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Recently in Salon Health & Body

Sexpert Opinion
A guy's guide to lousy sex
Why should women have all the misery?
By Susie Bright
[07/10/99]

A second opinion
One doctor's enlightenment through pain.
By Dr. Robert Burton
[07/09/99]

Who can see your medical records?
Congress passes a bill under the banner of protecting privacy. Critics say it does anything but that.
By Arthur Allen
[07/08/99]

Sleepstabbing
The strange science of sleep behavior and one verdict: Guilty!
By Jeff Stryker
[07/08/99]

The big E
Doctors, law enforcement and ravers are scrutinizing ecstasy's possible long-term effects as the drug pours into the U.S. in record numbers.
By Dawn MacKeen
[07/07/99]

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Chinese herbalists consider ginkgo an aphrodisiac. So does
at least one man in Dallas.

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By Stephen G. Michaud

July 12, 1999 | Doctors call it erectile insufficiency; guys know it as a soft-on. Either way, the problem has a range of causes, from atherosclerosis to antidepressant medications -- and it plagues us by the millions.

Of course we rarely admit to the humiliating condition -- which explains my astonishment at lunch in Dallas some months ago, when a middle-aged lawyer friend suddenly brought it up, so to speak. Grinning excitedly, he told me of a wondrous experience: He'd begun taking ginkgo biloba extract, hoping to improve his mental acuity, but discovered instead that the popular herbal supplement sharpened something else altogether. After years of suffering from what he called "iffy" erections, there was now some real starch in his member, for which he was certain he had ginkgo biloba to thank. The guy was so delighted to share this news that he even paid for lunch.

"I'm just as dumb as ever," my friend said, "but I've got no more problems with hard-ons."

I was intrigued, and skeptical. Ginkgo biloba sounds like a breakfast order from Jar Jar Binks. But in fact, it is probably the most commonly consumed herbal medicine in the world. Europeans spend an estimated half a billion dollars a year on it; more than 11 million Americans regularly pop ginkgo biloba in pill form.

Nor is it new. An extract from the fan-shaped leaves of the ancient ginkgo, or maidenhair tree (the world's oldest living species of tree), ginkgo biloba is mentioned in Chinese pharmacopeias from 3,000 years ago. Its primary proven power is to boost circulation, although no one quite understands how the extract's active molecules, called flavonoids and terpenoids, actually do their work. It is also an anti-oxidant, and thus holds some promise as an anti-aging supplement, too.

Right now, the herb is most commonly used to improve brain function, particularly for relieving symptoms of dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. Ginkgo biloba also is recommended by physicians, herbalists and naturopaths for a wide variety of complaints, from tinnitis (ringing in the ears) to headache, allergy, Raynaud's syndrome and even depression.

But restoring penile function? Theoretically, the extract should ease some symptoms of sexual dysfunction in men and women, since lack of adequate blood flow to the genital organs is a root cause of impaired performance in both sexes. However, my lunch partner was touting hard results. If he was right, a vastly under-appreciated "natural," non-prescription alternative to Viagra has been sitting on pharmacy and health-food store shelves, timidly promoted by most manufacturers as an aid to alertness and short-term memory.

One outfit, Pharmaton of Ridgefield, Conn., blandly describes its product, Ginkoba, as "America's #1 supplement for memory and concentration." That's like recommending Chateau Margaux as a digestive aid. I decided to investigate.

Next page | Don't tell my wife!