The Minister of Health returns to launch the Yohimbine alert, a substance obtained from the Pausinystalia yohimbe tree from West Africa, otherwise known as Yohimbe or sometimes Italianized in the term “ioimbine”. It is an active substance used to lose weight and combat erectile dysfunction but its use in Italy is prohibited in food supplements because it is considered dangerous.
The Ministry of Health has made it known with a note that the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) has made it possible to identify two food supplements produced in the United States containing, upon reading the label, Yohimbine (or Yohimbe). These are several batches under the brands ‘Natrol Yohimbe Bark, Men’s Health 500mg capsules’ and ‘Stamina-Rx – Maximum sexual stimulant 550mg tablets Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals’. Yohimbine, the ministry recalls, is a “substance with pharmacologically active activity, prohibited in food supplements, which can have serious repercussions on health“.
In the note, the ministry recommends consumers not to buy these products and to refrain from consuming them. These two supplements are sold through websites in various European countries including ours but are not notified in Italy.