Via practica 1/2017

Medications, natural substances, and dietary supplements in treating sexual dysfunctions: a sexologist’s perspective

Dietary supplements are an important business commodity and source of income of pharmacies and internet shops. In the field of human sexuality, however, they fail to offer a reasonable therapeutic alternative to established medications. This is particularly true in the case of erectile dysfunction in men where phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors remain the drug of first choice. Aphrodisiacal effect is usually not demonstrable in natural substances; here, however, even the choice of pharmaceuticals is poor. This is most likely to blame on the fact that sexuality in humans is substantially more complex than in subhuman mammals.

Keywords: human sexuality, erectile dysfunction, aphrodisiacs, dietary supplements, herbs, PDE5 inhibitors, shock wave, intracavernous injection, penile implants