Let's be careful out there.

click on link

http://www.theeroticreview.com/discussion_boards/viewmsg.asp?MessageID=232065&boardID=12&page=2

Thanks MrFisher for the link  .
It depends on which "herbs" people are taking .

I study and use natural herbs  and they do work if you know what you are doing . There are certain herbs that are  NOT good and then there are some wonderful  natural herbs that can help with the libido .

Not so sure I would want to take something that is like Cialis or Viagra .. Without seeing the ingredients  (and I may have missed that) on this link ...it is hard to say which herb may be causing the described health issues

This report really highlights the dangers of "safe' and "natural" products. All sorts of claims are made and the makers say that their products are free of side effects.
Well, man herbal products are NOT SAFE or effective.

Look at disclaimers at the end of a herb commercial, 2 things are mentioned:
1. These products are not intended to treat or prevent any disease
2. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.

If they are not for any diseases, why take them.
The FDA disclaimer is a little more problematic.
When evalating a new drug, the FDA  has 4 levels of review, phase one to phase four clinical trials.
The phases involve testing to see if the drugs are safe and effective using rigorous protocols, i.e randomized studies.
At the end of this evaluation period, the drug is either approved or not.
The process often takes several years.  
Even with this process, hidden dangers of drugs may not be exposed but the process does work most of the time.

So called natural products wriggle out of the testing process by saying they are not drugs but "dietary supplements." So, basically there is very little screening done on these agents to see if they are safe or even effective.

An example might be helpful ephedra (ephedrine) was marketed as a weight loss product with minimal proof of effectiveness. It was banned in it's high dose form because of it's association with stroke and heart attacks. The ban on low dose ephedra was overturned. The whole process basically challenged the FDA's ability to regulate these agents. The herbal companies were basically given free license to say anything about their  products and not prove anything as long as they said that their supplement should not be used to treat any disease.
The upshot of this is that a supplement doesn't have to go anywhere near the scrutiny real drugs do.

 Proving an agent is effective is tricky, real proof comes from randomized, double blinded placebo controlled studies, these are often used in the FDA evaluation process.
of course herbal agents rarely if ever have these types of studies done on them.
Just FYI, the above type of study involves giving randomly selected patients either the test agent or a placebo. In a double blinded study, neither the doctor nor the patient knows what they are giving or getting.

Herbal  agent makers often say their products have been shown to be effective in "clinical studies." But, not all studies are the same and typically their studies are flawed.  
My own personal feeling is that if many of these agents were involved in the above type of study, they would be shown to neither safe or effective.
 The herbal makers really  have no incentive to do real studies because of their fear of the results. If the supplements were under FDA control, they would have to be subjected to rigorous evaluation. There is just too much money involved.
 An example of herbal studies involve Cortislim which  is a weight control supplement which was touted to be "effective in clinical studies"  in promoting weight loss. The FDA got involved because in some of the Cortislim studies the people who got the "sugar pill" actually lost MORE weight than those who took cortislim.

 I'm sure you think that I have an innate bias against herbal agents and for medical drugs. Not so, I just want to see the herbal products  undergo the same scrutiny as drugs, especially for safety reasons.

 Certain herbal agents have been well tested and do a great job. Saw palmetto does help with urination difficulties associated with prostate enlargement.  Omega-3 fatty acids are AMAZING, the more they are studied, the more they are found to be helpful. They help reduce the risk of heart attack, decrease triglycerides ,and help stabilize the moods of people with bipolar disorder.
 Basically the take home message is before you try any of these agents, try to research them first.
Ok I've taken up enough of your time. sorry.

Hobby safe

with mixed results but usually fond that they did cause me to be flushed for a while after taking them.