There are plenty of natural products that can help men with
erectile dysfunction. These products are organised as:
- Dietary (Nutritional) supplements:
L-Arginine is an amino acid. L-Arginine is the forerunner for the synthesis of Nitric Oxide (NO). Production of cyclic GMP is subsequently increased and also it is necessary for the synthesis of creatine, however, its oral ingestion is beneficial not only in men with erectile dysfunction (ED), it has a lot of important benefits for the health in general:
- Increases blood circulation throughout arteries in general organs;
- Counteracts male subfertility by improving sperm production;
- Reduces blood pressure;
- Improves insulin sensitivity;
- Decreases risk of heart attack;
- Increases muscle mass;
- Stimulates the release of the anti-aging hormone in the body (Growth Hormone);
- Improves immune function;
- Decreases healing time of injuries.
- Zinc, Selenium, Magnesium
Zinc, like Selenium and Magnesium is a mineral, required for sustaining the life. Approximately 30% of cellular zinc is located inside the nucleus. A great amount of proteins that play a role in the regulation of gene expression are believed to incorporate zinc.
In men, the testes and prostate have especially high concentrations of zinc. The sites where male hormones bind to cells need zinc in order to work adequatly.
Zinc deficiency considerably diminishes testosterone levels, sprerm prouction, and can reduce the lifetime of ejaculated sperm as well. Male fertility seems to be influented by zinc. Infertile males have lower seminal plasma zinc with decreased blood zinc. Short-term dietery zinc depletion leads to a decrease in serum testosterone concetrations, seminal volume, and total zinc loss per ejaculate. Supplementation with zinc ameliorates sperm parameters in men with diminished sperm mobility. Zinc levels seem to fall in the prostate tissue and prostatic fluid in men with prostatic carcinoma.
Zinc plays a role in immune function and wound healing, behaviour and learning, taste and smell, blood coagulation, thyroid hormone function as well as insulin action. Zinc is necessaary to transport protein of vitamin A. Not having enough Zinc, symptoms of vitamin A deficiency can appear, notwithstanding extensive vitamin A supplementation.
Magnesium is one of the most important mineral, acting as an enzymatic cofactor in many biochemical reactions inside human body. It plays a key role in the production and transfer of biologic energy, in muscle contraction and relaxation, in nerve conduction, in protein synthesis.
In realation to ED, it is pertinent to emphasize that magnesium promotes the synthesis of Nitric Oxide (NO), what will lead to arterial dilation - as discussed, this is the physiologic basis of penile erection.
Selenium is a key component of the glutathione peroxidase system, acting as an antioxidant. It also works in coordination with vitamins A, C, E to prevent oxidative damage to cells. Reactive oxygen species are free radicals that come from the metabolism of oxygen. The production of reactive oxygen speacies, such as superoxide (O2), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and the hydroxil radical (OH), unremakably occurs in cells. ROS play an important role in many cellular physiologic processes. Damage to cells is a condition that happens when high conteractions of ROS subsist defeating the antioxidant defences against oxidative damage. It is the pathophysiolgic basis of most serious deseases. All body organs need to have strong antioxidant defences. Selenium supplementation is beneficial not just for genital organs, however, all organs become helthier with it.
- DHEA (De-Hydro-Epi-Androterone)
DHEA (De-Hydro-Epi-Androsterone/dehydroepiandrosterone) is a natural steroid pro-hormone made from cholesterol by the suprarenal glands, the sex glands, fatty tissue, brain and in the skin (by an autocrine mechanism). DHEA is the precursor of androstenedione which can go through further conversion to produce the androgen testosterone and the estrogens estrone and estradiol. DHEA is a potent sigma-1 agonist as well. Orally, DHEA is used for retarding or reversing aging, weight loss, metabolic syndrome, and increasing immune and cognitive function. It is also used for increasing strength, energy and muscle mass. Taking DHEA orally for 24 weeks
improves ED, orgasmic function, libido, and general sexual gratification in men with ED.
- Herbs, Plants, Vegetables
Yohimbe corresponds to a tall evergreen tree proceeding from western Africa known as Pausinystalia yohimbe or Corynanthe yohimbe. The relevant part of yohimbe is the bark. The constituent amenable for yohimbe's effects is the alkaloid yohimbine. Yohimbe bark has around 6% yohimbine.
