Di-dehydroepiandrosterone is claimed to be one the first human pheromone discovered that acts as a human aphrodisiac. There is, however, no such chemical listed in any published study, Medline searches find no mention of this chemical, and the research supporting its effects appears to be fraudulent.

The compound is marketed as Pherlure; its makers claim an unpublished study from the University of Illinois at Chicago 'proves' the product attracts members of the opposite sex. This study appears to be fake, however. The only evidence of its existance is on the Pherlure web site and on several other web sites which appear to have been created for the sole purpose of promulgating this false evidence.

The Pherlure site links to a description of the supposed study at:
ihealthjournal

However, ihealthjournal.com is a fake site which only contains a homepage and links to blank pages, except for the pages containing information to support the false claims. A Google search confirms that the only content on the site is the two fake pheromone articles:
Google

The fake study reference is found at another fake site: wondersinscience

This site claims to have archived the article about the study on Feb 7, 2005, yet a check of the registration records for the site shows that its domain was not created until Feb 10, 2005, making this supposed “archiving” impossible.

A Google search of pages belonging to wondersinscience.com similarly finds that the only content is the archived article on the supposed study, and their homepage:
Google

External links

Study claiming to test Pherlure

Unpublished study with no authors