What Is Yohimbe?

Yohimbe, also known as Pausinystalia yohimbe, is the source of yohimbine, an active ingredient in many herbal supplements marketed for sexual enhancement, weight loss, performance enhancement and stimulant effects, as well as a prescription drug, yohimbine hydrochloride. A review of calls to the California Poison Control Center found 238 calls related to yohimbine. Of those, 98 percent involved herbal products, according to the report posted at the Annals of Pharmacotherapy website in May, 2010.

Source

Yohimbe is an evergreen forest tree that grows in western Africa, including Nigeria, the Congo, Cameroon and Gabon. Westerners are most familiar with its bark, which contains yohimbine, an androgen blocker that appears to be responsible for most of its medicinal effects.

History

Natives of yohimbe's region have used the dried bark of the yohimbe tree in tea and other preparations to treat chest pain, exhaustion, feebleness and low libido, according to James A. Duke, author of "The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook." Warriors used yohimbe bark as a stimulant before battle, and as an antiseptic poultice to help heal wounds. In 1896, L. Speigel isolated yohimbine from yohimbe bark, and by the 1930s, yohimbe was an ingredient of herbal preparations sold over the counter. Those preparations where grandfathered in when the Food and Drug Administration tightened restrictions on supplement medications.

Uses

The FDA approves yohimbine hydrochloride as a treatment for erectile dysfunction by prescription only. Herbal supplements for performance enhancement may include yohimbe bark extract or yohimbine. Medline Plus also lists yohimbine for treatment of dry mouth, low libido in women, sexual side effects of SSRI drugs, nervous system dysfunction and reduction of platelet aggregation--blood clots. The FDA has listed yohimbe on its unsafe list since 1977, notes "A Nurse's Guide to Herbal Remedies" at the Salisbury University website.

Research

The American Cancer Society and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine report no clinical trials and little research on the effectiveness of yohimbe for any use. Most research has focused on yohimbine hydrochloride, the prescription pharmaceutical made from yohimbe bark extract. Even James Duke notes that yohimbe is "one of the rare herbs that's probably safer to use as a prescription drug." Even the evidence for the use of yohimbine hydrochloride to treat erectile dysfunction is mixed, with most studies reporting modest improvement in a small number of men using the drug.

Warning

People using yohimbe have reported numerous side effects, including heart palpitations, dizziness, blood pressure reduction, blood pressure increases, anxiety, nausea and insomnia. At high doses, side effects may include hallucinations and muscular dysfunctions. People with liver, kidney or urogenital diseases or infections should not take yohimbe. People who take MAOI antidepressants should avoid yohimbe because of the risk of manic episodes. As little as 10mg of prescription yohimbe can trigger a manic episode, James Duke reports.