The bark of this West African tree may be your best natural bet for reversing sexual dysfunction, though at the cost of several side effects. Until the advent of Viagra, the most commonly prescribed drug for erection problems was a pharmaceutical isolation of yohimbe's' active phytochemical, yohimbine. Called "herbal viagra" by the February 1999 edition of Environmental Nutrition, yohimbe's power comes from a combination of alkaloids. Alkaloids are organic plant substances that have strong medicinal properties and are frequently used as drugs.

The terms yohimbine, yohimbine hydrochloride, and yohimbe bark extract are related but different. Yohimbe refers to the herb. Yohimbine refers to the active chemical found not only in yohimbe but also in Indian snakewood, periwinkle, quebracho, and niando. For a significant number of men who try it, yohimbe lives up to its reputation as a sexual performance enhancer.

While Yohimbe herb is often thought of for male erectile dysfunction support, most people don't realize that yohimbe is also effective in women. This herb increases blood flow to the genitals of both males and females giving women an enhanced sensation and engorgement of genital organs. However, keep the dose low to prevent the yohimbe side effects.

Yohimbe is also sold as a muscle building natural version of anabolic steroids. However, it's action is apparently unrelated to the body's production of testosterone, which means it probably is of little value in building bigger muscles.