Apparently it does. It's also stocked on supermarket shelves, in the juice and produce aisles. I'm not talking about pharmaceutical Viagra, of course - I'm referring to the food that's being touted as the latest "natural Viagra". Pomegranates, or pomegranate juice to be specific. Research has declared that drinking a daily glass of the ruby red elixir for two weeks produces "Viagra-like effects" for both men and women.
Didn't we go through this with watermelon a few years ago?
Anyway, pomegranates, which have had a reputation as an aphrodisiac since ancient times, are the farmers market Viagra du jour. A UK study found that regularly drinking pomegranate juice produced a surge of libido-lifting testosterone in both sexes, plus positive effects on mood, memory, and blood pressure.
As far as the Viagra comparison goes, watermelon is a more accurate analog, as it contains amino acids that relax blood vessels in a manner similar to sildenafil. Neither watermelon nor Viagra have any effect on testosterone production.
Libido-enhancement aside, pomegranate juice has a lot of other fine qualities, being chock full of cancer and heart-disease fighting antioxidants. I'm not usually one to go in for superfood fads, but I might consider adding this one to my daily regimen. Although I wouldn't be surprised to find the store out of stock after the announcement of this news.
