Are there any foods that have been suggested in Islam for a good sex life?

Question

Are there any foods that have been suggested in Islam for a good sex life? If yes, could someone please reference to some Hadith or Quran regarding this?

Answer 1

Summary: Surveying online fatawa revealed that while many foods are listed by some scholars as suggestions, no foods are singled out in Islam as good choices for aphrodisiacs. The closest I found was aloeswood, which was mentioned in ahadith as a cure for disease, which ibn Hajar also says "stirs desire". One can use medicines like Viagra, if medically appropriate.

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Islam Q&A writes about aphrodisiacs:

For example, al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said, when discussing the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “You should use this aloes-wood (al-‘ood al-hindi) for in it there are seven cures” (narrated by Muslim (5260) and Muslim (4103)): Aloes-wood (al-‘ood al-hindi) is the well-known Indian costmary, and among its benefits are that it aids digestion, stirs desire and clears up pimples. End quote from Fath al-Baari.

These are the relevant ahadith on sunnah.com: Sahih Muslim 287; Sahih al-Bukhari 5718; Sunan Ibn Majah 1, 2 (both sahih); Sunan Abi Dawud 3877.

The same is also said of fenugreek, pistachios, carob, melon-seeds and so on. See al-Adaab al-Shar’iyyah by Ibn Muflih, 7/3 and 2/370, 375.

They continue about medicines:

Drugs and medicines that are used for this purpose. The basic principle concerning these is that they are also permissible ...

Abdul Adheem al-Muhtadi al-Bahrani (from ImamReza.net) writes:

The following foods have great effects in strengthening the nerves: honey with ginger, pepper, saffron, the cooked head of a cow or sheep, beets cooked in milk, mulberries, bananas, eggs with onion, mutton, carrots, pears, grapes, liver, sweet pomegranates, and endives.

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Other fatawa on aphrodisiacs: Another Islam Q&A fatwa; IslamWeb; Abuaaliyah.com.

Fatawa on treating impotence: Islam Q&A; IslamWeb; SeekersHub. There were others I found which just say "go see a doctor".

AboutIslam discusses the possibility of sihr (witchcraft) playing a role in impotence, and suggests ruqya (exorcism) as a cure. AskImam discusses sex therapy. SeekersHub discusses using the prayer of need.