Aphrodisiac actions of yohimbe are due to genital blood vessel dilation, nerve impulse transmission to genital tissue and increased reflex excitability in the sacral region of the spinal cord. The yohimbine constituent promptly enters the central nervous system (CNS) and acts chiefly through alpha 2-adrenergic receptor blockade. It also has monoamine oxidase (MOA) inhibiting, calcium channel blocking, and peripheral serotonin receptor blocking effects. Yohimbine's consequences on impotence are mediated through both
increased penile blood flow and increased central sympathetic excitatory
impulses to the genital tissue.
Panax ginseng is used as "adaptogen", for increasing resistance to environmental stress as a general tonic for improving well-being. The useful part of Pranax ginseng is the root. It contains several active constituents. The most important constituents are the triterpenoid saponinis referred to collectively as ginsenosides or panaxosides. Other constituents include pectin, B vitamins and various flavonoids.
Panax ginseng has vasodilator and antioxidant actions, it also enhances the libido.
The active parts of Tribulus terrestris are the leaf, fruit and root. Tribulus terrestris contains saponins such as diosgenin and protodioscin, flavonoids and alkaloids.Tribulus terrestris increases the levels of
testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), DHEA, and di-hydro-testosterone. LH is the pituitary hormone that signals
natural testosterone production. Thus, libido and sperm production, and motility will be improved. Tribulus terrestris lowers blood pressure by inhibiting angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and stimulating the release of NO. This also explains why blood flow into the corpus cavernosa increases, thereby favouring penile erection. Extracts from the fruit and leaves additionally have a diuretic effect which can explain the traditional use of Tribulus terrestris for kidney stones and other urinary problems. Tribulus terrestris has anti-inflammatory activity since it acts as a cyclo-oxygenase (COX)-2 inhibitor. Tribulus terrestris helps diabetic patients because it lowers blood glucose. Some constituents of Tribulus terrestris also have anti-helmintic activity.
Ginkgo biloba is a singular Chinese specie of tree with no same match anywhere in the world. The useful parts of Ginkgo are the leaf and the seed. Ginkgo leaf is the most commonly used form of Ginkgo, usually as an extract. Ginkgo leaf and its extracts contain many active constituents including flavonoids, terpenoids and organic acids. Many Ginkgo leaf extracts are standardized to contain 24% to 25% flavonoid glycosides and 6% terpenoids. The major flavonoids are primarily derived from the flavonol rutin and include isorhamnetin, guercetin, kaempferol and proanthocyanidins. The primary terpenoids are ginkgolides A, B, C, M and J andbilobalide. Although many of ginkgo's constituents have intrinsic pharmacological effects than any individual constituent. Ginkgo leaf products have a potent antioxidant action, inhibit the platelets aggregation and also relax smooth muscle of arterial wall, therefore enhancing blood flow. These are the reasons why Ginkgo leaf products are so important for people with ED and many other conditions.
Muira Puama is a little tree that grows up to 5 m high and is indigene in the Brazilian Amazon and other regions of the Amazon rainforest. The Ptychopetalum genus is a short one - only two species of small trees grow in tropical South America and five in tropical Africa. The two South American varieties, P. olacoides (observed in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname) and P. uncinatum (encountered only in Brazil) are used interchangeably in South American herbal medication schemes. The olacoides type is usually chose since it has a higher content of lupeol (one of the plant's active phytochemicals). An entirely distinguishable species of Brazilian tree, Liriosma ovata also passes by the vulgar name of muira puama, nonetheless, it is a totally distinct tree with a different phytochemical constitution.
Historically, whole components of muira puama have been employed medicinally, but the bark and roots are the most utilized parts of the plant. The root and bark are rich in fatty acids and fatty acid esters (the primary one being behenic acid), essential oils (including beta-caryophyllene and alpha-humulene), plant sterols, triterpenes (including lupeol) and an alkaloid called muirapuamine. The active components also included free long-chain fatty acids, sesquiterpenes, monoterpenes and novel alkaloids.
Reviewing the main plant chemicals found in muira puama include: alpha-copaene, alpha-elemene, alpha-guaiene, alpha-humulene, alpha-muurolene, alpha-pinene, alpha-resinic acid, alpha-terpinene, arachidic acid, allo-aromadendren, behenic acid, beta-bisabolene, beta-caryophyllene, beta-pinene, beta-resinic acid, beta-sitosterol, beta-transfarnesene, borneol, campesterols, camphene, camphor, car-3-ene, caryophyllene, cerotic acid, chromium, coumarin, cubebene, delta-cadinene, dotriacontanoic acid, elixene, ergosterols, eugenol, essential oils, gamma-muurolene, hentriacontanoic acid, heptacosanoic acid, lignoceric acid, limonene, linalool, lupeol, melissic acid, montanic acid, muirapuamine, myrcene, nonacosanoic acid, para-cymene, pentacosanoic acid, phlobaphene, stigmasterols, trichosanic acid, and uncosanic acid.
