For all of those vegans out there with erectile dysfunction, there was good news this week from Germany, where researchers have reported results from a clinical trial on an all-natural treatment for impotence. The treatment is cocktail of herbal products, including a herb named tribulus terrestris, which is credited with being extremely potent and is already used in a variety of alternative medicines, as well as maca, a root vegetable found in the Andes, and grape juice extract. The ingredients purport to increase testosterone and improve blood flow. The clinical trials showed that 50 men experienced better sex and had a higher libido than the control group taking Viagra. However there is the possibility that the treatment may have side effects, as two men said they experienced diarrhoea.
The remedy, which has been named “Plantagar”, is due to hit the shelves in 2010, according to reports from German daily newspaper Bild. Further trials are planned to take place later in the year. The very fact that clinical trials are taking place at all is extremely good news, as there have been grave concerns raised about herbal products that claim all kinds of medicinal benefits, from an increased sex drive to weight loss, but have not been tested and frequently don’t work. The herbal remedy industry is worth millions in the U.K alone.
Doctors from Charite hospital in Berlin are hopeful about the future potential of the herbal alternative. Olaf Shroeder, who led the clinical trials, said in a German daily that “Men had much better sex afterwards, more fun in bed and generally felt much better about themselves.” If the treatment is really as good as he’s making out, it’s good news not just for veggies but anyone suffering from erectile dysfunction.