April 27, 1998

By Anupama Chopra

They'd rather face the noose than admit it, but thousands of Indians need them. Or, at least, they think they do. Over-the-counter (OTC) aphrodisiacs -- tonics, tablets, creams and sprays in rainbow hues and fruity flavours -- are selling faster than you can say sex. Chemist shops, department stores and even the local baniya (shopkeeper) report brisk sales. And they are no longer downmarket concoctions plugged by quack hakims (medicine men). Aggressively marketed, aphrodisiacs are now becoming the after-dinner quick-fix for the upwardly mobile.

When Charaka penned his classic ayurveda text, Charaka Samhita, in the 2nd century a.d., he could hardly have imagined that the Vajikarana section -- devoted to the art of staying virile -- would find so many fans. Today, an incredible variety of male stimulants -- most claiming to be ayurvedic -- are fighting for shelf space in chemist shops. A leading south Mumbai chemist estimates that there are about 60 to 100 brands available in the market -- five years ago there were less than half that number. Conservative trade estimates put the national market at over Rs 50 crore, with an astounding 40 per cent annual growth rate.

The sprays are mostly Lidocaine, a local anaesthetic, while the tablets are herbal concoctions. The names tell the story: Climax, Bull, Stud, Spy, Stamina-fx, Vita-Ex Gold, Vitol and Patton Powercaps. Plain-talking advertising spells it out for the uninitiated. "Bandook ke peecche kya hai (What's behind the gun)?" asks the commercial for 303. Says another: "You ask your boss for a raise, you get it. Your wife asks you for it, you can't give it. Try Onefit."

These may not win any advertising awards, but the customers are certainly biting. Only Me spray, made by the Mumbai-based Synthiko Exports, was first launched in 1986. With few distributors and even fewer buyers, business quickly folded up. Relaunched with better infrastructure in October 1995, it had far brisker sales. So much so that in 1997, Synthiko introduced Only Me tablets and earlier this year, Havit spray -- a fruity-flavoured oral sex-aid advertised with, you guessed it, a half-peeled banana. Says company spokesman Nisar Malik: "When we started in 1995, we sold 8-10 lakh units of Only Me. Today we are selling a crore. Our turnover has increased by 750 per cent. Sex is in the air."

Obviously. Vibha Natural Products Ltd, another Mumbai-based company, introduced Onefit as "a 100 per cent plant product" in October last year. Says company Director Bhaskar Assoldekar: "The need cuts across income groups, castes and religions." He believes the turning point in the aphrodisiac market was February 1990 when Ajanta Pharma introduced Thirty Plus, energy rechargers that combined ginseng with the traditional ashwagandha, and was endorsed by film star Jeetendra.

Pleasure, however, doesn't come cheap. While those at the lower end, like Vitol, cost Rs 43 for 30 tablets, prices can run into hundreds of rupees -- Spy herbal power tabs promise "the power to love better" and cost Rs 147 for 10 tablets, and Patton Powercaps, "the ultimate power for men", cost Rs 160 for 10 tablets.

Why the demand? Trade pundits theorise that mounting urban pressures and anxieties combined with more sexually aware and, therefore, more demanding female partners equal poor performance and greater willingness to try sexual aids. The '90s media explosion may have brought sex out of the closet but it's still taboo territory for many. The lack of sex education and qualified professionals to treat sexual problems makes self-medication a rampant practice. Men suffering from sexual problems ranging from impotence to premature ejaculation try out the same products. Sexologist Prakash Kothari, who runs the department of sexual medicine at Mumbai's K.E.M. Hospital, says 90 per cent of his patients have tried OTC drugs before seeking professional help.

Advertising is also fuelling the need. Aphrodisiac commercials, once found in train compartments, have made their way into homes via satellite television. Patton Powercaps are advertised on Star Plus. Spy, Only Me and Bull have advertised heavily on CVO and In Mumbai on the late-night slot. In fact, Only Me was the first client to book on CVO. Says a CVO spokesperson: "With the present ad slump, more channels are becoming open to these kinds of ads."

But do these products work? Absolutely not, says the medical community. "OTC products violate the basic principles of ayurveda," says Kothari, who has treated about 45,000 cases to date. "Sex tonics are the exploitation of the desperate by the ignorant. It's medically proven that there is no food or drug that is directly sexually stimulating." Others call the companies unethical. Says Mumbai-based psychotherapist Dr Vijay Thakur: "These companies are exploiting a human weakness." In fact, some argue the products can be dangerous. Dr Bharat Shah, a Mumbai-based psychiatrist who specialises in sex therapy, says, "If heavy metals are used in these products, they have the potential to cause harm."

Not so, claim the manufacturers. Assoldekar tells the story of setting up a counter at the Sharjah Exhibition Centre. "A Saudi prince came up to us and asked, 'Does it work?' I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'I'll try it for a few days. If it works, I'll take the agency for Saudi and if not, you'll have to return my money.' I agreed. On the third day, he returned to take the agency."

A good story but perhaps not good enough to substitute for clinical trials and medical studies. But customers don't seem to mind. And the great Indian sex bazaar continues to thrive. All the lonely me's are turning to Only Me.

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