Description

Yohimbine is a well known alkaloid that was isolated from Pausinystalia johimbe tree in the end of IXX century. In the folk medicine, it was used as an aphrodisiac. Substance is actually a very well known pharmacological research tool in the field of adrenoreceptor research because of its ability to block alpha-2 adrenoreceptor (and, thus, increase hyperadrenergic effects) selectively provided that the doses are low.

Therefore, it is not surprising that there are more than 25 000 papers associated with yohimbine. However, the use of substance in the modern human medicine is low today. Yohimbine is generally well tolerated in lower doses. On the other hand, higher doses may cause agitation, anxiety, hypertension and tachycardia at a level that is difficult to tolerate. It can not only amplify stress response that may beneficial or the opposite. However, it can cause stress reaction by itself.

In addition, at higher doses, substance will start to affect alpha-1 adrenereceptor. Therefore, that may cause severe drop of blood pressure. The evidence regarding yohimbine’s effects that are related to folk medicine and preclinical pharmacological research such as weight loss and aphrodisiac properties are contradictory indeed.

As concerns weight loss, there are studies that demonstrate that substance is not effective for fat loss in the overweight men. Likewise, as ones that show exactly the opposite in soccer players. Ambivalence applies to sexual enchancement. However, there are results that speak in favor of and against substance.

Yohimbine is able to increase blood pressure, which may be useful in some contexts. It has been observed that yohimbine can increase working memory as well as decrease it