Erectogenic Drugs in Greek Medicine

Abstract

While the ever-growing relationship between pharmaceuticals and sexuality today may be taken for granted, the nature of that intersection in antiquity remains a more open question. This article provides a survey of erectogenic (i.e. erection inducing) drugs in Greco-Roman antiquity, roughly from the time of Theophrastus (4th/3rd Century BC) to Paul of Aegina (7th Century AD). Rather than evaluating claims of efficacy, I attempt to account for a network of cultural associations that informed ancient perceptions of the relationship between sexual activity and materia medica. Throughout the article, I give attention to the recurring problem of ambiguity that surrounded not only the Greek nomenclature for stimulative substances, but also the potential motivations for their usage. Finally, the survey concludes with a brief reflection on a number of questions raised by the existence, and persistence, of erectogenic drugs across antiquity.