Yohimbine: Benefits, Side Effects, Best Time to Take It & More

Yohimbine

(Yohimbe)

Evidence: High
Possible Benefits: Reasonable
Safety: Very Low

What is yohimbine?

Yohimbine is the main bioactive compound in the bark of Yohimbe, an evergreen tree native to central and western Africa. Yohimbine is often used as a supplement for fat loss and making erections stronger. Unfortunately, it is also one of the least safe dietary supplements on the market with a wide variety of side effects. This article is about the main benefits of Yohimbine, its potential side effects, the best time to take it, and more.

Possible benefits

All of the potential benefits mentioned below are dose-dependent. As with other adaptogens, there is a sweet-spot dose that allows you to get most of the benefits without causing meaningful side effects or tolerance buildup in the body. We will discuss the best dosing protocol later in this article.

Major benefits

Fat loss – The supplement can significantly reduce fat mass in both obese and lean people.

Minor benefits

Stronger erections – Yohimbine enhances the relaxation of the penile tissue and raises blood pressure, which can increase the amount of force in an erection. The supplement is not very effective at increasing erections in people with erectile dysfunction associated with poor blood flow.
Reduced symptoms of orthostatic hypotension – One of the main effects of yohimbine is increasing blood pressure. This is usually seen as negative but it can be helpful in some people with low blood pressure. This supplement can reduce symptoms of orthostatic hypotension, such as lightheadedness after standing up.

Possible side effects

The side effects below are dose-dependent. The risk for them increases (often linearly but sometimes exponentially) as you increase the dose. Some of the side effects only apply to very high doses.

Increased cravings for alcohol – Taking the supplement may worsen one’s dependence on alcohol and possibly other substances or habits. So far, this has only been shown with yohimbine injections but it likely applies to oral supplements as well.
Stress and anxiety – Yohimbine can increase cortisol levels in the body, which can cause stress and anxiety. Not everyone experiences this side effect but it is relatively common, especially in people who take higher doses.
Cognitive impairment – Yohimbine reduces blood flow to the brain and negatively impacts a variety of other factors that play a role in proper cognitive function.
Increased blood pressure – This effect is at least partially responsible for increasing erections but it can be problematic
Increased heart rate – The supplement can cause a small increase in heart rate following ingestion. This side effect is dose-dependent and can be very dangerous for some people, especially at high doses.
Nausea – This side effect is most common when people take the supplement on an empty stomach.
Diarrhea – You can usually prevent diarrhea or stomach discomfort by taking this supplement with a meal.
Toxicity – Even low doses can lead to a variety of adverse and possibly dangerous effects. High doses can be extremely dangerous in some people and even lead to death. Fortunately, most of the health problems related to acute yohimbine toxicity go away after a few days after one stops taking the supplement. To prevent chronic toxicity, staying below 6 mg of yohimbine a day is best unless you have a great reason to take more.
Contamination – If growing or storing conditions are not adequately controlled, Yohimbe bark can be contaminated with bacteria, molds, and other potentially harmful microorganisms. Another issue is that the supplement can get contaminated with other supplements and chemicals during the manufacturing process. Choose the brand you get the supplement from wisely. It is often best to use websites like Amazon, where thousands of users have reviewed and rated the products. You are less likely to buy something of lower quality there.

Who should not take Yohimbine?

You should avoid taking Yohimbine if you:

value your long-term health and well-being
are allergic to the Yohimbe bark
have a higher body weight (the supplement appears to be more dangerous in this regard)
experience a severe adverse reaction after taking the supplement (though a mild adverse reaction is usually a great thing as it is a sign that the supplement is working and causing a hormetic response that allows the body to adapt and become more resilient)
are pregnant or breastfeeding (this supplement can cause some unnecessary risk to the child)
suffer from an autoimmune disease (adaptogens like Yohimbe bark can stimulate the immune system, which can worsen symptoms of autoimmune diseases, such as lupus or multiple sclerosis)

Who will benefit the most?

There are very few cases where this supplement could do more harm than good. Because of its many side effects, it’s not advised to take yohimbine unless you have a very good reason to do so.

People with low blood pressure and those wanting to burn fat or increase erections are the ones who are likely to benefit from the Yohimbe bark the most. However, even in these people, the cognitive and cardiovascular risks generally outweigh the benefits.

How much Yohimbine should you take?

