Real Aphrodisiacs

Combining food and sex really is the ultimate indulgence. Just ask George Costanza. And if a pastrami on rye sandwich isn't exactly what you have in mind when it comes to sensual eating, a new study may offer some tips on how to add a little sugar and spice to your sex life.

A Canadian review of 150 international studies found that saffron, the world's most expensive spice, has been shown to enhance sexual performance and satisfaction. Maybe this is why saffron couscous is so tasty! Panax ginseng (or Korean ginseng) may also offer sex benefits by improving erectile functioning in men and arousal frequency in women.

Other spice rack staples like cloves, sage and nutmeg may also enhance sexual stimulation. And though the lab experiments with these threespices with rats have yet to be replicated in humans, I'm now beginning to understand why my local grocery stores always seem to be sold out of sage...and apple pie.

For an oral approach to boosting your libido, you...

Limerence is a term used to describe that period of hot longing and lustful infatuation that we feel when we first connect with someone and begin to fall in love. That sexy spark and constant (almost obsessive) passion is enough to make us look past our partner’s flaws and see nothing but perfection. Yes. We are blinded by love.

Just writing this description makes my heart race a little bit and I need a moment to breathe a big slow exhale right now. If you’re a true romantic or have ever experienced the euphoria of falling in love, you probably know what I’m talking about.

If you’ve ever been in love, you have likely also experienced the decline of limerence or the perception of falling out of love, as limerence can be short-lived. While love can last a lifetime, the thrill of falling in love and the passion of a new romance fades over time, which is why so many couples complain that they’ve lost that lovin’ feeling.

But have no fear, because you...

Consider making a few resolutions to bring that feeling of limerence back into your love life. I’ve listed a few suggestions below, but be creative and realistic with your own resolutions bearing in mind that keeping it hot takes work, but the process can be as much fun as the results.

Some ideas to get you started:

1. Call for no reason. We all fall into routines and though we may take comfort in the predictability, it can become boring very quickly. Be sure to call or text your partner a few times a week just to say hi and let them know you care. And be strict with the content of these calls and texts. Don’t ask your partner to pick up milk on the way home or slip in a story about the drama of your workplace. Keep the call purely intimate — you are more than roommates or business partners, so act like it. Some possible texts might include:

• I love you.
• I want you.
• I’m thinking of you.
• I can’t wait to see you.
• You make me happy.
• You’re the best.
...

While long distance love may make for lonely nights and the need to keep a few extra batteries on hand in the nightstand, loving from a distance is a common arrangement in the modern, globalized world. As more people connect through online dating, new relationships are often separated by hundreds of miles (or more) from the onset. And though the distance may prove challenging at times, smart couples are taking advantage of all that long-distance love has to offer.

On the plus side, absence not only has the potential to make the heart grow stronger, but it can also make the libido soar. While intimacy may be cultivated through comfort and closeness, raw sexual desire is often fueled by unpredictability, risk and the unknown. So sex in long distance relationships can be very hot — as long as you don’t let a little space get in the way.

Phone sex, Skype sex (hooray for webcams) and sexting are not only the perfect foreplay to let the tension build until your next in-person...

The Kangaroo Sex Position involves one partner crouching on all fours with the knees bent while the insertive partner crouches and penetrates from behind. They can thrust and hop around like kangaroos. Good on ya, mate!

Karezza involves prolonged, intimate sexual intercourse without the goal of ejaculation or orgasm. It often refers to penetrative sex involving deep affection, devoted touch, spiritual connection, little movement and partner bonding. Though some people may scoff at sex without the goal of orgasm, practitioners describe it as a love meditation that deepens relationships, embraces the sacred elements of sex and induces states of sexual ecstasy. Though the practice of karezza takes time, commitment and patience to embrace, we can all extract elements from its philosophy without sacrificing pleasure. For example, the next time you’re having penetrative sex of any kind, try lying completely still for a minute or two and breathing in unison with your partner. ...

