Will the smell of this Hawaiian mushroom make YOU orgasm?

A bright orange mushroom that grows on the volcanic slopes of Hawaii can make women orgasm spontaneously.

At least that's according to a controversial study done almost 15 years ago, which suggests around half of all women will experience intense pleasure from its odor.

But when one reporter attempted to experience the odour for herself, the extreme sensation she was not what she expected.

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A mysterious mushroom has been found to trigger orgasms in women. It may resemble Phallus multicolour (pictured), which is found in Hawaii. The unknown species has long been rumoured to have potent properties. But when one reporter attempted to experience the odour for herself, she was in for a surprise

CHRISTIE WILCOX'S REACTION 

'It was, hands down, the worst smell that’s ever violated my nostrils. 

'I swear it was worse than the rotten “slimer” manatee carcass I helped dissect as an intern in a marine mammal forensics lab. 

'Worse than the combination of algal toxins and dead fish that comprised the air off Casey Key during a massive red tide event. 

'What did it smell like, exactly? I guess if I had to put a name to the odor, the closest I can come up with is semen, but this was not the healthy biological fluid fresh from a male donor—more like fermented, decomposing semen. Or diseased, fetid semen.'

Source: Discover Magazine 

'It was, hands down, the worst smell that's ever violated my nostrils. I swear it was worse than the rotten 'slimer' manatee carcass,' wrote Christie Wilcox for the Discover blog. 

The supposedly orgasm-inducing mushrooms were discovered growing on lava deposits dating back 600 and 10,000 years.

It is thought they belong to the genus Dictyophora, a family of mushrooms that bear distinctive net-like heads.

In a brief study, published in the International Journal of Medicinal Mushrooms in 2001, John Holliday of Next Laboratories in Kula, Hawaii and Noah Soule of Aloha Medicinals tested the mushroom's aphrodisiac effect.

In a small experiment involving 16 women and 20 men, volunteers were asked to sniff the mushroom, which is said to have a 'fetid odour'.

Its smell triggered spontaneous orgasms in six of the women, while the other 10, who received smaller doses, experienced an increase in heart rate, Snopes.com reported.  

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The study explained: 'There are significant sexual arousal characteristics present in the fetid odour of this unique mushroom.

'These results suggest that the hormone like compounds present in the volatile portion of the spore mass may have some similarity to human neurotransmitters during sexual encounters.'

However, commentators are far from convinced by the results.

'I guess if I had to put a name to the odor, the closest I can come up with is semen,' said Wilcox.

In a small experiment involving 16 women and 20 men, volunteers were asked to sniff the mushroom, which is said to have a 'fetid odour. Its smell triggered spontaneous orgasms (stock image) in six of the women

'But this was not the healthy biological fluid fresh from a male donor—more like fermented, decomposing semen. Or diseased, fetid semen.'

According Holliday, the women who orgasm from the smell of the mushroom have a functioning vomeronasal organ (VNO). 

Women who don't have a VNO are immediately repulsed.  

'It is found in about fifty five percent of humans,' he told Wilcox. 'The same percentage of women that had a positive response to the smell of this.'

When Wilcox looked deeper into the study, she found that there is considerable debate about who has the organ. 

She cites a 2001 study that found more than 90 per cent of people had 'some evidence of at least one VNO pit.'

Interestingly Dictyophora mushrooms - also known as 'veiled ladies' - grow length so quickly that they can 'bloom' in just 45 minutes. 

It is thought that the mushrooms produce the potent smells in order to reproduce.

Another mushroom from the same family, named Dictyophora indusiata, emits an unpleasant smell similar to faeces.

This specific branch of the fungus family has long been considered to possess special powers.

They were ingested during ancient Mexican divinatory ceremonies and in New Guinea the mushroom is considered sacred because of its suggestive form.

In Nigeria, the mushroom is one of several stinkhorns given the name 'Akufodewa' by the Yoruba people. 

The name is formed from a combination of the Yoruba words: ku ('die'), fun ('for'), ode ('hunter'), and wa ('search').

It refers to how the mushroom's stench can attract hunters who mistake its odour for that of a dead animal.

In Chinese medicine the fungi has been used to treat many inflammatory, gastric, and neural diseases.

Southern China's Miao people continue to use it traditionally for a number of conditions, including coughs, dysentery, enteritis and even leukemia.

PHALLUS INDUSIATUS: A MUSHROOM WITH APHRODISIAC PROPERTIES 

Phallus indusiatus, which is also known as the 'veiled lady' because of its lacy skirt, is found in southern Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australia

The mushroom that featured in the experiment is described as being bright orange in colour.

But another fungus in the Dictyophora genus and 'Stinkhorn' family is also rumoured to have aphrodisiac properties.

Phallus indusiatus, which is also known as the 'veiled lady' because of its lacy skirt or indusium, is found in southern Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australia.

It grows up to 10 inches (25cm) tall with a conical cap that's up to 1.6 inches (4cm) wide.

Despite some saying a number of varieties of mushroom have a nasty smell, it is edible and is used in Chinese haute cuisine.

The mushroom is said to have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and has been used in Chinese Medicine since the 7th century.

The fungus was used to treat many inflammatory, stomach, and neural diseases and is still prescribed for a variety of conditions today, even being used as a treatment for cancer.

The fruit bodies of the fungus contain biologically active polysaccharides that have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, for example.

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