Rise of Herbal and Traditional Medicine in Erectile Dysfunction Management

Abstract

Herbal medicine long has been used in the management of sexual dysfunction, including erectile dysfunction. Many patients have attested to the efficacy of this treatment. However, is it evidence-based medicine? Studies have been done on animal models, mainly in the laboratory. However, randomized controlled trials on humans are scarce. The only herbal medications that have been studied for erectile dysfunction are Panax ginseng, Butea superba, Epimedium herbs (icariin), Tribulus terrestris, Securidaca longipedunculata, Piper guineense, and yohimbine. Of these, only Panax ginseng, B. superb, and yohimbine have published studies done on humans. Unfortunately, these published trials on humans were not robust. Many herbal therapies appear to have potential benefits, and similarly, the health risks of various phytotherapeutic compounds need to be elucidated. Properly designed human trials should be worked out and encouraged to determine the efficacy and safety of potential phytotherapies.

Effects of Korean ginseng berry extract on sexual function in men with erectile dysfunction: a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical study

“…20,22,[25][26][27] Because ginseng is not a drug that can treat severe ED, we enrolled mild-to-moderate ED patients only. We found that SKGB group showed improvement after 8 weeks of treatment by within-group analysis.…”

Effects of Korean ginseng berry extract (GB0710) on penile erection: evidence from in vitro and in vivo studies

“…Although evidencebased sexual drug treatment has increased tremendously over the past two decades, and despite effective well-established treatment options for ED, many patients are still dissatisfied. 17 Dropout rates for current medical therapies are high, and overall satisfaction is below expectation due to drug inefficiency and adverse events such as headache and hot flashes. Further, while ED can generally be treated successfully using current treatment options, it cannot be cured.…”

Current Perspectives on Pharmacotherapy Treatments for Erectile Dysfunction

“…Though herbal medicines are not a prescribed option of choice for patients in the United States, in other parts of the world like Asia, Africa and the Middle East, it is a widely used form of therapy for men with ED [44]. However, although there are a myriad of herbal treatments that are very appealing for patients with ED, caution must be warranted, since some herbal medicines may cause deleterious drug interactions, especially in men with comorbid diseases such as CV and diabetes.…”

“…On the other hand, the herbal or traditional therapeutic approach may be more culturally acceptable with some patients, who may prefer this holistic option because of religious, social, monetary or other personal preferences. As a result, there is a growing interest among the population for alternative holistic treatment options, which has increased demand for such therapies in the United States [44]. Though there are many herbal remedies available at present for ED, this review will focus on the efficacy of yohimbine.…”

“…Yohimbine is an alkaloid derived from the African yohimbe tree (Pausinystalia yohimbe) [44]. Yohimbine has been well characterized as an alpha-2 adrenergic receptor (α 2 -AR) antagonist [44].…”