A love potion ( la, poculum amatorium) is a magical liquid which supposedly causes the drinker to develop feelings of

love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

towards the person who served it. The love potion motif occurs in literature, mainly in fairy tales, and in paintings, drama, music and mythology. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

, extracts from

nightshades The Solanaceae , or nightshades, are a family of flowering plants that ranges from annual and perennial herbs to vines, lianas, epiphytes, shrubs, and trees, and includes a number of agricultural crops, medicinal plants, spices, weeds, and orna ...

were used as hallucinogens, and to make supposed love potions and

flying ointment Flying ointment is a hallucinogenic ointment said to have been used by witches in the practice of European witchcraft from at least as far back as the Early Modern period, when detailed recipes for such preparations were first recorded. Name ...

s. Such plants may have included belladonna, angel's trumpets,

jimsonweed ''Datura stramonium'', known by the common names thorn apple, jimsonweed (jimson weed), devil's snare, or devil's trumpet, is a poisonous flowering plant of the nightshade family Solanaceae. It is a species belonging to the ''Datura'' genus a ...

, black henbane, European scopolia or autumn mandrake, which contain alkaloids (

atropine Atropine is a tropane alkaloid and anticholinergic medication used to treat certain types of nerve agent and pesticide poisonings as well as some types of slow heart rate, and to decrease saliva production during surgery. It is typically given i ...

and

scopolamine Scopolamine, also known as hyoscine, or Devil's Breath, is a natural or synthetically produced tropane alkaloid and anticholinergic drug that is formally used as a medication for treating motion sickness and postoperative nausea and vomiting ...

, which are hallucinogenic in higher doses) characterized by a narrow

therapeutic index The therapeutic index (TI; also referred to as therapeutic ratio) is a quantitative measurement of the relative safety of a drug. It is a comparison of the amount of a therapeutic agent that causes the therapeutic effect to the amount that causes ...

. Some attempts to create love potions have led to overdose or death where the preparations were not standardized for the content of potent compounds. Other alleged

aphrodisiacs An aphrodisiac is a substance that increases sexual desire, sexual attraction, sexual pleasure, or sexual behavior. Substances range from a variety of plants, spices, foods, and synthetic chemicals. Natural aphrodisiacs like cannabis or cocain ...

include Spanish fly, lizard necks, flowers, mashed worms, sacramental bread, and "sweaty cakes" (made from human hair, glandular excretions, skin and blood).

References

{{Reflist Seduction Mythological food and drink Hyoscyamus Magic substances Love

See also

References