I Ate Aphrodisiac ‘Sex Dust’ for a Month, and Now I’m Horny (and Inspired)

When it comes to wellness, I try to strike a reasonable balance between what’s woo-woo and what’s conventional. I would like to keep my Advil, please, as well as a little niaouli oil; I stan the tried-and-true pharmaceutical bangers, but I’m also down to bring some clumps of dehydrated seaweed—enough “for me and a friend,” as I told the lady dosing me at an herbal shop last weekend—into the mix. Life is about finding the sweet spot between Marie Curie and Caroline Calloway.

Not that I’m here to feign medical know-how, but I like to live by 1) my doctor’s orders and 2) with a bunch of tinctures that could have been given to me by a crone in a bog. That’s what piqued my interest in this “Sex Dust” in the first place.

Sex Dust is the brainchild of Moon Juice, a wellness brand that specializes in skincare and adaptogenic supplements, which is, as Moon Juice’s team explains, a class of herbs, mushrooms and minerals that can help protect the body from stress-induced dysfunction. According to Moon Juice, “current research suggests that adaptogens work on a cellular level […] increasing our cells’ ability to respond to stress.” There are also a lot of compelling animal studies that reveal how adaptogens can exhibit neuroprotective, anti-fatigue, [and] antidepressant qualities in its consumer. Good stuff, no doubt—but how would they make me horny?

I showed my friend Jordan, a hot and wise physical therapist, the ingredient list on the jar. “Oh, wow,” she said, holding it like a Tinder bro holds a fish, “this has maca and shatavari.” I knew the lore around maca and arousal, but not shatavari, which she said is often used in Ayurvedic medicine for balancing women’s hormones. According to my research, it also means “[one] who possesses a hundred husbands or [is] acceptable to many,” which is tight.

With nothing to lose and hundreds of husbands to gain, I decided to review Moon Juice’s Sex Dust after downing it for a month, and see if it actually improved my libido.

What was rad

I get the ick from a lot of foods and textures. One of my worst qualities is that I’m one of those people who has never tried Gatorade, any red jams, or Go-Gurt (I promise I’m fun), so I was a little worried about this sexy dust in its mysterious deep-amber glass jar, but I was relieved when I peeped the whole lineup of ingredients: cacao, maca, shatavari, shilajit, schisandra, and epimedium, a.k.a. horny goat weed, which is meant to live up to its name.

Photo by the Author

My first dose was a nightmare of my own making. Instead of following the jar’s instructions, and placing “a teaspoon into my smoothies or coffee or tea daily,” I tried to just down a dry, heaping teaspoon of the dust like I imagined Bear Grylls would, and coughed it out like a puffball mushroom. This was stupid, but I was also impressed; the texture and aroma were earthy and seductive, not unlike a damp log or a hunk of chocolatey, iron-rich dirt. (Yes, I am also anemic.)

I had a moment of apprehension, and thought about a story from a friend about when he and his roommates—who were also a little woo-woo and into botany—consumed a bunch of ashwagandha together during lockdown, and walked around their house with massive boners and no one to smash.

I decided to try it again over the weekend, and dosed a little less than a teaspoon into my morning coffee. The taste was barely noticeable, and whether it was through the blend of adaptogens or the placebo effect, I found myself feeling relaxed—first at the nape of my neck, then everywhere—and then… mischievous? Which is a really cool byproduct of horniness that often gets overlooked.

Photo by the Author

My change in mood was subtle, but real—delicately amped, let’s say. Instead of just buying a fancy candle for my friend’s birthday present, I blew out an egg and painted it with sapphic dancing; in lieu of reaching for my usual go-to vibrator for some afternoon delight, I double-teamed myself with a rose clitoral vibrator and this glass tentacle dildo. I felt like myself, but I also felt like a poet.

I went into this experiment feeling skeptical, but I found myself feeling not only hornier from the adaptogen blend, but more creative and even open-minded; on days when I don’t have my dust, I feel fine, but I miss that trickling, mischievous YOLO energy that comes over me once I’m halfway through my morning dust cup. I’m not saying it’s revelatory in the way that psychedelic shroomies are, but it brought out a side of me that I really like, and which normally doesn’t hatch until the temps are above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

What was tricky

For now, I’m mainly consuming this sexy dust in my coffee, which is cool but also means I have to be down to get lightly caffeinated each time I want to feel lightly horny. I tried some in my favorite mugwort and vetiver tea blend, which was OK but a little freaky. Remember: Sex Dust is earthy. It begets a banana and date smoothie, or some hot chocolate.

TL; DR

I’ve been using Sex Dust for a little over a month, and I’m pleasantly surprised at the dynamic nature of its benefits for me.

When I was 14, I snorted an Altoid because my crush said it would make my nostrils “Colgate fresh.” When I turned 30, I bought a game that electrocutes you and up to three friends. Now that I’m nearing the first anniversary of my 30th birthday, it feels only fitting that my life should be buttressed by this versatile, health-forward blend of sexy, sexy little plants.

Purchase Sex Dust at Moon Juice, Ulta, and Nordstrom.

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