African sex herb has several side effects
Q. In a recent column, you mentioned that yohimbe might be useful in treating impotence. Speaking from personal experience rather than extensive knowledge of the literature, yohimbe treats only what the pharmaceutical companies so coyly call “erectile dysfunction.”
As far as I could tell, again from personal use, the effect is most likely achieved by vasoconstriction. I could feel my heart race every time I took a dose.
This suggests to me that the bark is yet another herb that should be used only under medical supervision, and not by anyone who suffers from either hypertension or heart disease.
A. You are quite correct that the bark of the African yohimbe tree or yohimbine derived from it can raise blood pressure. Other potential side effects include palpitations, anxiety, headaches, dizziness or digestive distress. This natural product should be used only under medical supervision.
Before the development of drugs to treat erectile dysfunction, doctors sometimes prescribed yohimbine. It appears to help one-fourth to one-half of the men who use it to achieve an erection.
In one study, 50 percent of men having trouble achieving orgasm did better with yohimbine (Asian Journal of Andrology, May 2007). Erectile difficulties deserve medical attention, since they may signal a serious condition such as diabetes or heart disease.
Q. I love reading about various inexpensive home remedies in your column. I often intend to cut something out of the paper and save it, but too often I get my mind on something else and I lose the information.
Do you have a book that gathers these suggestions together? I would like to order it and share some of the ideas with my family.
A. We are sending you our brand-new, 156-page book, “Favorite Home Remedies From The People’s Pharmacy.” In it we have collected many fascinating stories, from cherry juice for joint pain and Listerine for lice to mustard for muscle cramps. Anyone who would like a copy may send $12.95 (plus $3.95 S&H) to: Graedon Enterprises (Dept. FHR), P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be ordered online at www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Q. Is there any way to get rid of warts other than duct tape? I have more than 20 of these ugly things on my hands, and I can’t imagine trying to get on with daily life with that much duct tape on.
I have had these warts frozen off, burnt off and surgically removed, but they still grow back. I am desperate, but I must say the duct tape really does not appeal to me.
A. There are many home remedies for warts besides duct tape. We will skip some of the stranger ones, such as getting someone to buy them from you with a shiny new penny or finding Tom Sawyer’s spunk water (whatever that is).
That still leaves taping a piece of banana peel to the wart, with the inside of the peel against the skin. Or instead you might try soaking the wart in vinegar or painting it daily with Listerine.
Some readers have suggested using the juice from a milkweed plant or putting castor oil on warts. There is also the option of taking over-the-counter cimetidine (Tagamet HB). Although studies of cimetidine have had mixed results, some readers report that this heartburn medicine works when all else fails.