Ranchi, Jan. 21: Call it a touch of spring madness or a post-winter spurt in libido. But sex is definitely in the air or so the “Sex and the City” trio of HBO will tell you.

The tantalising advertisements on television, glossies and the billboards proclaiming the power of herbs in spicing up sex life have jacked up the sale of aphrodisiacs in the capital.

According to medicine shop-owners in the city, on an average 10-12 people visit the pharmacies everyday to buy capsules or tablets to “boost bedroom performance”.

Advertisements of herbal aphrodisiacs are splashed in the local dailies and can also been seen behind auto-rickshaws. “The advertisements convey the impression that the herbal potions are more ‘effective’ than the usual gamut of stimulants and do not have any side-affects,’’ said a marketing executive of a pharmaceutical company.

Titanic-K2, Shilajit, Saival Capsules, Vita-Ex Gold, Men Force and Euro-IIand Spy tablets are some of the popular aphrodisiacs sold in the market. Apart from tablets and capsules, an array of oils and creams are also available in the market top cure “dysfunction and impotence”.

The medicines, available in gaudy packets, have attractive catchlines, which mislead customers, said a shop-owner.

All these medicines are sold without prescriptions and customers are motivated by the advertisement. Though the medicines are expensive, there is a growing demand for aphrodisiacs, said Azad Hind Pharmacy proprietor S.K. Roy.

While four Titanic-K2 capsules costs Rs 270, an Euro-II tablet can be purchased for Rs 40.

Psychiatrists feel that sustained use of these aphrodisiacs is risky and customers often get addicted to the drugs.

“The composition of most of these herbal drugs is not known and we avoid prescribing such medicines. There is a high level of risk involved because no research work has been done,” said psychiatrist P.K. Choudhary.

Choudhary also said the medicines are known to have ingredients similar to cannabis and marijuana.

“Persons using them run the risk of getting addicted. Aphrodisiacs cure impotence, which is more of a psychological problem. Men are reluctant to consult sexologists because of the stigma attached to it. So they try out the herbal cures,” he added.

Lust and sexual satisfaction, according to scientists are triggered by a combination of hormones produced in the body in response to external stimuli and bonding. The hormones activate certain neuro-transmitters in the brain, which translate themselves into “sensations of desire, arousal and climax”.

Local doctors say the government should monitor the sale of herbal stimulants. The manufacturers conceive the advertisements in such a way that the common man is influenced and falls into the trap, said another psychiatrist. “The sale of aphrodisiacs should be banned because they are not prescribed by doctors. The medicines do not list what kind of patients can use them and the precautions to be taken in cases of emergency,” he added.