Viagra belong to a class of medications called phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitors, more commonly known as PDE5 inhibitors — medically-prescribed drug treatments which, when taken properly, can increase blood flow to and maintain erections.
It has been thoroughly tested through decades of medical research, and found to be a safe and proven treatment.
Herb Viagra, on the other hand, is, well, none of these things.
Put simply, herbal viagra is an unregulated supplement promising the same effects as prescription ED medications like Viagra though “natural” compounds.
Natural may seem like a comforting word, but mercury and cyanide are both naturally occurring, as are black widow spiders. Get it?
Herb Viagra has about as much in common, legally speaking, with Viagra as a can of Dr. Pepper has with a doctor.
What is in a sexual performance supplement?
A. Although these supplements are often called “herbal Viagra” – suggesting that they contain a safer or more natural form of the little blue pill – many contain the active ingredient in real Viagra, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Odom apparently took supplements called Reload 72-hour Strong and Libimax, according a spokesman for the legal Nevada brothel where he collapsed, who spoke to the Associated Press.
Lamar Odom’s sex enhancement supplements may have been spiked
Tests by the FDA in 2013 found sildenafil, Viagra’s active ingredient, in Reload. In 2009, the manufacturer of LibiMax recalled the product after tests found that it contained tadalafil, another drug for erectile dysfunction.
Problems aren’t limited to LibiMax and Reload. The FDA has found that 300 sexual supplements contain unidentified ingredients.
“Not only do these products contain undisclosed drug ingredients,” the FDA says on its website, “but they also sometimes may include combinations of undisclosed ingredients or excessively high doses, both potentially dangerous situations.”
Some herbal sexual supplements also contain saw palmetto, ginseng and horny goat weed, used for centuries in China to treat low libido and erectile dysfunction. Others contain yohimbine,made from the bark of a type of evergreen tree, said Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.
Taking a sexual supplement “is like playing Russian roulette,” said Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “You don’t know what you’re getting any time you open a bottle of ‘herbal Viagra.'”
The Herbal Viagra Players
There are a few more prominent players in the herbal Viagra game that you may have heard of.
Epimedium or horny goat weed, for example, has been shown to provide small benefits to erectile dysfunction in testing on animals, but there are no significant human studies showing these effects can translate to people.
There’s also red ginseng and L-arginine: two products frequently marketed for ED. Both lack much scientific evidence for ED treatment.
Yohimbine is one of the few herbal ED treatments with limited research suggesting it may increase libido, but it isn’t clear how yohimbine measures up to regular ED medications.
Furthermore, like the other herbs listed above, it can have a lot of side effects.
Side Effects and Risks of Herb Viagra
Herbal ED treatments lack scientifically proven benefits for the most part, but the side effects and risks are pretty well established.
Most of them can cause a variety of symptoms similar to those experienced with prescription ED medications, like headaches and blood pressure fluctuations.
But there are more serious symptoms that can really screw with your general Health. Yohimbine can cause hypertension, insomnia, and sweating. Ginseng can cause constipation and rash, and can be dangerous for people with diabetes.
In rare cases, Ginkgo biloba can cause seizures. One study of L-arginine was stopped early because six people died compared with none in the placebo group. Men — especially those at risk of cardiovascular issues like heart disease — should be particularly careful.
And because these “medications” aren’t medically tested or produced with medical levels of rigor, they aren’t as safe. In 2015 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised consumers that many products marketed as Herb Viagra.
The reason? It contained a hidden drug ingredient. That ingredient, it turns out, was sildenafil (generic Viagra), the active ingredient in the real version of Viagra, which was neither disclosed on the label nor, ya know, legal.
Is Herb Viagra Safe?
The point is, gents, that these medications are unsafe. Unlike traditional medications, they are not thoroughly vetted and are not help to the same standards of testing and safety. Period.
And while it may seem like these supplements have no benefits to offer, the scientific evidence backing them is scarce at best.
There’s a reason this stuff isn’t sold in pharmacies, but rather in gas stations and bodegas next to the bin full of $2 DVDs like Paul Blart: Mall Cop. The reason is that, like a Paul Blart DVD, herbal ED treatments aren’t proven to treat any medical conditions.
