Sex health ingredients: Researchers study related health benefits

Here’s an unfortunate truth: every year, FDA identifies dozens of products illegally formulated with sildenafil, more commonly known by the brand name Viagra.¹ When unscrupulous product manufacturers and ingredient suppliers are pushing drug ingredients into the dietary supplement’s intimacy category, how can legal and responsible companies stay competitive?

To start with, these companies “should try to compete with these spiked ingredients by utilizing the most potent and proven ingredients shown to enhance libido through the latest research findings,” says Brien Quirk, director of R&D for Draco Natural Products (San Jose, CA).

It’s also important to ensure consumers manage their own expectations. “In traditional herbal medicine cultures where they have utilized herbs for libido, especially in traditional Chinese medicine, they recommend the use of the herbs over an extended period of time and not to expect instant results overnight,” cautions Quirk. “Consumers might be thinking these should work within minutes or hours, but we know that in traditional Chinese medicine the understanding is that something out of balance needs to be brought back into harmony for the body’s normal function to be restored.”

The means of improving sexual health with natural, plant-based ingredients can be varied. Draco and other ingredient suppliers hold portfolios of ingredients backed by ancient historical use as well as cutting-edge research. It’s just a matter of finding those that fit a product’s platform. The following are a few standout natural ingredients for which sexual health research continues to evolve.

Reference

• U.S. Food & Drug Administration website. “Tainted sexual enhancement products.” www.fda.gov/drugs/medication-health-fraud/tainted-sexual-enhancement-products. Last accessed September 14, 2019.

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