Herbal viagra

{{Update|date=March 2025}}{{Short description|Class of herbal products said to treat erectile dysfunction}}

Image:Herbal Viagra Roadside.jpg.]]

Herbal viagra is a herbal product advertised as treating erectile dysfunction.{{cite web|url=http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/herbal-viagra/AN00702 |title='Herbal Viagra' : Is it safe ? |accessdate=2007-08-22 |work=Mayoclinic.com |publisher=Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research}} Many different products are advertised as herbal viagra, but with varying ingredients. No clinical trials or scientific studies support the effectiveness of any of these ingredients for the treatment of erectile dysfunction and some products have been found to contain drugs and other adulterants, and have been the subject of FDA and FTC warnings and actions to remove them from the market.{{cite news|last1=Miller|first1=Michael E.|last2=Moyer|first2=Justin Wm|title='Herbal Viagra' pills linked to Lamar Odom collapse were subject of FDA warning|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/10/15/herbal-viagra-pills-linked-to-lamar-odom-collapse-were-subject-of-fda-warning/|newspaper=Washington Post|date=15 October 2015}}

The name "herbal viagra" is taken from the brand name Viagra, under which drug company Pfizer sells sildenafil citrate, a drug used to treat erectile dysfunction.{{cite web|url=http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/motm/viagra.html |title=Viagra (Sildenafil) |accessdate=2007-08-22 |last=Rzepa |first=H.S. |date=1998-05-04 |publisher=Imperial College, London}} Viagra has become a generic term for many people discussing drugs designed to treat erectile dysfunction, even those which do not contain sildenafil.{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_tov/ai_2419101282 |title=Viagra: St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture |access-date=2007-08-22 |year=2002 |encyclopedia=St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture |publisher=Gale Group | first=Michael L. | last=Posner}}

Herbal viagras, contrary to what the name suggests, do not normally contain sildenafil citrate. However, sildenafil and chemicals similar to sildenafil have been found as adulterants in many supplements which are sold as herbal viagra or "natural" sexual enhancement products.{{cite web|title=Consumer Updates - 'All Natural' Alternatives for Erectile Dysfunction: A Risky Proposition|url=https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm465024.htm|publisher=FDA|language=en|date=October 1, 2015}} The United States Food and Drug Administration has warned consumers that any sexual enhancement product that claims to work as well as prescription products is likely to contain such a contaminant.[https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm048386.htm Hidden Risks of Erectile Dysfunction "Treatments" Sold Online], United States Food and Drug Administration, February 21, 2009 Scientists estimated that over 60% of the consumed sildenafil in the Netherlands is from illegal sources such as adulterated dietary supplements.{{cite journal | doi = 10.1136/bmj.g4317 | author = Venhuis BJ, de Voogt, P, Emke, E, Causanilles, A, Keizers, PHJ | title = Success of rogue online pharmacies: sewage study of sildenafil in the Netherlands | journal = BMJ | year = 2014 | volume = 349 | pages = g4317 | pmid = 24989165 | s2cid = 38052344 | url = https://pure.uva.nl/ws/files/2201874/156086_Success_of_rogue_online_pharmacies.pdf }}

Herbal viagras often carry a number of dangerous side effects. Primarily, they cause abnormally low blood pressure and can restrict blood flow to vital organs. Some preparations may be toxic if taken in larger doses. Additional side effects and dangers of common herbal viagra adulterants, such as sulfoaildenafil, acetildenafil and other analogs, are unknown because these ingredients have not had thorough review in human clinical trials.{{cite journal | last1 = Venhuis | first1 = B | last2 = De Kaste | first2 = D | title = Towards a decade of detecting new analogues of sildenafil, tadalafil and vardenafil in food supplements: A history, analytical aspects and health risks. | journal = J Pharm Biomed Anal | volume = 69 | pages = 196–208 | year = 2012 | doi=10.1016/j.jpba.2012.02.014 | pmid=22464558}}{{cite journal | last1 = Venhuis | first1 = BJ | last2 = Blok-Tip | first2 = L | last3 = De Kaste | first3 = D | title = Designer drugs in herbal aphrodisiacs | journal = Forensic Science International | volume = 177 | issue = 2–3 | pages = e25–7 | year = 2008 | pmid = 18178354 | doi = 10.1016/j.forsciint.2007.11.007 }}{{Cite journal | pmid = 16982533 | year = 2006 | last1 = Oh | first1 = SS | last2 = Zou | first2 = P | last3 = Low | first3 = MY | last4 = Koh | first4 = HL | title = Detection of sildenafil analogues in herbal products for erectile dysfunction | volume = 69 | issue = 21 | pages = 1951–8 | doi = 10.1080/15287390600751355 | journal = Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. Part A| bibcode = 2006JTEHA..69.1951S | s2cid = 40831895 }}

Herbal viagra is predominantly sold through the internet, and in 2003 approximately 4% or 1 in 25 of all email spam offered herbal viagra, genuine pharmaceuticals, and other herbal remedies.{{cite web |url=http://news.zdnet.co.uk/itmanagement/0,1000000308,2133190,00.htm |title=Spam growth increases during March |accessdate=2007-08-22 |publisher=ZDNet UK |archive-date=2009-11-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091109041410/http://news.zdnet.co.uk/itmanagement/0,1000000308,2133190,00.htm |url-status=dead }}