their search for sexual satisfaction.
Welcome to the world of aphrodisiacs!
So, I finally got the opportunity I had long been looking for recently at Mr. Taju’s automobile workshop (Mechanic Workshop).
I had gone to service my car when a female herbal drinks and concoctions hawker, popularly known as paraga, walked in to sell her wares.
After their banters, they got down to business as each stepped forward to place an order, several shots of the variety of herbal drinks available. It was a golden opportunity I could not afford to miss.
What is Paraga?
“Aunty, what are these drinks used for,” I asked? “They are many ma, it depends on what you want.
“I have herbs for malaria, jedijedi (haemorrhoids), and general body rejuvenation, that will make the body strong.”
Everyone broke into laughter. I decided to feign ignorance and asked for their names.
Naturally, their laughter intensified and Mr. Taju informed me that it was not used by women and I should ignore them.
I was not about to give up at all, so I decided I would not direct my questions to anyone in particular, I will just allow things to flow naturally and see what comes up.
Paraga, I finally learnt was not a herbal drink or aphrodisiac but simply any highly concentrated alcoholic drink such as gin, brandy, or ogogoro (local gin) and she did not deal in such.
Her products were mainly targeted at male libido and included herbs for Iba, (anti-malaria) because malaria will cause weakness, joints and body pain and you need the waist and legs to have sex, no matter the sexual position, she said.
Jedi herbs will strengthen your waist and back bones and also tighten your anus and pelvic muscles. If you have problems with your anus, it will affect the turgidity of your manhood.
Finally, there are those for enhanced sexual performance which they listed as Opa eyin, Opa iwaju (also called Ale) Afato used to boost sperm production among others.
The lady informed me that there are two types of all the different concoctions, water based and alcohol and that the alcoholic drinks sold faster, thus more common.
Except for those with laxative properties, there are no measuring directions; how much you take depends on your system’s tolerance to the herbs and what you want to use it for.
“Like what,” I asked? “For sex now, if a man wants to satisfy a woman, he must be sexually fit to perform optimally.
“So, he needs these drugs. A man with jedijedi cannot perform very well,” she explained.
‘Why we need aphrodisiacs’
The laughter continued but this time, the guys began reeling out several reasons men need aphrodisiacs generally.
According to them, it is not all the time that a man wants to do two or three minutes and rolls off.
Sometimes, he wants to prolong the enjoyment and satisfy himself. Another reason proffered is that women secretly like sex even though they pretend not to, and they would not appreciate a man who cannot satisfy them.
Again, a man must be the boss at all times. His manhood is defined by the status of his penis and if you allow a woman to say you are lazy in bed, then you are not a man.
She must be the one to tell you she has had enough, not the other way around.
Also, some of the women out there now are firebrands, some take alcohol even more than men and some also use female sexual enhancers. One would need a little extra to satisfy such women.
Those who have multiple sexual partners will definitely find it difficult to satisfy them all and if you have erectile dysfunction, you may not even be able to satisfy any woman at all.
Sometimes, a woman can challenge you and if you fail, you become the butt of their jokes. Then, you can use it if you want to punish a woman too.
Teaching a greedy girlfriend lesson
One of them told of how he once used it to deal with a greedy girlfriend.
According to the story, the first time they went out to a hotel, she had forced him to overshoot his budget because she’d insisted on eating a large meal and drank two bottles of Stout.
Though they had sex that day, he was not happy as he’d felt cheated. The enjoyment was not commensurate with the money he spent on her.
So, on their next date, he’d prepared himself better. She’d asked for the same things, fried rice, chicken and Stout and she’d paid dearly for them too.
She called off the relationship after that, but he was satisfied.
…in the begining
Aphrodisiac are perhaps as old as man’s documented sexual history. These are classified as any substance used to enhance or increase sexual desire.
Please note that increased sexual desire is not the same as increasing fertility level and so must not be confused for each other as in the case of Afato mentioned above by the Paraga woman.
The Arab and Asian cultures are best known for their expertise in this area.
It is therefore not surprising to know that our brothers and sisters in Northern Nigeria are also well knowledgeable about the efficacy of these herbs and drugs.
And you are likely to find them hawking their wares along the streets of large cities in the South here too.
In Lagos, the popular Lagos Central Mosques and Moshalashi Alhaja in Agege area are their main markets.
In fact, aphrodisiacs play a very large and important role in Northern societies because of their lifestyle and marriage to more than one wife.
Keep a date with us next Saturday for the second part of this article. Do have a wonderful weekend!