Home

Winter-Flowering Heather: Aphrodisiac Prank?

photo of winter flowering heather, an alleged aphrodisiac
    A story in the British Newspaper The Independent claims that an ounce of a common shrub (the winter-flowering heather) can be blended with a cup of liquor to make a potent aphrodisiac. The story is plausible. It quotes experts from the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh regarding research on the topic that was started over a half-century ago, and then abandoned during WWII.
    There's only one problem with the story. It was dated April 1. Is it a hoax?



So, is it an April Fool's day prank? Read it yourself. Here's a link to the story.

There really is a Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, Scotland. There really is an Alan Benell that works there - as Deputy Director of Public Programmes.

But the British media have gone to great lengths to invent elaborate April 1 pranks. I recall reading about a BBC television story on problems with the spaghetti harvest ... spring came too early, the sphagetti weevil was ravaging the crop, and the BBC had film footage of Swiss peasants out in the fields, picking sphaghetti from trees. Of course, not a word from the British public: they either got it, and had a silent smile, or they swallowed the story and went about their lives thinking that noodles were a tree-crop. (Grainy Copy on YouTube)

Reaction to the heather story on the internet has been mixed - some sources have accepted the story as true, while others dismiss it as a hoax. The Huffington Post included the story in their Breaking Living Now News section. This may have come through automatically in a news feed, but they were passing it on as a fact.

Tumerica, who is fairly wise in the ways of herbs, seems to accept it. And so did a writer at EdgeBoston.

Others? Not so much. Ben Metcalfe dismissed it as a hoax, and followed up with a sting: "Dear editors… If you’re going to run an April Fools joke, at least make it funny." Ouch.

Well, I've got some emails out there trying to determine conclusively if there is any substance to the story, or if they are yanking our chain. Update 7-12-2007: the Botanical Garden quoted in the story hasn't replied to my email, and none of the other sources I contacted could confirm this one. I am starting to move from a position of uncertain to doubtful.

Other Links











Index words: Heath, Heather, Erica carnea, aphrodisiac hoax, grow-your-own-viagra, garden centre viagra.