Like many, I have fallen prey to the allure of coffee. Indulging in the dark brew has become a daily ritual for me, as it probably has with many of you. Coffee has been around for a long time (more than 2,000 years), and in that time there have been many interesting claims of its effects – particularly on human sexuality.

Coffee was ushered into Europe when, in 1600, the Pope said it was OK for Catholics to drink it (despite cries to ban the exciting substance). The energizing brew became the popular alternative to beer, spawning coffee houses across the continent.

By 1674 women were so fed up with losing their husbands to the coffee houses that they wrote a petition to forbid anyone younger than 60 to drink it, stating (rather coyly):

“The continual sipping of this pitiful drink is enough 
to bewitch Men of two and twenty, and tie up the Codpice-point 
without a Charm… They come from it with 
nothing moist but their snotty Noses, nothing stiffe but their 
Joints, nor standing but their Ears.”

The men, of course, responded (with a little less subtlety):

“whereas Coffee 
Collects and settles the Spirits, makes the erection 
more Vigorous, the Ejaculation more full, adds a 
spiritualescency to the Sperme, and renders it more firm 
and suitable to the Gusto of the womb.”

They added women would be more interested in sex too, if they just sat back and had a cup of joe.

Coffee is a substance that has earned the reputation of being an aphrodisiac, despite sound medical evidence.

In fact, the most recent research to turn up suggests caffeine has a negative effect on female fertility.

When scientists at the University of Nevada School of Medicine administered caffeine to female mice at levels equivalent to a human drinking a couple cups of coffee a day, infertility resulted.

"Caffeine inhibits the contractions of the muscles in the fallopian tube, so the egg stops getting transported," explained researcher Sean Ward.

"This provides an intriguing explanation as to why women with high caffeine consumption often take longer to conceive than women who do not consume caffeine," the lead author of the study wrote.

This news won’t really affect you, or your girlfriend/playmate/partner/wife unless you’re trying to procreate. Now that I think of it, I suppose it’s good news that I can consider my double espresso a form of birth control (though I wouldn’t recommend anyone relying on this method entirely).

People continue to explore the affects of coffee – we just can’t seem to get enough of it. This past week a team of Harvard scientists released a study suggesting coffee consumption can reduce prostate cancer. Chalk another one up for the pro-coffee team.

And if there’s one thing I know about coffee for sure – if you find someone in your bed in the morning remember, offering him/her a cup of coffee is like offering a slice of commitment pie. I’m not saying don’t do it – just practice safe coffee drinking.