Love Potion of Folklore May Really Work, Scientists Say
A drug heralded in folk medicine as a love potion but shunned by modern science has been shown in experiments to strongly increase the sex drive in male rats, Stanford University Medical School researchers have reported.
Whether it will have the same effect on humans remains to be seen, the scientists said, but they already have begun testing the aphrodisiac on volunteers.
“Our study shows for the first time the drug yohimbine strongly increases sexual activity in male rats,” said Dr. Julian Davidson, professor of physiology.
“This is an intersting observation because rats provide a good model for certain biological aspects of human sexual behavior, including libido or sex drive.”
Along with such folk remedies as bees’ wings, camels’ hump fat and rhinoceros horn, yohimbine long has been considered an aphrodisiac in folk medicine. In modern medical circles it has been criticized as a “quack love potion.”
Twice as Sexually Active
In the Stanford study, reported in the Aug. 24 issue of Science magazine, the researchers injected sexually active male rats with yohimbine and found those rats mounted females about twice as often as did males given an inert substance.
In addition, yohimbine stimulated mounting behavior in sexually inexperienced as well as sexually inactive male rats, the researchers reported.
“In our experience, this is the most powerful drug yet tested for stimulating sexual behavior in male rats,” said Dr. Erla Smith, acting associate professor of physiology.
“The data suggest that yohimbine may be a true aphrodisiac,” Davidson said. “Further research could lead to developments in pharmacologic treatment of sexual dysfunction.”
He cautioned it was too early to determine the effectiveness in humans.
“The drug’s physiological effects in people may be different from those seen in rats,” he said. “In addition, human sexual behavior is complicated by the influence of emotions and other factors.”
Yohimbine originally was obtained from bark of the tropical tree Corynanthe yohimbe but is now available as a synthetically manufactured prescription drug.
It is sometimes used for some heart problems, Davidson said.
The drug is thought to increase the activity of norepinephrine, a natural chemical that certain nerve cells use to communicate with each other in the brain, he said.
“Norepinephrine and related chemicals called monoamine neurotransmitters may be involved in controlling sex drive,” Davidson said.
The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.
