| Ginkgo Biloba (175mg) |
The herb are commonly taken as a memory booster, may provide benefits. It presumably
acts by enhancing blood flow and seems relatively free of side effects.
In a pilot study
at the University of California at San Francisco, ginkgo reversed sexual problems in 84%
of men and women who were taking antidepressant drugs such as Prozac.
In 2000, researchers at the Institute of Sexology published another study.
The effectiveness
of an herbal formulation of muira puama and Ginkgo biloba was assessed in 202 healthy women
complaining of low sex drive. Various aspects of their sex life were rated before and after
1 month of treatment. Statistically significant improvements occurred in frequency of sexual
desires, sexual intercourse, and sexual fantasies, as well as in satisfaction with sex life,
intensity of sexual desires, excitement of fantasies, ability to reach orgasm, and intensity
of orgasm.
Reported tolerability of the muira puama and ginkgo combination was good.
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| L'Arginine (40 mg) |
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Another promising supplement is the heart-healthy amino acid arginine, which
also enhances blood flow. In a study of 50 men at Tel Aviv University, 31% of
those with impotence improved after six weeks of taking arginine, versus only 9%
with a placebo.
(As with Viagra, you should avoid arginine if you are taking the heart medication
nitroglycerin, because the combination may cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure.
For the same reason, you should probably not take arginine with Viagra.)
There is recent, preliminary evidence that oral L-arginine can help some men with
erectile dysfunction.
In a double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, 50 men with this disorder were randomized
to receive 5 grams of L-arginine daily or placebo for six weeks. Nine of 29
L-arginine-supplemented subjects and two of 17 controls reported significant subjective
improvement in erectile function.
All nine of the L-arginine responders had low urinary levels of stable metabolites of
nitric oxide at baseline. These levels doubled by the end of the study.
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| Muira Puama (75 mg) |
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And at the Institute of Sexology in Paris, more than half of men who took Muira puama
responded positively within two weeks. It is traditionally used as an aphrodisiac and
a sexual tonic that promotes virility and treats impotence. Natives sometimes drink a
muira puama beverage before planned lovemaking to enhance sexual desire.
A paper presented at The First International Congress on Ethnopharmacology held in
Strasbourg, France, in 1990, described a trial done at the Institute of Sexology in
Paris on 262 men with erection problems and a lack of sexual desire. Researchers found
that over half of the subjects given a daily dose of 1 to 1.5 g of muira puama extract
over two weeks experienced positive benefits to their sex lives
Muira puama is employed around the world today in herbal medicine.
Early European
explorers noted the indigenous uses and the aphrodisiac qualities of muira puama
and brought it back to Europe, where it has become part of herbal medicine in England.
It is still listed in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia (a noted herbal medicine source
from the British Herbal Medicine Association); it is recommended there for the treatment
of dysentery and impotence.
In one of the early studies, researchers indicated that muira puama was effective in
treating disorders of the nervous system and sexual impotence, and that "permanent
effect is produced in locomotor ataxia, neuralgias of long standing, chronic rheumatism,
and partial paralysis."
In 1930, Meiro Penna wrote about muira puama in his book Notas Sobre Plantas Brasilerias.
He cited physiological and therapeutic experiments conducted in France by Dr. Rebourgeon
that confirmed the efficacy of the plant for "gastrointestinal and circulatory asthenia
and impotency of the genital organs."
The benefits of treating impotence with muira puama have been studied in two human trials
in France, which reported that muira puama was effective in improving libido and treating
erectile dysfunction.
In one French study among 262 male patients who experienced lack of
sexual desire and the inability to attain or maintain an erection, 62% of the patients with
loss of libido reported that the extract of muira puama "had a dynamic effect," and 51% of
patients with erectile dysfunction felt that muira puama was beneficial.
The second study evaluated positive psychological benefits of muira puama in 100 men with
male sexual weakness.
