Herbal Medications Promote Libido

August 2nd, 2008 |

With more and more men coming out of the dark to tell the world about their problems with sex and arousal, the need for more drugs to alleviate erection problems has increased. Viagra, the accidentally discovered drug that dilate arteries and increase blood flow to the penile region, has been successful, but with success comes a price. Side effects such as temporary blindness and hearing loss have prevented men from fully embracing this drug as their cure all for erection worries, prompting even more companies to come up with organic alternatives (Herbal Viagra) to Viagra.

Funding for research on phramacokinetics and pharmacognosy has been extensive, but the information on several medicinal plants showing potential as erectile dysfunction medication has been worth it. One such study involved Securidaca longepedunculata, Wrightia natalensis and Rhoicissus tridentate, medicinal herbs that are used exactly for this purpose by ethnic people, were evaluated for their in vitro activity on the contraction of corpus cavernosal smooth muscle of laboratory animals. Some of the extracts of these plants showed relaxing effects on the corpus cavernosal smooth muscle at low concentrations. A significant aspect of this study is the use of sildenafil citrate (Viagra) as the positive control, the treatment that is used as the benchmark for herbal drug activity.

Results of the study mentioned above showed that at certain concentrations, these plants’ extracts could be used as alternatives to Viagra. Extracts of Securidaca longepedunculata added to human spermatozoa negatively affected certain sperm parameters negatively at high concentrations, but not at low concentrations.

Reference:
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 2006, Vol. 105, No. 1/2, pp. 84-88