Yohimbine HCL and Bodybuilding

Yohimbe, found in the bark of the evergreen tree (pausinystalia johimbe) and is indigenous to central and western Africa. Its appearance is most prevalent in the Congo, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Gabon. It has gained much popularity, not only as a treatment for impotence, but also as an effective tool for decreasing body fat. In 1938, the principal alkaloid yohimbine was discovered to be the active component responsible for most of the effects of the yohimbe bark. This compound has now been isolated and is sold as both an aphrodisiac and fat loss aid. Although yohimbine is the most important constituent in yohimbe, it is likely that it contains 31 other yohimbine alkaloids that can be present in herbal yohimbe preparations. Some of these have different and unknown selectivity’s and potencies and effects, at the adrenergic receptors, in addition, these preparations vary greatly from brand to brand and even from batch to batch, as no standardization for extraction exists. In fact, an investigation found that most over the counter preparations have little to no actual yohimbine.

The bark of the yohimbe plant is traditionally used as an aphrodisiac in Africa. A standardized form of the chemical extracted from this plant — yohimbine hydrochloride — became the first FDA-approved impotence pill. Until Viagra came on the market, it was widely prescribed by doctors. Exactly how yohimbine works is not known, but scientists surmise that it increases blood flow to the penis and prevents blood from leaving too quickly. When they say "HCl" behind the name of a medication, they're referring to the hydrochloride salt. Many pharmaceutical agents have protonation sites, such as amines, and they can be prepared as a pure substance, or as an HCl salt - so instead of -NH₂, it will become -NH₃Cl. For particularly lipophilic drugs, this helps it dissolve in water, as the compound will dissociate into its constituent ammonium and chloride ions.

Yohimbine is a compound that naturally occurs in the bark and leaves of the yohimbine tree, and the roots of the Rauwolfia plant. Yohimbine, in the body, blocks a receptor that biomedical scientists call the alpha-2 adrenoceptor. This receptor plays a key role in the functioning of hormones like adrenaline. Adrenaline is a hormone that makes your heart beat faster, boosts the calorie consumption of the body, inhibits appetite and makes you feel more energetic. If there is too much, or too long, adrenaline circulating in your body, the alpha-2 adrenoceptor ensures that it reduces the action of the hormone. Yohimbine however blocks that receptor, and thereby enhances the action of adrenaline. For that reason, manufacturers from the banned slimming stackers based on Ephedra, like ECA, added yohimbine in their products. After all, Ephedra imitated the action of adrenaline, and the addition of yohimbine amplified its effect. Those stackers were called ECAY.

The McDonald protocol.

However in bodybuilding circles yohimbine is still in vogue to lose weight. The name that is inextricably linked with this practice is that of Lyle McDonald. McDonald, is a specialist in legal and illegal techniques for fat loss and muscle growth, on his website he says he has discovered why it is that yohimbine works in one study, and not in other studies. He recommends dieters to, half an hour to an hour before they perform a cardio training, to use a certain number of milligrams of yohimbine, whether or not in combination with caffeine.

According to McDonald, it is crucial that users take yohimbine on an empty stomach, because yohimbine stimulates the uptake of nutrients by fat cells through insulin, and calories negate the slimming effect of yohimbine. McDonald derived his yohimbine protocol from the thinking of the American biochemist Mark McCarty. McCarty published in 2002 an article of five pages in Medical Hypotheses, where you can find all the details of McDonald's approach. Medical Hypotheses is not a journal that publishes studies or surveys, but theories.

A safe supplement?

When McCarty wrote his article it appeared that yohimbine was a relatively harmless supplement. If you use 5 to 15 milligrams of pure yohimbine, than the concentration of yohimbine in your blood may rise to a maximum of 400 nanograms per liter. Only at a concentration of 5000 nanograms per liter yohimbine is dangerous. This can only happen when people use very high doses, like a competitive bodybuilder in the article that Italian toxicologists published in 2009 in Clinical Toxicology. The man died after he had taken a dose of five grams of yohimbine.

How does it work?

Yohimbine works by widening blood vessels and increasing blood flow to the appendages. It is also thought to increase fatty acid mobilization. Yohimbine stimulates the central nervous system by causing the body to produce more noradrenaline. Nitric oxide levels are also increased which dilates the blood vessels. The combination of both increased blood flow and energy contribute to yohimbine HCL's effectiveness as an aphrodisiac; however, the exact reason yohimbine HCL works so well as an aphrodisiac is still unclear.

