What is it about?
Saffron (Crocus sativus Linn.) have been perceived by the public as a strong aphrodisiac herbal product. However, studies addressing the potential beneficial effects of saffron on erectile function (EF) in men with ED are lacking. Our aim was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of saffron administration on EF in men with ED.
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Why is it important?
The National Institutes of Health defined medically ED as ‘a continuous or repetitive inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual intercourse’.1 The 1988 advent of phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor (Viagra) medicalized ED treatment and enabled men to seek out medical helps to their sexual disorders. This medicalization of impotence2 has profoundly affected the type of treatments being offered for impaired erectile function (EF).
Perspectives
Review of the literature reveals that there is not encouraging evidence for the use of nutritional and herbal medicines for treating sexual dysfunctions. Rigorous scientific studies on the safety of and efficacy of herbal products are often unavailable and this lack of knowledge may represent a serious problem, as patients may obtain different and unreliable information through websites and magazines. Herbal medicines should be used after documentation of their safety and efficacy through rigorous investigations and clinical trials.
Dr Mohammad Reza Safarinejad
University of Medical Sceices
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: An open label, randomized, fixed-dose, crossover study comparing efficacy and safety of sildenafil citrate and saffron (Crocus sativus Linn.) for treating erectile dysfunction in men naïve to treatment, International Journal of Impotence Research, June 2010, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1038/ijir.2010.10.
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