Yohimbe: Is West Africa’s Herbal Viagra Really Worth the Hype?

“There’s no such thing as a placebo erection”, says Chris Kilham, author of “Hot Plants”.  

…this is in reference to the effects of Yohimbe, a West African tree bark that’s been used for millenia to prevent erectile dysfunction and maintain sexual potency and virility. When discovered by European explorers in the 19th century, this herb impressed them so much that exports began in the 1880’s and spread widely and quickly throughout Europe.  

Today it’s amoung our most well-known herbal aphrodisiacs, and is highly effective in stimulating intense, long-lasting erection. But how does it work? 

Contemporary pharmacological data helps us understand how Yohimbe works - as a centrally active alpha-2 antagonist. This means it relaxes the corpus cavernosum, engorging the penis with blood flow. 

Renowned herbalist Rosemary Gladstar writes, “Yohimbe is an exciting herb (pun intended) but it’s very potent… it’s important we respect this herb…” This is in reference to Yohimbe’s stimulating effects - it’s an herb that tends to increase blood pressure and heart rate (gets blood really moving) and in some people that effect is just too much, causing sweats or even palpitations. For this reason, I advise against the use of Yohimbe for anyone with a history of blood pressure issues, heart disease, high cholesterol; or anyone of blood pressure medication or MAOIs.   

But that caveat certainly doesn’t mean it’s not a remarkable plant with a wide range of applicability in sexual wellness for healthy men. Gladstar continues:

“when used judiciously, yohimbe can stimulate a prolonged erection, boost desire, and improve and enhance sexual performance. It is one of the most powerful herbal aphrodisiacs…” (Gladstar, 2004). 

Yohimbe can be an incredibly powerful source of pure desire and stamina and an overall enhanced experience of orgasm and sexual energy. We see this reflected in the local population where it has an extensive history of use - individuals that regularly take Yohimbe tend to remain virile, sexually active and even fertile far later into life than those who don’t. Ethnobotanists have even documented colloquialisms including “he who takes Yohimbe can satisfy his wife until 60, even 70 years without problem” (Kilham, 2001). 

I use Yohimbe in our male potency formula - No. 19 - and I use only the finest, most carefully sourced Yohimbe available. This is an important distinction, as this is an herb for which popularity has brought declined quality and mass production. In fact, poor quality, old, or contaminated Yohimbe is frequently used in cheap drugstore potency formulas. 

It’s another reason I’m proud of what we create for Sexpot - using only the finest quality aphrodisiacs on earth, and emphasizing the history and efficacy of this important repertoire of plants for the amplification of desire, arousal and pleasure.