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Cecil replies: The official word is that potassium nitrate (KNO3), more commonly employed as an ingredient in gunpowder, has no therapeutic value as an anaphrodisiac, contrary to legend. Cecil of course believes this. Still, when you look at what the stuff does do, you can see where the idea got started. Saltpeter can cause relaxation of involuntary muscle fiber (for which reason it's used to treat asthma) and it's occasionally prescribed to lower body temperature in cases of fever.
The largest occurrence of natural saltpeter as sodium nitrate and associated compounds is in Chile's Atacama Desert. Called Chile saltpeter, it derives from deposits of bird guano. Chemical processing of these deposits isolates the potassium nitrate.rdinary saltpeter in the form of potassium nitrate occurs in the sap of plants such as sunflower, common borage, celandine and tobacco. Vegetables such as spinach, celery and cabbage contain significant amounts of potassium nitrate.