Increased sexual performance in both men and women

Yohimbine is also known to increase genital sensitivity in both men and women by stimulating nerves in the sacral region. If you're interested in yohimbine for its aphrodisiac properties its best taken immediately before sex. Over the past few decades, yohimbine has made a name for itself as one of the most effective natural supplements for improved sexual performance in men and women. One study published in the International Journal of Impotence Research in 1997 showed that yohimbine HCL was significantly more effective than a placebo. Subjects reported increased sexual desire, sexual satisfaction, frequency of sexual contacts, and quality of erection during sex.

Burning the fat

Manufacturers of many fat burning supplements that exist today understand just how effective yohimbine can be, which is why you will commonly see it listed as one the main ingredients in some of today's top selling fat burners. Instead of forking over the cash for these overpriced blends, you can simply purchase the raw ingredients that comprise them. You will find that yohimbe is among the most popular of these ingredients.

Experiencing the results for yourself

Although the evidence for yohimbine as a fat loss aid is only anecdotal, it doesn't mean it’s not effective. As many people are aware, there are many highly effective natural supplements that aren't officially approved for the treatment of anything at all. What's more is that most of the companies that produce pricey weight loss aids and impotence drugs, as well as other pharmaceuticals, often conduct their own trials, testing their products. Needless to say these results can't be trusted. You're much better off in most cases purchasing a pure supplement, made from a single, natural ingredient, rather than a name brand supplement or drug.

Side effects

Most of the possible side effects of yohimbine are related to an increase in neurotransmitters which can result in a rise in blood pressure and heart rate as well as headaches, dizziness, anxiety, nausea and sleeplessness. You should consult your medical professional before taking yohimbine if you are taking any other prescriptions. You should also avoid yohimbine if you have high blood pressure, heart disease or kidney disease.

Combinations

In the late 60’s early 70’s there was a product on the market called Aphrodex (from Bentex Pharmaceuticals). This contained 5mg of Methyltestosterone, 5mg of Yohimbine and 5mg of Nux Vumica (the Nux was homeopathic). Nux Vomica was found to be effective after 2 to 3 weeks of use in most cases, various side effects were observed It had a success rate of 90%. It was pulled from the market in the mid 70’s more than likely due to puritan reasons. Other combinations:

Vigrol Forte (methyltestosterone 5 mg, Tocopherol Acetate 3 mg, Yohimbine HCL 3 mg, Caffeine 15 mg, Ephedrine HCL 1 mg)

Potentol (meprobamate / methyltestosterone / yohimbine hydrochloride)

Prowess (methyltestosterone / pemoline / yohimbine hydrochloride)

yohimbine hydrochloride / methyltestosterone / testes extracts

yohimbine hydrochloride / pemoline / methyltestosterone

yohimbine hydrochloride and  methyltestosterone

 Wari-Promocil (Yohimbine HCL 5mg，  methyltestosterone 0.1mg) the spray also contains Lidocaine.

What is more logical than combining Yohimbine HCL with Anabolic steroids, mostly Testosterone and a PDE5 Inhibitor(Viagra, Cialis, Levitra).

According to studies Yohimbine potentiates Sildenafil. Well, we also know that Sildenafil and Cialis enhance each other’s effect. ..

Graphic from:

Yohimbine enhances the effect of sildenafil on erectile process in rats Senbel et all 2008

A very nice study, I like to share:

Potential effects of yohimbine and sildenafil on erectile dysfunction in rats. Muhammed 2013

In this study the effects of yohimbine and sildenafil on cold stress-induced erectile dysfunction in rats were investigated. Yohimbine hydrochloride (0.2 mg/kg, i.p.) and sildenafil citrate (20 mg/kg, i.p) were administered to rats 1 h before the stress session daily for 14 consecutive days and their effect was assessed.

Results of this section revealed that, immersion of rats in cold water significantly decreased sexual arousal and motivation as indicated by increased latencies and intervals

Treatment with yohimbine or sildenafil significantly increased the sexual arousal and potency and corrected the effects induced by stress on the mating behavior of male rats. On the contrary they did not significantly alter testosterone, FSH and LH levels.