(continued)

Asia

In Chinese herbal medicine, ginkgo leaves have been used for more than 5,000 years to treat impotence. The nuts supposedly have loads of fascinating properties: They increase sexual energy, stop bed-wetting and cure deafness. Is there nothing they cannot do?

According to the indispensible and irrepressible Johan's Guide to Aphrodisiacs, a food inspector at a Minnesota meat-packing plant was recently charged with felony theft for taking gallstones from the office to sell on the international market. Gallstones are apparently believed to be an aphrodisiac in some Asian countries and are sold for up to $550 an ounce.