The therapeutic dosage was 1.5 g of a muira puama extract daily. In
their final report, researchers indicated muira puama could "enhance libido [in 85% of test
group], increase the frequency of intercourse [in 100%] and improve the ability to maintain
an erection [in 90%]."
In 1990, at the Institute of Sexology in Paris, France, a clinical study with 262 patients
complaining of lack of sexual desire demonstrated muira puama extract to be effective.
Within two weeks, at a daily dose of 1 to 1.5 grams of muira puama 4:1 extract, 62% of
patients with loss of libido claimed that the treatment was helpful. I found this study
mentioned all over the internet, but could not find an official Medline mention.
In 2000, researchers at the Institute of Sexology published another study. The effectiveness
of a herbal formulation of muira puama and Ginkgo biloba was assessed in 202 healthy women
complaining of low sex drive. Various aspects of their sex life were rated before and after
1 month of treatment. Statistically significant improvements occurred in frequency of sexual
desires, sexual intercourse, and sexual fantasies, as well as in satisfaction with sex life,
intensity of sexual desires, excitement of fantasies, ability to reach orgasm, and intensity
of orgasm.
Reported tolerability of the muira puama and ginkgo combination was good.
|
| Horney Goat Weed (75 mg) |
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It's an improbable name, one that invites attention and giggles. But behind the
light-hearted nickname stands a serious herb. The Chinese consider horny goat weed
the premier libido-lifter for men and women, and top aid to erectile function in men.
While the exact way that horny goat weed works remains unknown, the plant has long
been employed to restore sexual fire, boost erectile function, allay fatigue and even
alleviate menopausal discomfort. Has a two thousand year history of use as a sex-enhancer.
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| Saw Palmetto (75 mg) |
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A recent review of studies, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association,
concluded that saw palmetto extract was as effective as finasteride (Proscar®) in the
treatment of BPH without side effects, such as loss of libido.
The clinical effectiveness of saw palmetto has been shown in trials lasting six months
to three years.
A three-year trial in Germany found that taking saw palmetto extract twice daily reduced
nighttime urination in 73% of patients and improved urinary flow rates significantly.
Results of first U.S. randomized clinical trial on saw palmetto and prostate health
announced at American Urological Association annual meeting, May 1999.
It was reported that regular use of a saw palmetto dietary supplement appears to shrink
prostate tissues, specifically the epithelial, or glandular, tissues of the prostate,
according to a new randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on saw
palmetto and prostate health.
Conducted by the Urological Sciences Research Foundation,
the study is the first to actually biopsy participants' prostate tissue to observe the
effects of saw palmetto.
Study investigators monitored the prostate health of 44 men during a six-month period.
All the participants suffered from benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Most importantly,
biopsies revealed that participants who used saw palmetto also experienced a significant
decrease in the epithelial, or glandular, component of their prostate.
This study indicates
that saw palmetto significantly decreases the growth of prostate tissue and improves BPH
symptoms - without any adverse hormonal effects. Clinical associate professor in the
Department of Urology with the University of California at Los Angeles School of Medicine
and founder of the Urological Sciences Research Foundation.
"I believe urologists may now
consider saw palmetto a viable, natural, alternative treatment for many men with BPH."
The results of the study are consistent with a November 1998 literature review of the
effects of saw palmetto on BPH published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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| Ginseng (150 mg) |
|
The herb ginseng has a traditional reputation for enhancing sexual function in men. One study supports this use for a particular form of ginseng: the steamed and heat-dried product called red ginseng. This three month double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated the effects of Korean red ginseng in 90 men with erectile dysfunction.
Participants received either red ginseng at a dose of 1,800 mg daily, the drug trazodone (an antidepressant with marginal effects on erectile dysfunction) and placebo.
The results indicated that ginseng improved erectile function compared to placebo.
Contrary to some reports, ginseng does not appear to affect estrogen or testosterone levels, or mimic their effects.
Consumerlab.com
In a study at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Korea, 60% of men who took ginseng were better able to achieve an erection, versus 30% in those who took
a placebo; in animals, the herb appears to boost testosterone levels
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