List of possibly effective herbs for erectile dysfunction

Here is a list of the herbs (“natural medicines”) with most evidence (see pubmed) for improving erectile dysfunction (ED):

Possibly Effective:

GINSENG, PANAX
Taking Panax ginseng orally seems to improve sexual function in men with ED.

DHEA
Taking DHEA orally for 24 weeks seems to improve ED, orgasmic function, sexual desire, and overall sexual satisfaction in men with ED. DHEA seems to help men with ED secondary to hypertension or idiopathic ED, but doesn’t seem to improve ED related to diabetes or neurological disorders.

L-ARGININE
Taking L-arginine orally in high doses, 5 grams daily, seems to improve subjective assessment of sexual function in men with organic ED. But taking lower doses might not be effective. L-arginine 500 mg 3 times daily in men with mixed-type impotence doesn’t seem to be effective. There is also some preliminary clinical evidence that adding pycnogenol 40 mg 3 times daily might improve the effectiveness of low-dose (1.7 grams/day).

MELANOTAN-II
Preliminary clinical trials have shown melanotan-II used subcutaneously is superior to placebo in men with psychogenic or organic ED for initiating spontaneous sustained penile erections.

PROPIONYL-L-CARNITINE
In men with diabetes and ED, combination therapy with propionyl-L-carnitine and sildenafil (Viagra) may improve erectile function better than sildenafil alone. In men unresponsive to 8 uses of sildenafil, adding propionyl-L-carnitine 2 grams daily to continued twice weekly doses of sildenafil 50 mg seems to improve erections and successful intercourse attempts more than treatment with sildenafil alone.

YOHIMBE
There is evidence suggesting that the primary constituent, yohimbine, can be helpful for impotence. Yohimbine seems to help men with organic, psychogenic, mixed, and unknown vascular ED. Some herbalists suggest that the yohimbe bark actually works better than the isolated yohimbine constituent; however, yohimbe bark has not been evaluated in studies.

Less Evidence:

PYCNOGENOL
Preliminary clinical research suggests pycnogenol, used alone or in combination with L-arginine, might improve sexual function in men with ED. It seems to take up to 3 months of treatment for significant improvement.

BUTEA SUPERBA
Preliminary research suggests that taking Butea superba might improve subjective measures of ED. However, poor study quality significantly limits the validity of these findings. More evidence is needed.

I have heard zma works wonders, about to try it myself.

ZMA is just zinc, magnesium and vitamin B. Not saying it won’t help, but it’s not really an herbal derivative.

ZMA and effects on testosterone/strength:

http://www.ncbi .nlm.nih.gov/pm … 2783-1-2-12.pdf

Panax Ginseng is really bad for you. It does things similar to what ephedra/ephedrine HCl would do which is basically play Russian Roulette with your heart.

Can you post those studies that show Panax Ginseng is dangerous for the heart, because if anything (with the exception of 1 case study), most of the studies I have come across suggest no such danger or they suggest that ginseng may even sometimes be beneficial to the heart.

Nope.

Yohimbe , not the Panax Ginseng, can be bad for your heart. It has been banned in the EU, I think.

Yes, that’s why you need a Prescription in many countries.

Adverse drug events associated with yohimbine-containing products: a retrospective review of the California Poison Control System reported cases.
Kearney T, Tu N, Haller C.

Managing California Poison Control System, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, University of California at San Francisco, CA 94143, USA. pcctk@calpoison.org

Abstract
BACKGROUND: Herbal supplements are classified as foods rather than drugs and are not required to undergo premarketing review by the Food and Drug Administration. Yohimbine is an alpha(2)-antagonist available in both prescription and herbal supplement products. OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and severity of yohimbine-related adverse drug events (ADEs) reported to the California Poison Control System (CPCS). METHODS: A retrospective review of the CPCS electronic database of cases within a 7-year period (2000-2006) was conducted. Cases involving adults aged 18 and older who were symptomatic following exposure to a yohimbine-containing product, with a causality rating of possible or better on the Naranjo scale, were included. RESULTS: A total of 238 cases were identified. There was a substantial increase in the annual prevalence of yohimbine-associated ADEs reported to the CPCS between 2000 and 2006; specifically, the prevalence (per 10,000 total adult exposures) increased from 1.8 cases in 2000 to 8.0 cases in 2006). The majority (98.7%) of cases involved herbal (vs prescription) yohimbine products. Common reasons for use included sexual enhancement (27.7%), weight loss (9.2%), and stimulant effects (7.6%). Common ADEs reported included: gastrointestinal distress (46%), tachycardia (43%), anxiety/agitation (33%), and hypertension (25%). Yohimbine exposures were associated with a significantly greater proportion of severe outcomes and were more likely to require management at a health-care facility than the average substance exposure reported to the CPCS (odds ratios [95% CIs] were 5.81 [4.43 to 7.64] and 2.35 [1.82 to 3.04], respectively). CONCLUSIONS: A substantial increase in the prevalence of ADEs associated with yohimbine herbal products was seen between 2000 and 2006. These ADEs were associated with significantly more serious outcomes than the average exposures reported to the CPCS. A reexamination of whether yohimbine should be considered a “safe” dietary supplement under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act is warranted.

Just in case anybody is interested. Yohimbine’s effect on impotence may be mediated through both increased penile blood flow and increased sympathetic excitatory impulses to genital tissue (1,2,3). In women, a nitric oxide-enhanced form of yohimbine (NMI-870) is believed to improve sexual arousal by increasing vaginal blood flow by dilating vaginal blood vessels (4).

1. Urology. 1994 Nov;44(5):732-6. Effect of yohimbine-trazodone on psychogenic impotence: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
Montorsi F, Strambi LF, Guazzoni G, Galli L, Barbieri L, Rigatti P, Pizzini G, Miani A.

2. Urology. 1997 Mar;49(3):441-4.Is high-dose yohimbine hydrochloride effective in the treatment of mixed-type impotence? A prospective, randomized, controlled double-blind crossover study. Kunelius P, Häkkinen J, Lukkarinen O.

3. J Urol. 1998 Feb;159(2):433-6. Yohimbine for erectile dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials.
Ernst E, Pittler MH.

4. Varnell MA. Enhanced herb may help female sexual dysfunction. Reuters Health 2000;Jun 27.

I tried yomhibine(HCL form) and yohimbe and yohimbe is the real deal. Maybe yohimbe contains other substances beside yohimbine which acts synergistic providing a nice effect.