Ethnopharmacology of Love

Frontiers in Pharmacology
Marco Leonti, Laura Casu

Abstract

Background: Elixirs conferring eternal youth or inducing amatory and erotic attraction have been searched for without success. Lovesickness is a widespread affliction resulting from unrequited love and/or the impossibility for physical and emotional union. The symptoms are reflections of altered dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline, testosterone and cortisol levels and range from frenzy and intrusive thinking to despair and depression, sharing traits with the neurochemistry of addiction and compulsive behavior disorder. Although it can seriously impact the quality of life, lovesickness is currently not considered in official disease classification systems. Consequently, no official therapeutic guidelines exist, leaving subjects to seek the cure on their own. Methods: We review literature of the past 2000 years dealing with the concept, diagnosis and the healing of lovesickness and contextualize it with neurochemical, ethnomedical, and ethnographic data. Since neurobiological and pharmacological connections between the love drive and the sex drive exist, we review also the literature about herbal an- and aphrodisiacs, focusing on their excitatory or calmative potential. Results: An overall consensus regarding socio-behavioral regi...Continue Reading

References

Feb 1, 1991·The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition·A S Prasad
Mar 1, 1983·Clinical Neuropharmacology·A Plaitakis, R C Duvoisin
Jan 1, 1995·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·M R Melis, A Argiolas
Jul 1, 1994·Hospital & Community Psychiatry·F Hajal
Jul 15, 1994·Experientia·R S Bedwal, A Bahuguna
Oct 1, 1993·Journal of Pineal Research·J L Castillo-RomeroD Acuña-Castroviejo
Jan 1, 1996·Experimental and Clinical Endocrinology & Diabetes : Official Journal, German Society of Endocrinology [and] German Diabetes Association·P G MerzH D Taubert
Jan 1, 1997·Documenta Ophthalmologica. Advances in Ophthalmology·G H Bohigian
Oct 20, 1998·Journal of Toxicology. Clinical Toxicology·J L Müller
Feb 6, 1999·Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology·R C RosenM Menza
Jul 15, 1999·Psychological Medicine·D MarazzitiG B Cassano
Nov 14, 2000·Archives of General Psychiatry·C M Meston, P F Frohlich
Dec 16, 2000·Neuroreport·A Bartels, S Zeki
Feb 24, 2001·Lancet·B Bynum
Dec 13, 2001·Urologia Internationalis·J E Altwein, F U Keuler
Dec 18, 2001·Pharmacology & Therapeutics·S W TamM Wyllie
Jan 5, 2002·Clinical Autonomic Research : Official Journal of the Clinical Autonomic Research Society·P Sandroni
Mar 20, 2002·Annals of Internal Medicine·Daniel E Moerman, Wayne B Jonas
Jun 5, 2002·Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology·N Zisapel
Jun 22, 2002·Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences·Laura L Murphy, Tony Jer-Fu Lee
Nov 1, 2002·Nature·Alison Abbott
Jun 18, 2003·Phytomedicine : International Journal of Phytotherapy and Phytopharmacology·W WuttkeD Seidlová-Wuttke
Aug 5, 1960·Science·E H HESS, J M POLT
Jun 5, 2004·Psychoneuroendocrinology·Donatella Marazziti, Domenico Canale
Oct 19, 2004·Physiology & Behavior·Elaine M HullSatoru Sato
Nov 19, 2004·Psychopharmacology·Hendrik J SmitPeter J Rogers
Jun 2, 2005·Journal of Neurophysiology·Arthur AronLucy L Brown
Jun 16, 2005·Phytochemistry·Tom Reynolds
Sep 2, 2005·The Journal of Endocrinology·J Bancroft
Sep 3, 2005·Phytochemistry·Lumír O HanusValery M Dembitsky
Oct 29, 2005·The Journal of Comparative Neurology·Helen FisherLucy L Brown
Apr 20, 2006·Journal of Ethnopharmacology·A WesołowskaE Chojnacka-Wójcik
May 29, 2007·FEBS Letters·S Zeki
Sep 6, 2007·American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education·Laurie Kelly McCorry
Jun 25, 2008·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Jürg GertschAndreas Zimmer
Jan 9, 2009·Nature·Larry J Young
Jan 1, 2007·Journal of the History of Sexuality·Ramón A Gutiérrez
Mar 17, 2009·Nutrition Research·Abasalt Hosseinzadeh ColagarMohammad Javad Chaichi
May 21, 2009·The Journal of Sexual Medicine·James G Pfaus
Sep 26, 2009·Clinical Toxicology : the Official Journal of the American Academy of Clinical Toxicology and European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists·Leo J SchepD Michael G Beasley
May 7, 2010·Journal of Neurophysiology·Helen E FisherDebra Mashek
Jun 16, 2010·The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse·Michel ReynaudAmine Benyamina

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Citations


❮ Previous
Next ❯

Software Mentioned

Ovid
Ovid Amoris

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Addiction

This feed focuses mechanisms underlying addiction and addictive behaviour including heroin and opium dependence, alcohol intoxication, gambling, and tobacco addiction.

Related Papers

Frontiers in Bioscience (Landmark Edition)
Elsa LindgrenGene-Jack Wang
Sheng li ke xue jin zhan [Progress in physiology]
Xiao-Yun GuoHong-Xing Zhang
Canadian Medical Association Journal
S V Levine
Current Pharmaceutical Design
Vincenzo Di MatteoEnnio Esposito
© 2022 Meta ULC. All rights reserved