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Yohimbe

Also known as: Pausinystalia yohimbe, Johimbi

A bark supplement with uncertain benefits, variable yohimbine exposure and significant cardiovascular and drug-interaction concerns.

Ink-and-watercolor study of rough bark fragments and a green leaf
Editorial illustration

Yohimbe is tree bark used in supplements; yohimbine is one of its active compounds. NCCIH finds insufficient evidence that yohimbe supplements help any health condition and describes serious safety concerns, including blood-pressure problems, arrhythmias and seizures. Studies of isolated yohimbine do not establish the effects of a variable bark supplement.1

  • Yohimbine is a compound in yohimbe, not a synonym for the whole bark.1
  • A 49-brand analysis found serving-level yohimbine from none detected to 12.1 mg.2
  • Poison-center reports are safety signals, not the percentage of all users who will react.3

What is Yohimbe?

The tree grows in central and western Africa. Bark material, a standardized extract and isolated yohimbine are different interventions. Milligrams of bark are not milligrams of yohimbine, and a supplement label may not reliably establish the alkaloid exposure.1, 2

Where it comes from

Natural sources

  • Bark of Pausinystalia yohimbe from central and western Africa

How it's made

Highly purified or synthetic yohimbine is distinct from bark material; chemical analysis is needed to characterize a supplement.

What it does in products

  • Botanical component of sexual-performance, weight-loss and sports-marketed supplements

Benefits

Sexual performance and weight-loss claims for bark supplements

insufficient evidence

Reliable human research does not establish these marketed benefits for yohimbe supplements.1, 2

NCCIH distinguishes very limited supplement research from the separate history of yohimbine drug studies. Neither a traditional use nor an alkaloid's pharmacology validates an arbitrary bark preparation.

Evidence scope and limitations

Oral yohimbe/yohimbine-containing supplements, label analysis and reported safety events; not a recommendation for isolated yohimbine therapy.

  • Drug and bark preparations cannot be assumed equivalent.
  • The label survey used historical, single-product samples and does not measure today's entire market.
  • Poison-center reporting cannot estimate incidence among all users.
  • No general safe supplement-dose window follows from these sources.

Evidence last checked: 2026-10-09

Side effects & safety

Blood-pressure and heart-rate problems, anxiety and digestive symptoms (varies)These were reported in poison-center cases; a reporting series cannot provide population-wide incidence.
Serious cardiovascular or neurological events (varies)NCCIH describes associations with arrhythmias, heart attacks and seizures. These sources do not define a universally safe supplement amount.

Safety considerations

  • NCCIH cautions that oral use may be unsafe during pregnancy or breastfeeding.
  • NCCIH advises against use with monoamine oxidase inhibitors or tricyclic antidepressants.
  • Review the actual supplement with a clinician or pharmacist before combining it with other medicines.
  • Not for: A blood-pressure or heart-rate condition warrants clinical discussion, not self-directed use of a stimulant-marketed product.
  • Not for: Seek urgent medical care for a seizure, chest pain or severe cardiovascular symptoms.
1, 3

Amounts studied & product use

These figures describe research or common product use, not a personal dose or treatment recommendation.

In supplement studies and products

No universal bark-supplement dose is supported here. The analytical survey's none-detected to 12.1 mg of yohimbine per labeled serving describes measured exposure, not a safe range or a dosing instruction.

2, 1

Regulatory status

  • Dietary supplements are not FDA-approved before sale. Marketing a supplement as an erectile-dysfunction treatment is not equivalent to authorization as a drug; NCCIH notes that such treatment claims require FDA approval.
1

Why bark milligrams do not settle the safety question

The published 49-brand survey tested products purchased in 2014; it is a historical snapshot, not a measurement of every current bottle. Most tested labels did not state a specific yohimbine quantity.

Our reading: the missing exposure information matters more than the word natural. An uncertain amount of a pharmacologically active alkaloid is not made predictable by an extraction ratio or a generic bark dose.

2, 1

Frequently asked questions

Can yohimbine drug results be applied to a yohimbe supplement?

Not automatically. A defined compound and dose do not describe an uncharacterized bark preparation or a multi-ingredient supplement.1, 2

Does the poison-center study show how often side effects occur?

No. It reviewed 238 symptomatic adult cases reported during 2000–2006, without a denominator of all exposed users. It identifies a concern rather than a universal risk percentage.3

The bottom line

Uncertain benefit and unpredictable alkaloid exposure belong alongside the serious safety warnings, not below a performance claim.

References

  1. Yohimbe: Usefulness and Safety. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (2025) · government guidance · Last updated May 2025
  2. Cohen PA, Wang YH, Maller G, DeSouza R, Khan IA. Pharmaceutical quantities of yohimbine found in dietary supplements in the USA. Drug Testing and Analysis (2016) · primary study · PMID 26391406; DOI 10.1002/dta.1849; published online in 2015
  3. Kearney T, Tu N, Haller C. Adverse drug events associated with yohimbine-containing products: a retrospective review of the California Poison Control System reported cases. Annals of Pharmacotherapy (2010) · observational study · PMID 20442348; DOI 10.1345/aph.1P060

Revision history

  1. Initial AI-assisted source checks and claim-level citation mapping under the site-authorized publishing workflow. No separate human or independent medical review is claimed.