Lula lula at the show: Zimbabwe National Army’s “MUKWAPURA” and Malawi’s “Virgin Again Stonyie Wash” herbs sold like hot cakes

The Zimbabwe National Army’s stand at the 2026 Agricultural Show has become the unlikely headquarters of Harare’s latest bedroom boom, after traditional herbs marketed for male sexual enhancement were displayed and sold alongside the more usual farm, industry and military exhibits.

Instead of merely admiring machinery, livestock and shiny agricultural equipment, visitors found themselves eyeing packets of Mugondorosi and Mukwapura, products commonly associated with libido, impressive lula lula performance and other promises aimed at men who want their ‘soldiers’ standing to attention for longer than a parade.

The exhibition stand quickly became a talking point on social media, with some visitors asking whether the army had discovered a new line of defence: keeping the nation safe, one exhausted mattress at a time.

Taurai Kandishaya defended the display, highlighting the wider use of medicinal plants by armies. But socialite Maivenyika argued that the exhibition should have focused on herbs linked to survival and other practical wartime needs rather than products designed to turn an ordinary night in a Harare lodge into what sounded like a full-scale military exercise.

The jokes became even louder after claims that no beds were reported destroyed in lodges and homes in Harare during the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show period last week. For some observers, that was being treated as proof of excellent furniture manufacturing in Zimbabwe – evidence that the Glen View home industry is producing quality beds, despite suffering mysterious infernos every year despite being guarded by city council security personnel every night. For others, however, it was evidence that the herbs had found a market far beyond curious show-goers.

While the wheels of commerce and industry rolled along smoothly, the underbelly of the sexy trade appeared to be doing laps of its own. Divans, beds and other furniture were reportedly put to rigorous use, thanks to “potent aphrodisiacs” sold at the ZNA stand. The stand was a hit, especially with guests from out of town, for its “fail-safe herbal performance enhancers.”

The military spectacle in Harare followed a similar episode at the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair (ZITF) in Bulawayo in April this year. The Malawi stand became the surprise star of the 66th edition of the event, which ran from 20 to 25 April under the theme “Connected Economies, Competitive Industries”. The fair was meant to showcase business, trade and industrial opportunity. Instead, the biggest business many visitors wanted to discuss involved libido, vaginal washes and mixtures with names that sounded more like action films than traditional medicine.

Most people said they were attracted by word-of-mouth. Once the rumours began circulating through bars and hotels, the Malawi stand became a destination for visitors hunting for a little extra confidence before heading back to their accommodation for ‘horizontal gymnastics’.

A woman who identified herself as Nonono said she had been a hit with out-of-towners during the ZITF period since 2016. She spoke proudly about Virgin Again vaginal wash, which she said returned her honey-jar to a pristine state after repeated abuse.

“I have been a hit with out-of-towners during the ZITF period since 2016,” she said.

“I use the wash for up to seven days before I open up for business. I become as tight as a virgin. The Harare gang always marvels at this and pays top dollar,” she testified.

Nonono said she sometimes used the Daddy Must Cry mixture, which she claimed raised her body temperature and literally made her clients shed tears of pleasure. The product’s name alone appeared to promise a night of utmost pleasure, drama and at least one man wondering what exactly he had signed up for.

A businessman from out of town, who declined to be named, said his “soldier” stood at full attention during the hide-my-sausage game without tiring whenever he used a herbal concoction called Bazooka Ak47.

“It is aptly named. I roar like a tiger and kick like a Ninja whenever I take this one. I always buy it in bulk whenever I visit Bulawayo for ZITF. I even stock it for resale,” he said.

The businessman said he placed an order for delivery at a later date because his favourite product had run out at the fair. It was, in other words, a supply-chain crisis of a particularly personal kind.

At the Malawi stand, Nonkosi Mumba said visits appeared to have broken records during the fair and that emergency restocking had been needed several times as demand soared.

“People of all sizes and shapes were buying our products in high volumes,” she said.

