According to medicine hunter Chris Kilham, the power of many of these natural, plant-derived aphrodisiacs has been verified by clinical studies—and modern science has only begun to scratch the surface. Chris has traveled the world investigating medicinal plants and teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has authored 13 books, including Hot Plants: Nature’s Proven Sex Boosters for Men and Women, which focuses on sex-enhancing plants. Chris shares just a few natural agents of desire with Dr. Oz:

Rhodiola rosea

Rhodiola rosea is a plant native to Siberia that radically reduces cortisol levels in the blood, thereby reducing stress and enhancing sexual function, Chris says. According to Chris, dosages between 100 and 300 milligrams a day have been proven effective in human studies. Moreover, Chris says rhodiola rosea enhances brain function, mood, cardiovascular function and immune function, and boosts energy, stamina and endurance. “When you take it, you feel it, and you feel good,” says Chris, who takes it every day. “I feel more energetic, more lively, more clear minded.”

Maca

Maca is a root resembling a turnip that is a staple food in the Peruvian highlands. Chris says maca contains compounds that significantly boost sexual desire, alleviates erectile dysfunction and also helps women relieve the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause, especially hot flashes and night sweats. There are products containing maca extract as well as maca powder that can be added to shakes or used like flour in cooking, Chris says.

Tongkat ali

Tongkat ali is a tree root from Malaysia that has been used in Southeast Asia for hundreds of years for the treatment of malaria as well as improving various sexual parameters, Chris says. According to Chris, tongkat ali has been shown to help alleviate erectile dysfunction, boost testosterone levels in males and progesterone levels in females, and may have cancer-inhibiting properties. He says it’s a safe and effective substitute for brand-name drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction.

Deer Antler

You may not know this but male deers, known as bucks, are pretty intensely sexual animals. And for some odd, yet fascinating reason, their antler’s somehow concentrate their hormonal and sexual essence. I know that’s not a very scientific claim, but trust me, a dropperful of deer antler extract is a major kick in the pants, and you can’t argue with results. For those of you who insist on knowing why, deer antler is rich in prostaglandins—which are hormone-like compounds that help control blood pressure, smooth muscle activity and inflammation, and stimulate glandular secretion, calcium movement, hormone production and cell growth.

Orchic

Orchic is a friendly name for bull testicles. Yes, you read that right, and no I am not suggesting you head down to the butcher store and buy a pair. You can actually get this in a friendly, encapsulated supplement form so you don’t have to taste anything. If you didn’t know better you’d say it looks like a non-descript vitamin pill.

Pine Pollen

As far as herbs go, Pine Pollen is somewhat obscure, known mainly in the Chinese Medicine tradition as a powerful androgenic and vitality enhancing substance. And pine pollen is just that—the sexual fluid of pine trees. It’s the seed that when mixed with soil, air, sun and water can grow into a massive, multi-ton, hundred foot plus pine tree. And it tends to have similar effects on your hormonal system and sex drive. Like mucuna, it’s a powerful and rare jing-enhancing herb (meaning an herb that restores your sexual and vital essence) with distinctly aphrodisiac effects.

Colostrum

When baby calves are born, for the first few days, their mothers produce a very special kind of highly nourishing milk that is loaded with essential nutrients, vitamins, immune-stimulating factors, and a number of other potent health-boosting compounds that all work in their own way to nourish and stimulate your hormonal system. Colostrum is nature’s way of ensuring that the baby calves have the essential nutritional kickstart they need to grow into healthy adults and thrive. And in order to support that rapid body mass gain, colostrum is also loaded with growth hormone, which as you might have guessed has the end result of stimulating your sex drive.

Shilajit

In the ancient Indian system of medicine known as Ayurveda, shilajit is known as an ojas-building substance, loosely translating to “vital essence or energy”, which is similar to the Daoist concept of Jing. That’s because it’s literally millions of years of prehistoric plant matter compacted in a night-black, resinous tar that is literally an amalgamation of essential minerals in a highly biologically active form. Shilajit is formed under the weight of the Himalayan mountains in India and Nepal and in remote regions you’ll find it seeping out of crags and split rocks at dizzyingly high altitudes. It’s been used for thousands of years in India to restore sexual function and overall health, and it’s a staple food if you’re looking to boost your sex drive.

Mucuna Pruriens

Mucuna beans are one of nature’s most unique treasures. In part because they’re one of the few plants loaded with an unusually large amount of psycho and hormonally active compounds, particularly L-Dopa (as in dopamine), which also doubles as a powerful aphrodisiac.

The high concentrations of L-Dopa cause the brain to release dopamine, in turn stimulating the pituitary gland to produce human growth hormone, which promotes muscle growth, increased strength, and has been proven to raise levels of testosterone, all of which result in an increased sex drive. It also simultaneously lowers levels of prolactin, which can reduce menstrual discomfort and associated weight gain in women and increase sperm motility, and hence fertility, in men.

Mucuna is classified as a jing-enhancing herb in the Daoist herbal tradition, which means that it is nourishing at the most fundamental levels to the body. Jing loosely translates to “vital essence” or “life force” and in the case of mucuna, can clearly be understood in terms of its restorative effects on the brain, nervous, and hormonal systems. Jing is believed to be depleted as we age and through sexual activity, so plants like mucuna that act to replenish it are prized in many herbal traditions.