For millennia, various herbs have been used to increase feelings of love and passion. This category of herbs is sought after for their stimulating, invigorating, and supportive properties.
Love potions are used to increase sexual desire, boost sensory sensitivity, and reduce mental tension. They are typically an herbal infusion that is stabilized with honey or alcohol. Different preparations use wine, brandy, and water to infuse herbs for attraction and love.
While love potions are often related to magic, their properties are biologically tangible. Spices for love are known to warm the body through increased circulation, improve libido, and reduce stress and anxiety so the mind and body can hold space for feelings of passion.
In this article, we’ll share herbs for love and offer various love potion recipes you can safely and confidently try at home. Click here for a list of our top recommended herb suppliers for use when making your own potions.
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Love Potion Herbs:
Modern research shows that love herbs and herbal tinctures are rooted in science and herbal medicine. Many herbs used in traditional love potions have been clinically shown to support health.
In this article, we discuss herbs for love and the scientific evidence behind their love potion properties.
1. Cinnamon (Cinnamomum cassia)
Cinnamon is a spicy, sweet, and energetically warm herb used to increase passion by heating the body. It’s one of the most commonly used spices for love. This herb comes from the inner bark of the Cinnamomum tree species, which is a plant native to China and naturalized throughout Southeast Asia.
Many cultures see cinnamon as a symbol of strength, fertility, love, and passion due to its ability to increase blood flow. In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), cinnamon is said to support the flow of yang energy (active/heat) throughout the body.
Along with its circulatory health benefits, research shows that cinnamon supplementation boosts testosterone (similar to the herb cistanche), which can support sperm production. This effect suggests that cinnamon can be used as an aphrodisiac (stimulates sexual desire). Its scent often invokes feelings of comfort which may support love and lust.
2. Damiana (Turnera diffusa)
Damiana is classically and popularly known as a powerful aphrodisiac. The leaves and stems of this small shrub are known to increase sexual activity, boost endurance, and heighten sensory sensitivity.
Damiana enjoys subtropical regions and can be found growing near the equator. The Mayans and Mexican natives also used and use damiana as a way to strengthen the nervous system. It was said to reduce anxiety and depression and boost low moods.
Modern research concludes that damiana supports both male and female reproductive systems by increasing testosterone levels and progesterone production. Modern reviews and animal studies explain that damiana’s active constituents support the health of reproductive organs and regulate hormone levels. The alkaloids in damiana are thought to have a testosterone-like effect on the body, which may support libido levels.
3. Rose (Rosa spp.)
The rose has been a global symbol of love for many centuries. Originally native to ancient Persia, rose is now naturalized across temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The petals are used in various herbal preparations to reduce anxiety, support the heart, and restore balance to reproductive systems.
In TCM, this love herb helps with hormone imbalances and lack of libido and supports menstruation. Since antiquity, the scent of rose has been associated with love. The ancient Greeks used rose in perfumes, and the flower notoriously represents Aphrodite/Venus, the goddesses of love.
Various clinical and animal trials demonstrated that rose extracts and aromatherapy reduce stress and anxiety levels, increasing mood. These actions suggest that rose helps to clear mental and physical energetic barriers in the body, allowing for elevated feelings like love, passion, and attraction.
4. Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
This short shrub is a plant native to the dry areas of India and Nepal and belongs to the nightshade or Solanaceae family. The fresh or dried root is considered an adaptogen, which means it works with the biological systems in the body that regulate stress.
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