Yohimbe: Are The Risks Worth It When Safe & Effective Alternative Treatments Are Available?

Beware of Products That Claim Yohimbe is Safe-Doctors & The FDA Say Otherwise

With many safe alternative impotence treatments, why would users consider a product containing ingredients with a history of negative side-effects and dangerous food/drug interactions?

Yohimbe is one of those ingredients.

Yohimbe is listed as one of the dirty dozen hazardous supplement ingredients by Consumer Reports. While Yohimbe is not banned by the FDA, they are actively studying it's dangers and there is a good possibility it could be banned in future. It is already banned in a number of other countries.

Prescription drugs like Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra are better alternatives, as well as numerous non-prescription supplements that only contain safe herbal ingredients and often are more effective.

If you are considering any product with Yohimbe you must read this article or you may put yourself in danger (even with low doses). You can also check our list of supplements containing Yohimbe.

What are Yohimbe & Yohimbine?

Yohimbe supplements are made from the tree bark of the Yohimbe (Pausinystalia yohimbe) tree grown in West Africa.  Yohimbe bark is typically 6% akaloids of which about 10-15 % are yohimbine hydrochloride the active ingredient used to treat ED. Only the bark contains the active ingredient.

Yohimbine hydrochloride is the active chemical in Yohimbe bark and is only available legally in the US as a prescription drug. Since the introduction of Viagra (a much safer drug) yohimbine is very rarely prescribed to treat impotence. 

What The FDA Says About Yohimbe

At the present time Yohimbe is on the FDA's supplement ingredients of concern warning list and is under investigation by the FDA. 

Beware of The Narrow Dosage Range Between Effectiveness and Yohimbe Overdose

"However, yohimbe is not recommended because it has a very narrow therapeutic index. There is a relatively small dosing range, below it the herb doesn’t work and above it the herb is toxic. Side effects of normal dosages include dizziness, anxiety, hyperstimulation, and nausea. As little as 40 mg a day can cause a severe drop in blood pressure, abdominal pain, fatigue, hallucinations, and paralysis." - Natural Treatments For Erectile Dysfunction, Cathy Wong, N.D.

*If you choose to roll the dice with yohimbe, remember to very carefully read the label even supplements with a dose of 30mg can be dangerous if you take 2 tablets a day.

What Doctors Say About Yohimbe

"Fundamentally, it's not a safe herb," says Mary Hardy, MD, medical director of the Integrative Medicine Medical Group at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California.

What Trusted Health Organizations Say About Yohimbe

American Cancer Society's Guide to Complementary and Alternative Methods

"Yohimbe bark has been used as an aphrodisiac (sexual stimulant) for many years, and yohimbine has recently been studied as a potential treatment for erectile dysfunction (male impotence). Clinical trials of yohimbine have found contradictory results regarding its effectiveness. Yohimbe bark has been declared an unsafe herb in Germany because of complications such as increased heart rate and blood pressure, even kidney failure."

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: Yohimbe Clinical Summary

Beware of Companies That Claim Yohimbe is Safe or FDA Approved

• Antidepressants: Yohimbine can cause hypertension when used with antidepressants.
• Phenothiazines: Toxic effects of yohimbine can be increased when used with phenothiazines such as chlorpromazine and promazine.
• Sympathomimetics: Drugs that are CNS stimulants, such as epinephrine, ephedrine, amphetamines, and cocaine, can potentiate the toxic effects of yohimbine.
• Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs): The toxicity of yohimbine may be increased by tranylcypromine and phenelzine.
• Naloxone: Yohimbine acts synergistically with naloxone resulting in increased anxiety, tremors, palpitations, as well as erections in male subjects.

Don't Eat These Foods if Taking Products with Yohimbe or Yohimbine

If you do decide to use a product that contains Yohimbe, then avoid high tyramine-containing food. Below is a partial list of foods to avoid. Bolded items contain high to very high amounts of tyramine.

• Aged cheese: american, processed, blue, boursault, brick (natural), brie, camembert, cheddar, emmenthaler, gruyere, mozzarella, parmesan, romano, sour cream, roquefort, stilton and swiss.
• Aged, cured or spoiled meats: beef or chicken liver, other meats, fish (unrefrigerated, fermented), fermented sausages (bologna, pepperoni, salami, summer sausage), game meat, meat tenderizer, meat extracts, caviar, salted herring and other dried fish, pickled herring (spoiled) and shrimp paste.
• Alcohol: ale, beer (including some non-alcoholic beers), red wine (especially chianti), port, reisling, sauternes, sherry, vermouth and distilled spirits.
• Fruits/vegetables: avocados (especially overripe), bananas, bean curd, (fava) bean pods, canned figs (overripe), miso soup, red plums, raisins, sauerkraut, soy sauce, soy bean condiments, spinach, teriyaki, tofu, tomatoes and yeast and yeast extracts (marmite, brewer's yeast and baker's yeast).
• Other items with similar actions: chocolate (cocoa) and caffeine (coffee, tea, colas).