Men Allergic To Their Own Sperm

New research suggests that some men may experience flu-like systems due to an allergic reaction to their own semen. And we're talking more than just the exhaustion and body aches caused by hanging from the chandelier. The condition, Post Orgasmic Illness Syndrome (POIS), involves an allergic reaction after ejaculation with symptoms lasting up to a week. One week! That may sound like a long refractory period and a heavy price to pay for two or three minutes of fun, but researchers promise a silver lining.

Professor Marcel Waldinger from Utrecht University studied a group of 33 Dutch men who underwent a skin-prick test using their diluted semen. The vast majority of participants (88 percent) had a positive reaction indicating an auto-immune response as opposed to the previously presumed psychological cause.

These findings help to clarify earlier documented and unexplained reports of this type of allergic reaction that left men feeling confused and...

Happy new year! Here’s to a very sexy and safe 2011.

Delving back into the alphabet, we arrive at one of my favourite letters — good old “J”.

Here are a few fun sex terms to get you started in the new year:

Jeeping: Engaging in sex acts in the back of a car or jeep.

Jerkin’ The Gherkin: You guessed it! A slang term for male masturbation

Jousting: Slang term for double-penetration, which involves the insertion of two objects (often penises or dildos) into one orifice (often a mouth, vagina or anus).

Joydogging: Stealing or breaking into cars to engage in sexual activity.

Joygasm: A moment of intense pleasure derived from any non-sexual or sexual activity.

Icing refers to the act of using your hand to spread ejaculate on your partner’s face or other body part as though you’re icing a cake. We all knew that cake decorating 101 course would come in handy someday!

Iconolagnia involves erotic arousal from viewing nude photos, sculptures or statues.

Interfemoral Intercourse refers to the act of thrusting the penis between your partner’s thighs often with friction on the vulva, testicles or perineum. Sounds like some good old fashioned outercourse!

Intersex is a term used to refer to a biological variation in which a person is born with reproductive anatomy that does not seems to fit the typical definitions of male or female. There are a number of possibilities with regard to anatomical and chromosomal combinations for intersex people. Like all forms of sexual classification, intersex is a socially-constructed category, which doesn’t always reveal itself at birth. For more information, visit the Intersex Society of...

If You Don't Use It, You Lose It

Whether you're looking to last longer or just heighten your sexual experience, pelvic floor exercises are every sex-lover's best friend. Not only do they lead to more powerful orgasms, but they can also optimize sexual arousal, response, functioning and orgasmic control by increasing blood flow to the pelvic region and toning the muscles that support the pelvic organs and stabilize the core muscles.

The pelvic floor includes the two layers of muscles that sling from the tailbone in the back to the pubic bone in the front. To practice pelvic floor exercises, you first have to learn to recognize and isolate the muscles. There are a few ways to do this:

1. While peeing, stop the flow of urine. If you're able to interrupt its flow, you are contracting your pelvic floor muscles. You should feel a pulling-up sensation as opposed to the feeling of bearing down used during a bowel movement. (Though you can use this technique to learn to identify your pelvic...

New relationship sex and sex-on-the-fly may burn up your sheets, but as routine and increased comfort levels settle in it can be hard to keep things hot in the bedroom. What’s a frisky girl to do? Try out these strategies to reignite your sex life.

One easy way to keep sex hot and keep your partner guessing is to initiate sex in unexpected locations. Leave the boring old bedroom behind and surprise your partner at work, in the shower, at the theatre, in the car, at the dinner table or in the kitchen. Obviously, take the necessary safety precautions, think beyond intercourse and be aware of the laws in your area. Nothing turns a sweet sex session sour faster than a visit from the local authorities or a trip to the emergency room – trust me on this one.

Another simple way to make relationship sex hotter is to play with your timing. Instead of having sex right before you nod off to sleep, try it out in the morning or afternoon. You’ll never wake up on the...