Yohimbine for erectile dysfunction treatment by Ray Sahelian, M.D., How safe is this herbal extract? Review of dosage, benefits, and side effects

Yohimbine has been studied quite extensively and most results show it to be effective in helping with erections, particularly in those whose erectile dysfunction is due to psychological causes. It has also been shown to be helpful in women.

Mechanism of action, how it works
Yohimbine acts through the nervous system to increase blood flow to the genital region. Although many pharmacological properties of yohimbine have been described, at the plasma concentration attained at recommended dosages in humans the predominant activity is antagonism of alpha 2-adrenoceptors.

Studies
Yohimbine has been evaluated in the management of erectile disorder by means of many placebo-controlled trials. It does appear to have a modest therapeutic benefit, particularly in psychological cases of erectile disorder. Here's one summary of a study:
A 1977 German double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of yohimbine hydrochloride included 86 patients with erectile dysfunction and without clearly detectable organic or psychologic causes. Yohimbine was administered orally in a dosage of 30 mg a day (two 5 mg tablets three times daily) for eight weeks. Patients were seen for follow-up after four weeks' treatment, and for a final visit after eight weeks. Efficacy evaluation was based on both subjective and objective criteria. Subjective criteria included improvement in sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, frequency of sexual contacts, and quality of erection (penile rigidity) during sexual contact/intercourse. Objective criteria of outcome were based on improvement in penile rigidity determined by use of polysomnography in the sleep laboratory. Overall Yohimbine was found significantly more effective than placebo in terms of response rate: 71 versus 45%. Yohimbine was well-tolerated:

Side effects and caution, safety, risk, danger
Yohimbine should be used cautiously by anyone with a medical condition, particularly those with hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, or those taking medicines, particularly tranquilizers, antidepressants, sedatives, antihistamines, amphetamines or other stimulants, including caffeine. Yohimbine side effects include anxiety, changes in blood pressure, heart rate increase or palpitations, dizziness, headache, visual disturbances, nausea or abdominal cramps, increased body temperature and sweating.
    Since high doses of yohimbine may cause confusion and disorientation, it should not be taken while operating machinery, driving, or performing hazardous activities.

What exactly is yohimbe and what is the difference between yohimbe and yohimbine?
The yohimbe tree is an evergreen native to western Africa. The bark of this tree contains a chemical called yohimbine. Yohimbe bark contains various substances of which the active ingredient is yohimbine. Yohimbine has been available as a prescription impotence medication for a number of decades, and its popularity plummeted when the impotence drug Viagra came on the market. The amount of yohimbine in nutritional supplements vary; some yohimbe products have little yohimbine whereas others have quite a high amount. The standardized form of yohimbine, hydrochloride or hcl, is still available as a prescription medicine. When you buy an over the counter yohimbe supplement, there will be yohimbine in it, the amount depending on the dosage and extract potency of the raw material in the product.

Is yohimbe bark is devoid of the alkaloid yohimbine. Is this true?
This is not a true statement. Yohimbe bark does contain yohimbine. The amount of yohimbine in a yohimbe bark product depends on the quality of the raw material, the manufacturing process, and the yohimbe extract potency, whether it is a 2 percent extract or an 8 percent extract or a 20 percent extract. The higher the extract percentage, the more yohimbine is likely to be present in the supplement.

Is Passion Rx with Yohimbine more effective than the one without yohimbine?
    Actually the aphrodisiac formula contains yohimbe which has a small amount of yohimbine. Most people find the formula with yohimbe is more potent.

Does small doses of Cialis 5 mg or small doses of Viagra or Levitra and Yohimbine small doses taken concomitantly result in more reliable and sustainable results? Your website is quite informative but I could not find an answer to the above question. Your opinion will be very much appreciated.
    It depends how small the dosage of the yohimbine, and it also depends on the person, how healthy they are, whether they have a heart condition, their age, and other supplements or medications used. Both the prescription medication and the herbal product have side effects and, in some people, the combination could cause very unpleasant reactions. It is difficult to answer such questions since there is a great deal of individual responses and much depends on the dosage of the yohimbe extract product.