ED Help Blog

I’m just taking these to get my blood flowing again plus I just asked someone about is it safe to take both the other day and they told me both are good for erectile dysfunction and make you last longer in bed and I had no clue it does that because that’s not what I’m taking it for only to get my blood flowing.

Chosen Answer:

Ginkgo and L-arginine are nutritional supplements that are safe to take together (at a reasonable dose, as with anything, taking too much could be harmful). Both are commonly used for improving circulation which may therefore be also beneficial for erectile dysfunction (ED) (especially if circulation is a cause). However, the notion that these supplements may make you last longer in bed is not true. I am not aware of any evidence of this effect. There are exercises you can perform that can help in this, but nutritional supplements are likely not effective. Kegal exercises can help you control ejaculation for longer sex. See here for more info: http://sexuality.about.com/od/anatomyresponse/ht/kegelsmen.htm

Arginine is a common and natural amino acid. It is commonly used for circulatory problems becasue it is an NO (Nitric Oxide) precursor. NO causes relaxation and dilation of your blood vessels allowing blood to flow. The theory is that by taking arginine, you can potentially increase the amount of NO in the blood, and therefore improve circulation.

Ginkgo biloba tree leaf extract has been used therapeutically in China for millennia. The active ingredients of Ginkgo biloba extracts contain many different substances but most of them fall into two main categories: Terpenoid lactones and Flavonoids. Ginkgo is most commonly used to help memory and mental function (and research reveals this effect may be due to increased circulation in the brain.)

In terms of erectile dysfunction, there may be a benefit to using both arginine and ginkgo (because of the circulatory benefits). See the following sites for specific research in regards to the effect of arginine and ginkgo for ED:

http://www.erectiledysfunctioncentral.org/?s=arginine

http://www.erectiledysfunctioncentral.org/?s=ginkgo

Dosage is also a key factor. One study with a low dose showed no effect with ED (http://www.erectiledysfunctioncentral.org/erectile-dysfunction-research/effect-of-oral-administration-of-high-dose-nitric-oxide-donor-l-arginine-in-men-with-organic-erectile-dysfunction-results-of-a-double-blind-randomized-placebo-controlled-study/) and another study with high dose revealed some benefit for ED (http://www.erectiledysfunctioncentral.org/erectile-dysfunction-research/effectiveness-of-oral-l-arginine-in-first-line-treatment-of-erectile-dysfunction-in-a-controlled-crossover-study/)

It would be advisable to seek professional advise from an expert in nutritional supplements (i.e. Naturopathic Doctor or MD with training in nutrition).

Here is another good article on nutrional supplementation (including arginine and ginkgo): http://www.erectiledysfunctioncentral.org/erectile-dysfunction-research/nutrients-and-botanicals-for-erectile-dysfunction-examining-the-evidence-2/ (click on the yellow “alternative medicine review” button for the full article)
by: Dr. Gordon
on: 21st November 08

Tags: anything, arginine, asked, blood, chosen, clue, commonly, dose, dysfunction, erectile, flowing, ginkgo, harmful, improving, last, nutritional, plus, reasonable, safe, someone, supplements, taking, that, together, used
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