By mouth, muira puama is often used for
preventing sexual disorders and as an
aphrodisiac. It raises
libido and ameliorates the ability to
maintain penile erections and in addition acts as adaptogen, anti-fatigue, anti-stress agent. It can be employed alone or in combination with other herbs. It is also used (orally) as a nerve stimulant, for dyspepsia, menstrual irregularities, rheumatism, paralysis caused by poliomyelitis, a general tonic and as an appetite stimulant.
Maca is a long plant cultivated high in the Andes Mountains. The relevant part of maca is the root. Dried maca root has 59% carbohydrates, 10.2% protein, 8.5% fiber and 2.2% lipids including linolenic, palmitic and oleic acids. It also contains sterols such as campesterol, stigmasterol and beta-sitosterolas well as substantial amounts of minerals including iron, calcium and copper. Two polyunsaturated fatty acids, macaene and macamide are used as marker compounds for maca. Lipid extracts of macaene and macamide
increase sexual activity and improve ED. This stimulating plant is also cited as Peruvian ginseng (although maca does not belong to the same family of ginseng), because it is similar to ginseng, maca increases strength, energy, stamina, libido and sexual function.
Damiana is a bush native to Central America, Mexico, South America and the Caribbean. The medicinal part of the plant is its leaves which are reaped during the flowering season. Damiana is found throughout Mexico, Central America and the West Indies as well as in parts of South America. Turnera diffusa and T. aphrodisiaca are commonly reputed the same plant in herbal commerce. A closely-related species, T. ulmifolia, is similar in the visual aspect, but it has different conventional medicinal uses. The botanical Latin name of the plant, Turnera aphrodisiaca, reports its ancient use as an aphrodisiac. With such an ancient history of traditional uses worldwide it is not strange that the plant appears in many books on herbal remedies released worldwide.
Damiana is also widely acquirable on health food and natural product shops in a diversity of forms - from tea blends, capsules and tablets to liquid tinctures and extracts. Most herb doctors choose to apply damiana in combination with additional medicinal plants; consequently, it can be encountered in quite a few herbal combination formulas
for sexual potency, weight loss, depression, hormonal balancing and overall tonics.
Damiana components include as many as 35 compounds including flavonoids, terpenoids, saccharides and cyanogenic glycosides. Some of these include triacontane, beta-sitosterol, hexacosanol, 5-hydroxy-7,3,4-trimethoxyflavone, arbutin, tannins, resins, hydroquinone glycosides, luteolin 8-C-E-propenoic acid and others.
Forskolin is a labdane diterpene produced by the Indian Coleus plant (Coleus forskohlii). Forskolin stimulates and activates the enzyme adenylate cyclase in the heart and smooth muscle. This drives an inflated production of cyclic AMP, which causes calcium channels to open and intracellular calcium concentrations to increase, resulting in increased contractility of heart muscle and relaxation os smooth muscle.
Pycnogenol also acts an antioxidant. An extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree contains several active constotuents including flavonoid monomers such as catechin, epicatechin and texifolin. It also contains condensed procyanidis such as procyanidin B1. B3, B6 and B7 which are dimers, oligomers and polyers oc catechin and epicatechin. Pycnogenol also contains phenolic acids including garlic, ferulic, caffeic, vanillic, p-cocumaric, protocatechuic and p-hydroxybenzoic acids and their glucosides and glucose esters.
Velvet Deer Antler is a pillar of Traditional Chinese Medicine, probably second only to ginseng in importance. Velvet antler does not relate to the velvety "skin" on growing antlers, but instead the whole cartilaginous antler in a pre-calcified stage. Typically, the antler is cut out near the base after it is approximately two-thirds of its potential full size and before any substantial calcification takes place.
The antler is dehydrated and is used powdered or in tea form for a wide variety of health curatives. Velvet antler is efficient as an
anti-inflammatory,
anti-cancer,
immune stimulant and
pro-growth agent.
