What Supplements Can I Take To Support My Erections?

A simple internet search will reveal that there are thousands of supplement products/brands that claim to improve your erections. Unfortunately, the vast majority of these are in the best case either completely ineffective or contain (illegally) PDE-5 inhibitors, which is the active ingredient of ED pills.

We caution any man considering buying ED supplements to be extra careful. Because supplements are not considered drugs, these are usually unregulated, produced in questionable facilities, with low manufacturing standards and often contain unlisted ingredients.

Another thing that you should bear in mind is that none of the supplements are likely to work better than ED pills. In some cases, there might have synergistic or complementary effects, but no supplements exhibit as high efficacy rates as  PDE-5 inhibitors do.

Beyond these words of caution, we do believe that certain supplements, which you can buy without prescription, can help with your overall health and your erections, especially if you have low levels of the active ingredient.

It is also worth mentioning that most of the active ingredients of these supplements can be obtained through a wholesome diet or lifestyle (e.g. Vitamin D through increased sun exposure).

Because there are hundreds of potential supplements, in this section we will only present those that there is some level of evidence that they can help you. If you have come across a specific supplement and are unsure about it then we recommend visiting  www.examine.com , which is an excellent resource website dedicated to reviewing supplements.

Basic Supplements

Low levels of Vitamin D, Zinc or Magnesium have all been associated with impaired erections, low testosterone and in general poor health.

As such, we recommend checking your levels and consider supplementation if these are low. Having said that, getting more sun exposure will improve your Vitamin D levels as will eating whole foods, rich in minerals.

Supplements for Improved Endothelium Function

As explained in the previous sections, impaired endothelium function is one of the most common causes of erection problems and usually linked to advanced age and bad lifestyle.

There are various foods and supplements that can help improve endothelium function. The way the work is by increasing the concentration of proteins that the endothelium cells need in order to produce nitric oxide (NO), which in turn leads to increased blood flow to the penis.

·       Vegetables high in nitrates

Nitrates are one of the reasons why vegetables are so good for you. Nitrates break down into nitrites, which circulate in the body and are turned into nitric oxide. Nitrates, found abundantly in beetroot and a variety of leafy greens (arugula, collards, etc.), are a reliable and effective way to increase nitric oxide synthesis in the body.

A number of vegetables contain high amounts of dietary nitrate, with beetroot, celery, cress, chervil, lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, radishes, and rocket tending to have the highest concentrations.

There are no specific supplements for nitrates and they only way to get them is through a diet with significant amounts of nitrate rich vegetables.

·       Garlic

Garlic consumption has been shown to have numerous cardiovascular health benefits. When it comes to erections, garlic can potentially improve NO signalling and thus improve endothelial function.

To maximize the benefits of garlic, eat 3–6 cloves daily over several meals. You should first cut or crush them, to activate their bioactive compounds, then cook them or eat them raw.

Supplementation can provide the same benefits. If you dislike the smell or taste of garlic, or if you wish to avoid the bad breath that comes from eating the cloves, take 600–1,200 mg of an aged garlic extract daily.

Too much garlic daily (12 cloves) or at once (6 cloves, or 1,200 mg of an aged garlic extract) could cause low blood pressure, especially if taken with other hypotensive agents (including ED pills), and prolong bleeding time.

·       Cocoa

The flavonoids in Cocoa can support NO levels and research shows that cocoa does improve blood flow.

Taking cocoa with other hypotensive agents (like PDE-5 inhibitors, garlic or nitrates) could cause low blood pressure, so caution is advised.

The standard daily dose for cocoa polyphenols is 1 g, which you can get by eating about 30 g of cocoa powder or 40 g of dark chocolate with a 75% cocoa content.

Neither milk chocolate nor white chocolate is a good source of polyphenols.

·         Arginine and L-Citrulline

L-arginine is a popular supplement as it is touted to increase nitric oxide activity in the body. While there have been studies that have measured increased effects of nitric oxide (blood flow) they are paired with studies showing no net effects. As for the mechanism, there is reason to believe that this difference is in part due to poor absorption of L-arginine from the intestines before it can reach appreciable activity in the body.

L-Citrulline is another supplementation option because it is converted into arginine in the kidneys. It also has a better absorption rate. Citrulline is able to increase levels of plasma arginine more effective than arginine itself.

For this reason, supplemental L-arginine may be useful for instances where only an acute increase in required (e.g. before exercise) yet if higher serum arginine levels are wanted throughout the day (erectile dysfunction or cardiovascular health) L-citrulline would be preferable.

Supplements for Improved Testosterone Levels

As mentioned, Vitamin D, Zinc and Magnesium supplements can help boost testosterone levels.

Another hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) circulates throughout your body, where it can be called to make other hormones, notably testosterone and estrogens. Supplemental DHEA can support normal testosterone levels; this effect is especially reliable in case of age-related low testosterone. People with healthy hormone levels will see no benefit from supplemental DHEA.