Love honey: the ‘erectile nectar’ causing a storm in France

Name: Love honey.

Age: On the radar since 2021.

Appearance: To the naked eye, it’s a simple sachet of golden nectar.

What is it, exactly? It’s an erectile dysfunction treatment, babe.

Apologise for that. Sorry. It’s a honey-based supplement sold “for recreational purposes”.

Recreational purposes? You mean like going on the swings? Sure, if that’s your thing. But it also contains a powerful all-natural ingredient that mimics the aphrodisiacal effects of Viagra.

And what is that magical ingredient? Viagra.

That doesn’t sound even a little bit natural. It’s not. Marketed under names such as Black Horse or Jaguar Power, these unregulated, drug-laced supplements have become a bit of a craze.

Where might I come across this honey for a friend who was asking just now? In France.

Seems like a long way to go. That’s where the craze is. The so-called erectile honey is sold in late night convenience stores and online. In November alone, customs officials in Marseilles seized 13.9 tonnes of the stuff.

It’s hard to picture that much erectile honey. It’s about 800,000 individual doses. Last year proved a record year for seizures of the honey, mainly imported from Malaysia, Thailand and Turkey, despite widespread health warnings.

Health warnings, you say? The problem is that the levels of sildenafil or tadalafil – the active ingredients in Viagra and Cialis – can vary widely from dose to dose. These powerful vasodilators may interact with other medications, potentially causing heart problems, acute kidney failure or worse.

Worse? In 2022 a man underwent an emergency operation in Lyons after presenting with penile necrosis.

I don’t think I want to know what that is. The death of penis tissue, essentially.

I was right. It seems weird to put yourself at that kind of risk when you can buy a five-quid pill at the chemist. The craze seems to be mostly among university age men.

Really? Why? “A younger public are going for this in a big way, thinking they can match the performances to be found on porn sites,” a police officer told Le Figaro.

Do say: “Why, yes, that is a large box of Viagra-laced honey in my pocket. But as it happens, I am also glad to see you.”

Don’t say: “Would you like toast with that?”