Anyone know anything about how this may affect your ability to achieve erection?  It is used to relieve the effects of enlarged prostrate (frequent urination), but some research says it helps erections and some says it kills them.

Thanks,

GG

People have different reactions.
Best thing is to try it.
If you have a problem or it doesn't help, stop taking it.

Here's one of many articles:

Saw palmetto and erections
http://www.saw-palmetto.com



-- Modified on 10/22/2002 4:27:00 PM

I have no experience with Saw Palmetto but can tell you for a fact tha L-Arginine works wonders. Not instantaneous, like V, but take it for a couple weeks and you will notice  a difference. None of the V side effects either.
Enjoy

l arginine is the big "natural viagra". when it works, the results are fairly quick - not the instant boner produced by viagra, but some men report pretty good same-hour results. most of the other touted natural products, like saw palmetto, require regular ingestion of the product, like a daily vitamin. they are said to improve circulation.... trouble with natural products is that the effects are often slower, more subtle, and less dramatic so it's hard to tell for sure if they are really working or not.

10 grams of L arginine will do the job

My experience with men's erections has produced a few insights. I have observed that the psychology of the experience, and the associated players, have an impact on the attainability and duration of the erectile member (Dick).

Now...it seems as if the man can attain an erection most often, if he feels comfortable and in a non threatening environment.

A familar face and experience also makes the erection easier to obtain. I strive to make the client relaxed and feel safe and comfortable. A non pressured approach also helps as well.

In short, an erection occurs not only because of chemical stimuli, but is also related to psychological factors. Viagra does not have a 100% efficacy rate, partially because of the above.

Has to do with why you cannot achieve erection; it doesn't work for most.

One of my personal favorites is Yohimbe.  You need the powdered bark in a higher dose, around 1200mg per day for about 4 to 5 days before an encounter for maximum effect but there is a fairly immediate response in about 2 to 4 hours with one dose.  

It has an effect on the sympathetic nervous system that increases blood flow but the larger effect is on the central nervous system at higher doses.  One dose acts as a fair aphrodisiac that has many folk treatment backings and my own experiments on friends, as well as myself, have been very interesting.

If taken for the 4 to 5 days, there has been a noted change in male orgasms.  Increased ejaculate and duration of orgasm are generally noted.  The orgasm is also commonly reported as more intense.

It is a widely variable effect, however.  Good products are very difficult to find and effects vary between people.  Some of my friends (aka, test subjects) have reported everything from no effect to finding the "Tree of Life" on a walk home from a party(yes, he is kind of a hippy).


Horny goat weed (Epimedium sagittatum) has also been found to work for erections.  It's mechanism of action in the body is very similar to that of Viagra; the trick is obtaining a good supplement.  Good products are very difficult to find, so the onset of action varies from 30 minutes to several hours; the effect can last for several days though.

My favorite natural product is a good steak dinner with a gorgeous woman who really enjoys sex.  Makes pills a little redundant.

DrX

small caveat about arginine. Herpes class of viruses are more
active when there is a high concentration of arginine. That's because herpes viruses are made out of proteins that have an unusually high argine-lysine ratio. The reason people take lysine to reduce the intensity of a herpes outbreak is that lysine competes with arginine, and reduces the amount of arginine available to build more herpes viruses.
 Nuts have a high arginine level, so if you are eating a lot of nuts and have any form of herpes you will intensify the action of the virus. I love nuts, especially almonds, but I will take a 500 mg. l-lysine caplet when I eat a handful of them
so I don't contribute a lot of unintended "herpes fuel".
 However, there is another amino acid that works like all get out, and almost nobody knows about it. Before you go out and experiment with it, take this point seriously. It can raise your blood pressure and increase your heart rate, although generally for a short time, and not to an extreme degree. If you have high blood pressure, or if you are taking any prescription medications(including yohimbe or viagara), or you are taking any decongestants, wait for another day. Better, five days to make sure the old meds are washed out.
 The wonder amino in question is an artifical from of Phenylalanine known as DL-Phenylalanine or DLPA, and is sold over the counter in health food stores. The D form of Phenyalanine is synthetic, as there is no D-Phenylalanine found
in nature. DLPA has a most interesting attribute.
 It blocks the mechanism that the brain uses to degrade endorphins. When you have sex or become sexually aroused, your brain produces high levels of endorphins. This is the fundamental reason you want to have sex. You want sex because sex causes your brain to release pleasure inducing chemicals. Your brain also contains enzymes that rapidly degrade endorphins. That's why you come down after a sex high.
 The DLPA allows the brain to keep its endorphin level higher for longer so you experience more intense, deeper, longer lasting sexual pleasure. The hot is a lot hotter.
 But, because DLPA is an amino acid (pair) that the body recognizes, it will metabolize it more efficiently and safely than a medicine that is foreign to the body.
 Effects last about an hour and one half. For best results, take 15 minutes before sex, 500 mg. is fine, don't exceed that.
 Remember the warning label, don't use it if you have any blood pressure issues, or there is any other medicine or foreign chemical in your body.

Do you know whether it is safe to take DLPA if you are also taking zoloft?

Although they supposedly work on different systems, Zoloft
is designed to increase serotonin, and DLPA will ultimately
increase dopamine and noradrenaline, the combination would probably be too intense. You could become anxious, agitated,
have rapid heartbeat, or related issue around being overstimulated. If you are on a presciption med schedule, stick with that and don't throw too many ingredients into the mix.
 As with all meds, keep it simple as possible, and keep the side effects as minimal as you can. Once you start mixing things, there is an increased possibility of unusual or idiosyncratic reactions.