If you value long-term cardiovascular and cognitive health, the best dose of yohimbine is 0 mg/d. The benefits rarely outweigh the negatives.

If you still decide to take the supplement for enhancing fat loss, the sweet-spot dose typically ranges anywhere between 2-6 mg of Yohimbine daily, which can typically be obtained from 50-200 mg of dry Yohimbe bark. If you buy an x:1 extract, divide the dry bark dosage by x.

The higher end of this range usually provides slightly more benefits in the short term. If you plan to take this supplement for a longer time (multiple months or years), the lower end is probably a better way to go since you would develop tolerance faster if you were to take higher doses.

Doses any higher than 6 mg/d of Yohimbine are not advised as they are likely to cause a variety of side effects and can be very dangerous for some people.

Like with most other adaptogens, it is best to cycle Yohimbine and take about 2 days off every week to reset your tolerance. This will allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.

Best time to take Yohimbine

You can take this supplement with or without food. Each of these options has its benefits. Yohimbine should absorb well either way.

If you experience nausea or stomach discomfort when you take this supplement, taking it with food should prevent these unpleasant effects or at least make them less intense.

If you take this supplement on an empty stomach, the short-term effects will kick in faster and they will be more pronounced but will not last as long.

It is much better to supplement in the morning rather than the evening. Yohimbine tends to increase REM sleep but reduces deep sleep duration and efficiency.

Interactions

Horny Goat Weed
These two supplements have similar aphrodisiac effects achieved by similar mechanisms (mainly by inhibiting the PDE5 enzyme). Their effects can be additive when you take them together.
Viagra
Yohimbine can enhance the pro-erectile effects of Viagra.
Alcohol
Both of these substances can increase noradrenaline.

Where to buy Yohimbine?

Amazon is the best option for ordering Yohimbine in most countries. They offer some very affordable products backed by many positive reviews. Also, you can choose from a wide range of brands without having to search through other markets on the internet.

Some brands display the dosage per serving instead of per pill or capsule. Therefore, you may accidentally buy something less potent than you intended. Do not fall for this marketing trick.

FAQ

As with most other adaptogenic supplements, it is best to cycle Yohimbine and stay off of it for about 2 days per week to reset your tolerance back to baseline. This will keep your body sensitive to the supplement and allow you to keep getting the benefits in the long term.

When you take an extract standardized for Yohimbine, you know exactly how potent it is and how much you need to take to get the desired outcome. Extracts also tend to be cheaper than unextracted powders in many cases. However, many of the potentially beneficial compounds get lost during the extraction process. Therefore, if you know how potent the unextracted powder is, it is almost always a better option.

All of these options are fine. The two most important things to consider are the price and dosing. Powders are almost always the cheapest form. However, you may need a highly accurate scale to dose them correctly (preferably 0.001g). You can get one for as little as $20 from Amazon. Dosing the powders also takes some time that can add up over months or years. The disadvantage of capsules is that they are often made of bovine gelatine, which rarely comes from ethical sources.

It is much better to supplement in the morning rather than the evening. Yohimbine tends to increase REM sleep but reduces deep sleep duration and efficiency.

This supplement should not become harmful once it exceeds the expiration date but it can lose potency over time. Keep the supplement in a cold, dark, and dry place, and it should remain just as potent for many months or even years.

Yes. High doses of this supplement can cause a wide variety of cardiovascular and cognitive side effects. Even low doses can be problematic to some degree so if you do decide to take Yohimbine, start with a very low dose (1-2 mg) and build your way up slowly.

The half-life of Yohimbine in the body is about 5 hours. This supplement should be processed in your body within a day after consuming it.

The effects of this supplement are cumulative. Therefore, you must take it for at least 2-4 weeks to notice the benefits. But again, cycling the supplement and not taking it at least twice a week is necessary to prevent tolerance in the long term.

Yes, Yohimbine is vegan-friendly. If you buy this supplement in a capsulated form, beware that the capsules often contain animal-based gelatin. Instead, find a brand that puts its products into cellulose capsules.

No, it doesn’t. The supplement does not interfere with fasting in any significant way.

References

Most of the information in this guide is based on scientific research that can be found and verified in the PubMed medical library. We highly encourage you to use the library to verify anything you read in this article. We excluded from consideration studies that are either confounded or have a high conflict of interest.

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