I Ate Libido Chocolate To Boost My Sex Drive—Here’s What Happened

My libido took a huge (and totally normal) nosedive after my ex and I broke up last year, and ever since, I’ve been doing everything I can think of to try to get it back. And I do mean everything. Between weekly therapy sessions, setting time aside for self-pleasure, watching porn, and focusing on self care, I was getting discouraged and worried nothing would work. But then I tried eating chocolate to boost my libido.

Moodygirl’s Libido Lover chocolate bar includes ingredients that support love vibes and creative energy like maca and horny goat weed, and those come in addition to the baseline of chocolate itself being a popular aphrodisiac. But does the bar actually—as in scientifically—have the power to turn us on? Public-health practitioner and sexuality educator Janielle Bryan, MPH, says the jury is still out.

“It has not been scientifically proven that chocolate has any effect on sexual desire,” says Bryan. “There are multiple research studies that show dark chocolate can reduce arterial stiffness and increase blood flow.” While those conditions can support arousal, the causal link between eating chocolate and having a heightened sex drive is missing (she further notes that if someone already has strong blood flow, they may see little to no change). So libido chocolate may help folks get and stay aroused—but nothing is for certain.

As far as what type of chocolate holds the most potential to do its best on your libido, Bryan says the darker and the more organic, the better, as it tends to have a higher percentage of cocoa, with fewer additives, and less added dairy and sugar. Which leads us to the dark chocolate Libido Lover bar.

Before I tried it out, Bryan reminded me of a few precautions to keep in mind. For one, while maca has been shown to increase sexual desire, the reported change was not in reference to any hormonal shift but rather personal anecdotes of improved sexual function. Furthermore, “herbal supplements are not regulated by the FDA,” she says. “You should do research before starting any regiment.” So before you try it yourself, get a doctor to sign off on how the ingredients might affect you—and then keep my following experience in mind.

Here’s what happened when I tried libido chocolate to get aroused.

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I ate two full Libido Lover chocolate bars over the course of one week—and one entire bar in a single night (the suggested serving size is half of a bar). It’s worth noting that I have sexsomnia, a sleep disorder that causes folks to masturbate, initiate sex with a partner, or have other sexual experiences while they’re asleep. I usually have episodes when I’m sexually frustrated, but not unless I’m feeling aroused, which—as mentioned—I hadn’t been in a long time.

The first night I ate the libido chocolate, though, I had my first sleep-masturbating instance in quite awhile. I’m not sure if the two instances are linked, but I do find the timing curious. Maybe it was the increased blood flow? Or the newfound subconscious sexual frustration? I can’t be sure.

“While there isn’t scientific research to definitively say the ingredients in the chocolate will increase sex drive, that doesn’t mean it won’t.” —sexuality educator Janielle Bryan, MPH

During my waking hours, though, I definitely experienced a noticeable boost in my sex drive by my fourth day of the libido chocolate being in my life: I felt more inclined to masturbate and engage in sexting, whereas I had no interest in doing either before. And when I stopped eating the bar for a few days, I noticed a slight decrease in my sex drive, though it was still much higher than where it was prior to the libido chocolate (read: nowhere to be found).

Overall, I had a very positive experience, but I’m left wondering: Is it really possible that my sex drive increased within a week of snacking on this Libido Lover chocolate, or are the results more likely reflective of a placebo effect? Bryan thinks it may be a little bit of both.

“Scientists believe that claims of chocolate’s effects are strictly psychological, not biological,” she says. “While there isn’t scientific research to definitively say the ingredients in the chocolate will increase sex drive, that doesn’t mean it won’t. All of the ingredients in this particular chocolate bar are believed to possess medicinal properties.” Well, based on my experience, I’m willing to say yes, Moodygirl’s Libido Lover did work to boost my libido. And whether that experienced effect is the result of a placebo or not, I’m grateful to have I found a delicious new chocolate bar to satisfy my desires. All of them.