The Trouble With Yohimbe

That’s right, yohimbe. It’s an African tree whose bark supposedly yields an aphrodisiac, sold widely as a dietary supplement to men hoping to boost their sexual performance. Rachel Zimmerman, writing for WBUR’s CommonHealth blog, doesn’t tell us if it works, but she does pass on a warning from researchers at Harvard Medical School who tested 49 yohimbe products for accuracy in their labeling. The finding? Not so good. Most of them had inaccurate data either about the quantity of active ingredient or an incomplete list of side effects, such as headaches, panic attacks, and elevated blood pressure. In fact, only 22 percent of the supplements tested listed specific quantity of yohimbine on the label, and only 3 of 11 were accurately labeled, and those three didn’t contain the other compounds found in the tree bark. Yohimbe? Perhaps not.