Impotence / ED / Enhancement / Enlargement Products That Contain Dangerous Yohimbe

Safe, Herbal Alternatives to Yohimbe to Treat Impotence

Safe, Effective Herbal Ingredients

Our review only included ingredients where we found multiple scientific studies vs. anecdotal evidence to support it's positive effect on functions that are important to producing a strong, full erection, increased libido, and to treat impotence issues. This is not to say that other herbs are not effective, only that we have research backing those listed.

Shilajit (Viagra effect)

The anti-stress and adjuvant effects of Shilajit have been evaluated in numerous Indian studies. Shilajit provides an anti-oxidant defense against several reactive oxygen types. Processed Shilajit provides complete protection to methacrylate against hydroxyl radical-induced polymerization, and acts as a reversible nitric oxide-captodative agent. These findings are consistent with therapeutic uses of Shilajit as an ayurvedic (rejuvenator) against oxidative stress and geriatric complaints of erectile dysfunction.

Horny Goat Weed (Viagra effect)

Horny goat weed has been used for over 2000 years as a sexual and reproductive tonic. It acts to increase erection ability, size, and fullness.

Horny goat weed contains a flavonoid called icariin. Icariin is a cGMP-specific PDE5 inhibitor like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra, as demonstrated in a 1984 University of Peking study.

It also functions as an adaptogen by increasing levels of epinephrine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and dopamine when they are low-promoting energy-but reduces cortisol levels when elevated (an anti-stress effect), which causes fatigue and depresses sex drive.

Finally, horny goat weed can restore low levels of both testosterone and thyroid hormone back to normal, improving sex drive. 

Muira Puama

This South American herb has been used for centuries to treat weak libido and erectile dysfunction. Two recent French studies supported it's effect on impotence.

In one study of men treated with muira puama extract, 62% reported it had a dynamic effect on their libido, while 51% with erectile dysfunction said that it was beneficial to their treatment.

In a second study, muira puama extract was given to 100 men with sexual asthenia. Of these, 85% reported an increased libido, while 90% reported an increased ability to maintain erection.

Allium Sativum - Garlic (Viagra effect)

Yes, good old garlic. In two different 1998 studies-one from the National University of Mexico and another from the Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmacy in Munich, Germany-garlic was shown to "activate nitric oxide synthase", or enhance the nervous system's ability to react to nitric oxide.

Also, there are multiple studies compiled by the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Institute demonstrating garlic’s aid in preventing and having curative effects on several medical conditions which often cause ED. These conditions include high blood pressure, heart disease, hypertension and atherosclerosis.

Mucuna Pruriens

Mucuna pruriens works as a prolactin inhibitor, a growth hormone stimulant, and to increase testosterone.

A US patent was filed in 2002 on the use of mucuna pruriens to stimulate the release of growth hormone in humans. High levels of l-dopa in the mucuna seed are converted to dopamine, which stimulates the release of growth hormone by the pituitary gland. L-dopa and dopamine are effective prolactin inhibitors.

Increased levels of prolactin are considered responsible for 70% of erection failure in men. In one study, ingestion of the seeds in 56 males improved erection, duration of coitus, and post-coital satisfaction after four weeks of treatment. It also promotes spermatogenic effects in men, improving sperm count and motility.

Tribulus Terrestris

Tribulus is a natural testosterone enhancer. It is also said to be an excellent circulatory system tonic, and can help build muscles and strength.

Clinical studies on the sexual activity-enhancing effect of tribulus have shown it to contain protodioscin, a saponin constituent, improving libido in men with impotence due to various causes, libido in women with menopausal symptoms, and sperm motility in infertile and subfertile men.

In another study involving 59 men, ages 22-67 and suffering from a range of sexual dysfunctions, an increase in sexual desire and fantasies, as well as sexual self-confidence, was reported in almost all patients. The subjective experience of pleasure, joy and satisfaction was reported in 80%, erection improved in over 75%, and the duration of intercourse before ejaculation was prolonged in 25%.

Ashwagandha

Here is what the Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center said in their Ashwagandha Clinical Summary:

"It (Ashwagandha) is also used as a general tonic, to increase energy and improve health and longevity...  Ashwagandha has shown...antioxidant effects in the brain and...a tranquilizing effect on the central nervous system in animals...human studies suggest Ashwagandha may promote growth in children and improve hemoglobin concentration, red blood cell count, and sexual performance in adults"

Summary

If you are looking for a safe, natural impotence remedy, look for products containing the herbs listed above. One product you should consider with safe, effective ingredients is Zenerx (Zenerx Product Information). It is an herbal product containing multiple herbs proven beneficial to men with impotence and enhances the body's use of nitric oxide similar to Viagra. There are others, but stay away from anything containing Yohimbe.

Giovanni Magnotti
GM@impotenceguide.info
 

This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult a doctor or health care professional for medical advice. Viagra® is a registered trademark of Pfizer Inc.

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