Ancient Romans slurped oysters to get in the mood, while in the Middle Ages, people turned to asparagus hoping its suggestive shape would stir up lust.

Now, modern women may have a new weapon in their arsenal: cows’ reproductive organs.

The trend sees women pop gelatin-wrapped capsules containing the freeze-dried uterus and fallopian tubes of cows twice a day with meals. Each $1 pill also contains bovine ovaries, liver, kidneys and hearts.

Wellness company Primal Queen sells the supplements and suggests the ‘superfood cocktail’ that lets you eat ‘like a cavewoman’ could have as many as 22 health benefits.

It claims within someone’s first week, they could feel a boost in energy, mood and cognition. After a month, the brand claims users may have an improved sex drive and younger skin. Within a year, it alleges their menstruation cycle should be more regular.

But doctors, speaking to the Daily Mail, took a dim view of the supplements, slamming them as a ‘total waste of money’ and representing a ‘troubling trend where slick marketing meets the “appeal to nature fallacy.”‘

Some, however, suggest there may be a benefit by way of placebo effect: someone’s sex drive may improve because they think the supplement works.

It’s unclear how many people take the capsules, but the internet is awash with thousands of reviews. Some credit them with transforming their sex lives, while others say it left them with acne and terrible cramps.

Primal Queen supplements allege they can boost a woman’s sex drive, among other benefits. Doctors say, however, that there is little research to support these findings

One woman, who calls herself the ‘Keto Dealer,’ revealed on TikTok how her libido had ‘woken up with a vengeance’ after taking the supplements for two months.

‘I’m still single, so it doesn’t make it the most convenient time for the resurgence of my libido,’ she said.

‘But that’s what we’ve got rabbits and roses for,’ she added, referencing sex toys.

Another woman, who posted a paid partnership with the brand, praised her newfound active sex life.

The user, known on TikTok as ‘addtocartchaos’, said, ‘the last two weeks, my husband and I – multiple times a night, every single night, for two weeks, which I don’t think has ever happened, even in our 20s.’

Primal Queen alleges its supplements can boost someone’s sex drive because they contain iron, which can increase energy – and libido – if someone has a deficiency. 

It claims they can also help women who do not have the deficiency.

Women need about twice as much iron every day (18 milligrams) as men before they turn 50 years old – very few Americans (about 10 million or 3 percent) have an iron deficiency.

Organs like an animal liver tend to contain more iron because they store the essential nutrient and recycle old red blood cells, which contain large amounts of the mineral.

But one Primal Queen capsule only contains about 337.5 milligrams of these organs, equivalent to about 0.0075 percent of a cow’s uterus and less than 0.005 percent of a cow’s liver.

A analysis of the capsules by a third-party tester found they contained just 0.001 percent iron. Primal Queen itself does not reveal how much iron is in its supplements.

Dr Jess Steier, a public health scientist who founded the Unbiased Science blog, slammed the supplement.

‘There is this theme at the moment where supplement companies try to make these claims that we are all deficient in something and then, huzzah, they sell us an expensive cure,’ she told the Daily Mail.

Among those to heap praise on the supplements was a TikToker who goes by the tagline, the_keto_dealer. She said they helped to boost her sex drive

Dr Steier added that there was no evidence that this supplement would work, adding ‘it is unlikely that this will cause harm… but in science we always say, the dose makes the poison, but the dose also makes the benefit.

‘If the dose is not present in high enough quantities, it is not really going to do anything for us.’

Primal Queen sells a bottle of 60 capsules to be taken twice daily, equivalent to a month’s supply, for $59.99 via its own website and sites like Amazon.

The product was launched in December 2023, but has been gaining increasing traction online in recent months as more women pick up the habit. Many have recently posted saying they are being swamped with promotions for the product.  

Dr David Shusterman, a urologist in New York City, told the Mail when it comes to sex drive, ‘about 80 percent is mental.

‘So, the thought process of eating the uterus – which is something we don’t typically eat – that might stimulate mind over matter, and improve sex drive.’

He suggested the supplement might have a placebo effect, where a person experiences a positive change after receiving a treatment even though it doesn’t actually directly treat their condition.

The Modern Urologist expert, Dr Shusterman, said, ‘Placebo effect is very powerful. If someone takes this supplement and says, “I feel so much better,” I say keep taking it. If it works for you, then that’s great.’

There has been a culture of eating the sexual organs of animals to boost sex drive for centuries. 

In traditional Chinese medicine, for example, people may eat organs from a cow’s reproductive system in a bid to improve sexual function, while people in Korea may consume cow uterus soup after giving birth because it’s thought to help with post-natal recovery. 

While these practices are less common now than they once were, some folks still abide by them today.

Both doctors recommended that people concerned about their sex drive should speak to their doctor before taking the supplement, as it’s possible they have a hormonal imbalance or other medical condition.

It’s not clear whether eating a cow uterus or fallopian tubes bought from a butcher – that haven’t been processed into tablets – would help someone’s sex drive, but Dr Shusterman said this could also trigger the placebo effect in consumers.

Doctors say that the supplements may not create the health benefits (stock image)

Dr Steier added that the best way to improve health, including sexual health, is to eat a balanced diet and exercise regularly.

Primal Queen conducted its own undated study of its supplements on 100 women, which suggested that after taking them for 12 weeks, women saw a 24 percent reduction in menstrual symptoms and an 83 percent increase in menstrual cycle satisfaction.

But Dr Steier raised concerns over these results, warning that the study was not peer-reviewed or published in an academic journal.

They also warned that the results were not significant, which suggests the improvements recorded may be down to another factor besides the supplements. 

Several patients have also claimed online that the pills left them with complications.

‘I started taking beef organs two weeks ago, but I think it’s messing my stomach up more than doing good,’ one woman said in a TikTok video.

Another added, ‘I’ve been on it for a little over a month – I have the worst period cramps I’ve ever had.’

And a third individual wrote on Facebook, ‘I’ll be honest, I wanted to love it but I just canceled my subscription after 2 solid months because I felt zero difference.’