Curing Erectile Dysfunction, Killing Children?

According to a study published in the Journal of Medical Toxicology this past summer, based on data from the National Poison Data System, to which poison control centers submit their call information, at least 275,000 calls — an average of one every 24 minutes — were made to poison control centers because of urgent and emergent concerns associated with exposure to a variety of dietary supplements between 2002-2012.

Maybe not so surprising, the authors of the article singled out yohimbe tree bark extract as the latest concerning addition to a long list of dangerous substances that children are accidentally ingesting. Of all those calls made to the poison control centers in the past decade, yohimbe exposure resulted in the most serious medical problems, including heart rhythm changes and kidney failure in children.

For centuries, yohimbe has been used in Africa to treat fever and leprosy; it also has been used as an aphrodisiac. But in the United States over the last few years, its most popular use has been to treat erectile dysfunction in men and low libido in women, despite the lack of robust clinical data supporting the safety and efficacy of yohimbe for those indications. Regulatory agencies have received reports of seizures and kidney failure associated with yohimbe consumption. And in fact, depending on the dose and the size of the person consuming yohimbe, it can be fatal.

The study found that 78 percent of yohimbe exposures occurred in children age six or older, although most supplement exposures occur in children under six. Among reported exposures, 3.2% were admitted to a critical care unit for treatment, with one reported death. At least 1.3% of cases were serious and more than 25% were associated with moderate harm to the individual exposed

Taking yohimbe is a risk consumers take for an outcome they wish for; and maybe they find themselves taking more of it—just in case they need a higher dose. But if these packets of yohimbe are left about, it is only a matter of time before a child is going to check them out.