The Best Peruvian Aphrodisiac: the Frog Juice

We could not say frogs are a stable component of the human diet, but in some countries people do eat frogs. Italians and French consider the frog legs a delicacy and in other European countries, you could also serve them as "slough chicken".

In some areas of Latin America the frogs of the genus Leptodactylus are extremely appreciated and named "mountain chicken" whilst the largest frog of all, the Goliath frog from Camerun, which can be 1 m (3 ft) long with its legs extended and weighing 7 pounds (3 kg) is an endangered species because it is overhunted for food by the locals.

In South Korea, dried frogs are sold in markets. They are kept in hot water to make a sort of stew or infusion and fed to sick children. Chinese people swallow live frogs against gut worms and as a refreshing food item. In China and southeastern Asia, people eat porridge made of frog legs, which can seem gross for outsiders.

But this cannot impede people from Peru from doing what they do: they sell Extracto de Rana ("frog juice").

The living frogs are killed by banging them against tiles. The death frog is peeled like husked corn.

The frog juice is a beverage revered by some Andean cultures for having the power to cure asthma, bronchitis, anemia, sluggishness and to be a healthy aphrodisiac and tonic drink.

Frogs are squeezed (in other times and still in rural areas with the hands; otherwise with a household blender) together with white bean broth, honey, raw aloe vera, malt, maca (an Andean root also believed to boost stamina and sex drive) and herbs. The resulting frog frappe liquid is a starchy, milkshake-like and stings the throat.

Sometimes the frogs are squeezed alive or thrown live into the blender.

A drink of the so-called "Peruvian Viagra" costs 90 cents. Many Peruvians treat the concoction as their morning and afternoon cup of coffee and the drink is common in Lima.