in line with the oldest profession in the world, sex is timeless. and, it seems, so is lubricant.
while spit is the go-to solution for some today, it was the only solution for many decades ago. it is, of course, isn’t ideal in terms of hygiene, comfort and straight up usefulness. and so, the greeks wised up and turned to oil. olive oil, to be exact, the substance of the gods in and outside the kitchen.
the
earliest evidence of its use dates back to 350 bc
, when greeks used a little dab for areas of the body that don’t naturally lubricate. romans, too, were known for using oil as a lubricant. it was even considered to be a contraceptive, according to aristotle. in
the history of animals
, he wrote, “if the parts be smooth, conception is prevented.” he was very wrong, by the way, but the enthusiasm is greatly appreciated.
far more effective than spit, oil was much easier to access and did the job quite well. (however, today, olive oil is not recommended for use with latex-based condoms, as it will only break the material down. fyi.)
other oils, like vegetable, were quite common for the chinese. in japan, from the early 1600s to late 1800s (a.k.a. the edo period), men would turn to the seemingly stinging
clove oil
for anal sex due to its pain-killing and muscle-relaxing abilities. they also preferred a slick substance called tororo-jiru, made from mashed yams, during sex and for masturbation, often along with animal intestine condoms. because when one feels the itch, one gets incredibly resourceful.