The Truth About Premature Ejaculation

It is difficult to find reliable information on the Internet about the efficacy of remedies for premature ejaculation. Most websites are very well disguised advertisements for herbal pills.  When it comes to drugs developed by large pharmaceutical companies there are plenty of papers in respected medical journals and well documented research demonstrating their effectiveness.

It was discovered that one of the side effects of many anti-depressants is delayed ejaculation. Many of these drugs are being re-purposed to combat premature ejaculation. For many years St. John’s Wort, an extract of the plant Hypericum perforatum has been used as an anti-depressant. It would follow that St. John’s Wort could have the same effect at delaying ejaculation. The problem is that St. John’s Wort is closer in action to tricyclic antidepressant than it is to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (also known as SSRIs) are a newer class of drugs and it is these drugs that have shown most effectiveness against premature ejaculation. Tricyclic antidepressants were developed in the 50’s and are widely being replaced by the newer SSRIs.

However, there is some evidence that St. John’s Wort delays ejaculation. According to MedlinePlus, an NIH sponsored website, St. John’s Wort delayed ejaculation has been reported in animal studies. In another study overseen by Tracy W. Cannon-Smith of the North Texas Urology, 14 of 16 subjects suffering from premature ejaculation noticed improvements after taking Hypericum Perforatum extract.

Users should know that there may be negative side effects from taking St. John’s Wort.

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