Do ED Treatment Right
If you’re struggling with ED or just beginning to see symptoms, there are better ways to address this problem than grabbing untested packets and pills off a shelf.
The first and most important thing you should be doing if you’re in need of treatment is seeking out professional medical help..
Health care professionals will be able to address your particular needs, and help you find a safe and effective treatment.
Plus, they might spot other conditions commonly associated with ED symptoms — everything from obesity and diabetes to anxiety and depression.
And they may recommend treatments for these conditions in addition to your decreased performance.
In addition to lifestyle changes and therapy, you might also receive recommendations for things like tadalafil or sildenafil (Cialis® or Viagra®), which are prescription PDE5 inhibitors that regulate blood vessels in your penis, and are proven to help treat erectile dysfunction.
If you’re nervous or ashamed to consult a healthcare provider about this, you can stop worrying about that right there.
ED is a fairly common condition, affecting an estimated 30 million to 50 million men nationwide. If you’ve got a group of four friends, at least one of them is potentially suffering from the same problem.
Buying something less than safe off a rack to avoid difficult conversations is not a solution — if anything, it can potentially make things worse.
Why would supplement makers put an expensive drug like Viagra, which can sell for $5 to $10 a pill, into an herbal supplement?
A. Although Viagra is expensive in the USA, it’s dirt cheap in China, which makes many of these supplements, Cohen said. Chinese companies sell sexual supplements for a fraction of the cost of Viagra, but can still make a profit. Unlike Viagra, however, which comes in a standard dose, supplements may not have a standard dose of medication. So men could get much less of the active ingredient they’re looking for — or much more.
Q. How risky are herb Viagra?
A. According to the FDA, the hidden ingredients in these supplements can pose life-threatening risks.
That’s because the active ingredients in erectile dysfunction drugs can interact with prescription drugs such as nitroglycerin, used to treat chest pain and other heart problems, according to the FDA. That’s a big risk, given that the older men who seek out erectile dysfunction drugs are often the same ones who take nitroglycerin, including men with diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol or heart disease.
Both Viagra-like drugs and nitroglycerin lower blood pressure, Glatter said. Taken together, the combination can cause heart rhythm problems, heart attacks and strokes.
In its 2013 warning about Reload, the FDA said: “Consumers should stop using this product immediately and throw it away. Consumers who have experienced any negative side effects should consult a health care professional as soon as possible.”
Even prescription erectile dysfunction drugs such as Viagra, which are regulated much more tightly than herbal supplements, can cause heart attacks, Glatter said.
Sexual supplements that contain Viagra-like drugs are especially risky if men take large doses, Glatter said. Odom reportedly took 10 of the pills.
Consumers should be skeptical about claims that appear too good to be true, said Craig Hopp, program director of extramural research the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, part of the National Institutes of Health. Some herbal sexual supplements promise results in 30 minutes, for example. While pharmaceuticals can work that quickly, Hopp said that plants don’t. Supplements that claim to work as quickly as drugs are probably laced with drugs.
Do sexual supplements work?
A. No supplements have ever been shown to be effective for erectile dysfunction, according to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
Unlike prescription drugs, which must prove they’re safe and effective before being approved by the FDA, supplement makers don’t have to prove that their products work before selling them, said Charles Bell, programs director for Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports magazine. Because supplements aren’t tested through a rigorous scientific process, consumers have no way to know if they really work.
Q. Are supplements riskier than prescription or over-the-counter erectile dysfunction drugs?
A. Unlike prescription and over-the-counter drugs, supplement makers aren’t required to post warnings about such side effects or drug interactions on their product labels, Bell said. Many men may not realize the risks.
Sexual supplements can sometimes be much stronger than regular Viagra, Glatter said. “You take more and more pills thinking it’s safe,” Glatter said. “People think, ‘It’s natural, so it must be safe.'”
A study in The New England Journal of Medicine this week found that at least 23,000 Americans go to the emergency room – including 2,000 who are hospitalized – after taking dietary supplements. Many of the most common symptoms are heart palpitations.
