Kaempferia parviflora (Thai ginseng) found to improve erectile function in men

American researchers examined the effects of an ethanol extract derived from Kaempferia parviflora, also known as Thai ginseng, on erectile function in healthy middle-aged and older men. Their findings were published in the Journal of Integrative Medicine.

• Sexual health positively correlates with overall well-being.
• Current strategies that are meant to enhance male sexual health are limited by many factors, such as responsiveness, adherence and adverse effects.
• Researchers understand the need for safe and effective interventions that could help preserve male sexual function.
• K. parviflora, a plant from the Zingiberaceae (ginger) family, has been found to support cardiovascular health and has shown signs that it could ameliorate erectile dysfunction.
• To investigate this, the researchers conducted an open-label, one-arm study involving 14 generally healthy males aged 50 to 68 years with self-reported mild erectile dysfunction.
• The participants received 100 mg of an extract obtained from the rhizome of K. parviflora daily for 30 days.
• Primary efficacy analyses included the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF), while secondary efficacy analyses included the Global Assessment Question about erectile function.
• The researchers reported that 13 of the 14 participants completed the study. Supplementation of the K. parviflora ethanol extract induced statistically significant improvements in erectile function, intercourse satisfaction and total scores on IIEF questionnaire.
• The extract was well-tolerated by the participants and exhibited an excellent safety profile.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that K. parviflora can improve erectile function in healthy middle-aged and older men.

Journal Reference:

Stein RA, Schmid K, Bolivar J, Swick AG, Joyal SV, Hirsh SP. KAEMPFERIA PARVIFLORA ETHANOL EXTRACT IMPROVES SELF-ASSESSED SEXUAL HEALTH IN MEN: A PILOT STUDY. Journal of Integrative Medicine. July 2018;16(4):249-254. DOI: 10.1016/j.joim.2018.05.005