If your love life is lacking, there's good news – consuming ginger can spice things up in the bedroom.

However, the scientists who made the discovery say that it works only for women.

And in further bad news for the men, they believe it's because ginger can reduce feelings of disgust – denting the ego of any chap who thinks it's down to his irresistible sexual allure.

 The Chinese researchers found women who consumed the most ginger experienced the most sexual desire, arousal and satisfaction from their romantic encounters. No such effect was found for men.

The team analysed the sex lives of more than 2,000 people alongside how much ginger they consumed in the form of drinks, supplements and in cooking.

Ginger has long been a staple of daily cuisine in China, and a symbol of health and longevity. It is also used to treat ailments such as colds and nausea. 

One of its active compounds is 6-gingerol, which can block feelings of nausea.

In one of the experiments, romantic couples who took a ginger supplement once a day for a month had more sex compared to a group given a placebo.

It is unclear why ginger has such aphrodisiac properties and why this might only work for women.

The researchers from Hangzhou Medical College, China, and New York University Shanghai said one theory was that ginger reduced levels of disgust – a sensation closely linked to nausea – which may make women more amenable to sex. 

Writing in the International Journal of Sexual Health, the team said: 'Women have evolved more cautious and selective sexual strategies compared to men.

'This often translates into higher disgust sensitivity and lower sexual excitation. 

'This evolutionary cautiousness may create a psychological 'barrier' that interventions like ginger can more effectively modulate.'