Mumba introduced visitors to the Big Five virility and vitality products, which she said sold like hotcakes. The range included Virgin Again, Daddy Must Cry and Bazooka (AK 47), alongside ginger-based palm wine branded “Malawina” and fermented wellness beverages promoted as natural tonics for energy, circulation and general health.

“At the Malawi ZITF stand, we specialise in herbal and wellness medicine. We have different products for cleansing, energy, and general body support. People come in large numbers because they trust natural remedies.”

“We have the Big Five that include Virgin Again, which is used for cleansing and tightening the cookie jar.”

“We also have Daddy Must Cry, which is mainly for women, and Bazooka (AK 47), which is used to boost libido, energy and confidence.”

Mumba added that the stand also stocked herbs that people said helped with blood pressure and other health concerns. That wider sales pitch helped move the products beyond bedroom bragging and into the broader wellness market, where a packet can be sold as a cleansing aid in the afternoon and a romantic weapon by nightfall.

But the risqué names and cheerful sales talk come with a serious warning. Health experts have cautioned bedroom athletes against taking products that have not been tested and approved by the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe. Unmeasured doses and unknown ingredients can cause dangerous reactions, particularly when herbal mixtures are combined with alcohol, prescription drugs or other stimulants.

Zimbabwe has had a long-running informal trade in sexual-enhancement products. Harare street vendors have sold powders, oils, liquids and pills, with some products marketed as natural alternatives to modern medicine. Mugondorosi, also known as Lannea discolor, has become particularly popular among sellers, although heavy harvesting of its bark and roots has raised concerns about the survival of the tree.

Regulators have said traditional medicine can be used by recognised practitioners within their professional scope, but products made for commercial distribution to the public must be evaluated for safety and quality. Specialists have also warned that some street mixtures are not scientifically tested, are not measured properly and may be mixed with conventional drugs without buyers knowing what they are taking.

The danger is not merely theoretical. In July, 38-year-old Christopher Mutindori from Muedzengwa Village in Marange died after drinking a herbal mixture believed to improve sexual performance. He reportedly complained of weakness before collapsing. Police attended the scene and his body was taken to Victoria Chitepo Provincial Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

In a separate Epworth tragedy, 21-year-old Jacqueline from Overspill died after applying a street-bought herbal mixture meant to enlarge her genitalia. Her landlady, Progress Sambare, said Jacqueline locked herself in her room after taking the medicine from two other tenants, but soon began screaming that her body was burning.

She reportedly started vomiting, developed rashes, stripped naked and ran outside before neighbours restrained her and laid her on a bed. Tenants later carried her in a blanket to local traditional healers, but she died shortly after returning home. Police apprehended the vendors who sold the mixture, while the body was taken for examination before Jacqueline was buried in Rushinga.

Acting Manicaland provincial police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Wiseman Chinyoka said: “We urge members of the public not to consume concoctions whose contents and safety are unknown. People should only use medicines and herbal products that have been properly verified, as taking untested substances can have fatal consequences,”

The case came after other reported deaths linked to sexual-enhancement concoctions, including four men from Marange who died after drinking an aloe-vera mixture believed to cleanse the system and improve erectile function. A former police superintendent, Francis Matsika, also died after a suspected overdose in a sexual-enhancement concoction following a sexual encounter.

International health regulators have repeatedly found that products sold as “natural” sexual boosters can contain hidden pharmaceutical ingredients. In some cases, supplements have been found to contain substances similar to sildenafil or tadalafil, the medicines used in prescription erectile-dysfunction treatments. Such ingredients can sharply affect blood pressure and may be dangerous for people with heart conditions or those taking nitrate medicines.

So, while the army stand may have won the unofficial prize for the most eyebrow-raising display at the show, the growing popularity of bedroom herbs has opened a much bigger conversation. Behind the laughter, the eye-catching labels and the promises of roaring like a tiger is a market fuelled by secrecy, pressure and the eternal human hope that one small packet can transform an ordinary evening into a legendary one.

For now, the queues at the stands may have thinned, the showgrounds may have gone quiet and the beds may have been returned to their normal duties. But with word-of-mouth doing more advertising than any billboard, the battle for the nation’s bedrooms appears far from over.