When the durians come down, the sarongs come off. There goes an adage about the power of durians to increase one’s libido.

And judging by the number of durian sellers crowding the streets of Singapore’s Geylang red-light district, there is no shortage of people believing in this myth.

Many cultures across Asia have shared this belief for centuries, even if it may sound odd to some of us. The durian is not the only fruit to bear this kind of mystical power. The likes of pineapples, cucumbers, eggplants and tomatoes also carry their own myths in relation to our body and health. The cucumber, for example, has been blamed for moistening female genitalia, while pregnant women have long shunned pineapples for fear of miscarriage. Eggplants, on the other hand, are a big no-no for men as they are believed to cause impotence.

But, is there a semblance of truth in any of those myths deeply rooted in our societies?

Well, the answer is no, says fruit expert Dr. Reza Tirtawinata, because such myths are only based on personal experiences, thus they do not apply to everyone.

“Such myths are simply based on personal experiences and have been passed on from generation to generation,” says Reza, head of the special projects development division at the Mekarsari Fruit and Tourism Park in Bogor, West Java. “The myths have been perpetuated because there hasn’t been any scientific research to prove them wrong,” he adds.

Researchers, Reza adds, tend to prove the benefits of fruits, rather than find their faults. That’s why there are still so many myths about fruits that haven’t been scientifically proven.

In the case of durians, for example, there is no research confirming their ability to enhance libido.  
“People believe the fruit has aphrodisiac properties, or substances that can increase sexual desire,” Reza says.

“What we know is that eating durian can cause your body temperature to increase, which some people believe can stimulate sexual desire,” he says. “But whether it really does increase our libido depends on each individual. The result, I can say, varies from one person to another.”

Myths such as the one about durian also hold a special place in our societies because they are engrained in certain traditions or attached to famous people, he further explains.

Late former Indonesian president Sukarno, who was famous for his relationships with many women, had long been known as a fan of durian hepe, a variety of durian with deflated seeds and a high level of alcohol. As a result, some Indonesians have correlated durians to men’s sexual vitality.

Even before Sukarno cemented the durian’s reputation, Reza reveals, the fruit had long been recognized as a libido enhancer. Centuries ago in Narmada, about one hour from Mataram, Nusa Tenggara, a king planted durian trees nearby his palace, and would devour the fruits before having “private sessions” with his concubines.

“It was some 180 years ago, so just think how long we have believed in such a myth,” he says.

Besides durian trees, he adds, the king also planted mangosteen trees along the way to his palace. And from there, another myth unfolded.

“It’s believed that unlike the durian, mangosteen works to neutralize body heat, creating a calming effect,” Reza says. So, while the king ate durian to perform his daily “private routines”, he would also compensate by eating mangosteen before he carried out his duties as a king.

“That’s why we believe today that mangosteen is the antidote to durian,” Reza says, adding both the legendary durian and mangosteen plantations can still can be found in Narmada.

Leaving mangosteen and durian myths aside, pineapples on the other hand are said to have a high level of acidity that may cause miscarriages, consequently scaring off many pregnant women.  So, what does Reza say about it?

“It’s also a baseless claim, because there is no scientific research backing up such a theory,” he says.
Mekarsari once brought together many experts together to discuss the properties of pineapples and whether such tales should be taken seriously.

“But the experts agreed that pineapples do not cause miscarriages,” Reza emphasizes. “It’s true that unripe pineapples have a strong acidic taste that could be uncomfortable for the fetus. However, women will react differently to this as they all have different defense mechanisms.”

The same can be said about red fruits like tomatoes and red grapes, he says, which are believed to improve sexual vitality.

“That’s only because of the red color commonly associated with vitality,” Reza says.

And what about the cucumber, which is believed to moisten women’s “button hole”? At least half of us know how seriously Indonesian woman take this myth.

“Well, basically, people believe in such myth because a cucumber is more than 90 percent water,” Reza reveals. But logically, he adds, if cucumber can cause “wetness down there, then drinking water can just do the same, right?”

He also dismisses the myth that eggplants can cause male impotence. In fact, he says, many men out there love to eat eggplants and have had no problems making their wives pregnant.

Reza’s statement echoes the views of noted herbalist Prof. Hembing Wijayakusuma, who strongly emphasizes in his book Terapi Terung (The Eggplant Therapy) that “eggplant actually helps men cure sexual dysfunction”. So, as Hembing suggests, men shouldn’t worry about eating eggplant because it actually benefits them.

After all, as Reza points out, all these myths were perpetuated without any scientific basis, and although individuals may feel fruits affect them a certain way, those experiences cannot be generalized.

“A person with high blood pressure, for example, might eat a durian, collapse and die,” Reza says.

“But it’s not something that will happen to everyone.

“It all has to do with our medical history. Just don’t eat fruits that do not react well with your body,” he adds.

Another rule of thumb, Reza says, is we should eat fruit in moderation.

“Basically, all fruits are relatively safe,” he says. “Fruits contain many properties, which cannot do harm to our body if eaten in reasonable proportions.”

“It’s not like drugs that are made of many chemical components, which mixed together, could affect our health in a negative way,” he adds.

So, Reza goes on, we don’t have to worry about eating certain fruits, as long as we eat them with moderation.

“But if you’re uncertain about certain fruits, the best thing is to avoid them,” he says. “After all, when it comes to fruits, you have many options.”

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