Yohimbe

Pausinystalia johimbe

Also: Yohimbine, Corynanthe johimbe

WarmingDryingTonifyingLow-dose herb

A powerful West African bark for erections, for practitioner use only.

The bark of a tall evergreen tree of the West and Central African rainforest, rich in the alkaloid yohimbine. Yohimbe increases blood flow to the genitals and raises arousal by blocking alpha-2 receptors, but the same action drives up blood pressure, heart rate, and anxiety, so it is an herb for careful, supervised use.

Energetics: Warming, stimulating
Taste: Bitter
Family: Rubiaceae (madder family)
Parts used: Bark

Medicinal uses 1

The tags sort the evidence behind each use by kind. Members are able to tap a condition to compare every herb for it.

Traditional useLab and mechanism studiesClinical studies

Low libidoTLC
Yohimbine improved erections in clinical trials; the bark's strength varies widely from product to product.

Preparations

Bark decoctions and standardized yohimbine, dosed under a practitioner's care.

Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the amounts and methods for yohimbe. It is a low-dose herb, with a narrow margin between a helpful dose and a harmful one.

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Cautions

It raises blood pressure and heart rate and can cause anxiety, panic, sweating, and insomnia. Leave it out with heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney disease, anxiety, or bipolar disorder.
Do not combine with antidepressants, stimulants, or blood pressure medicines.
Many yohimbe supplements contain far more or far less yohimbine than the label says.
Trouble with erections deserves a medical check; it can be an early sign of heart disease.

Medication interactions

Practitioner Practitioners are able to see the 3 types of medicine flagged for yohimbe, each with the mechanism and what to do. The plain-language cautions above stay open to everyone.

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Pregnancy & breastfeeding

PregnancyAvoid

Yohimbe's stimulant alkaloids are unsafe in pregnancy.

BreastfeedingAvoid

Its stimulant alkaloids could reach a nursing baby; it is avoided while nursing.

Folklore

Peoples of West and Central Africa have long used the bark as a tonic and stimulant. The German chemist Leopold Spiegel isolated yohimbine in 1896, and it became one of the first prescription drugs for impotence, decades before Viagra. Veterinarians still use yohimbine to wake animals from sedation.

How to grow

A tall rainforest tree, not grown outside its range; bark is stripped from wild trees, and overharvesting is a growing concern.

In the wild

Lowland rainforests of Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria.

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