For Patients & Caregivers
Tell your healthcare providers about any dietary supplements you’re taking, such as herbs, vitamins, minerals, and natural or home remedies. This will help them manage your care and keep you safe.
What is it?
Evidence on whether Avlimil can improve sexual function in women is lacking.
Avlimil is a dietary supplement that contains sage leaf, red raspberry leaf, kudzu root extract, red clover extract, capsicum pepper, licorice root, bayberry fruit, damiana leaf, valerian root, ginger root, and black cohosh root. It is being promoted to relieve symptoms of female sexual dysfunction. Sexual dysfunction may involve loss of sexual desire, arousal, difficulty in maintaining arousal, painful intercourse, or difficulty in achieving orgasm. This may result from factors such as stress, hormonal imbalances, use of antidepressants, menopause, and cancer treatments. The manufacturer claims that use of Avlimil results in improved sexual response. The herbal components of Avlimil are thought to enhance sexual satisfaction by increasing blood flow to the sex organs and by promoting muscle relaxation.
A small unpublished study suggests that Avlimil may have a positive effect on sexual response in normal women. Avlimil has not been studied in cancer patients. Since this product contains botanical ingredients that have estrogenic effects, patients with hormone sensitive cancers should consult with their physicians before using it.
What are the potential uses and benefits?
Female Sexual Dysfunction
One unpublished study suggests that Avlimil may improve sexual function in women when compared to placebo.
What are the side effects?
- Minor irritation
- Stomach upset
What else do I need to know?
Special Point:
Sexual dysfunction could be a result of other complex underlying physical, biological, or psychological disorders. Patients should consult and be monitored by a physician when using this product.
The Federal Trade Commission charged the marketers of Avlimil in making false and unsubstantiated claims. Avlimil's ingredients are not the same as the formula used in the clinical study cited in the advertisements.
For Healthcare Professionals
Clinical Summary
Avlimil is a dietary supplement promoted to help alleviate symptoms associated with female sexual dysfunction. It consists of sage leaf, red raspberry leaf, kudzu root extract, red clover extract, capsicum pepper, licorice root, bayberry fruit, damiana leaf, valerian root, ginger root, and black cohosh root. Sexual dysfunction may involve loss of sexual desire, difficulty in maintaining arousal, painful intercourse, or difficulty in achieving orgasm. It may result from factors such as stress, hormonal imbalances, cancer treatment involving surgery, radiation, chemotherapy or hormone therapy, use of antidepressants, or menopause. Avlimil is thought to enhance sexual satisfaction by increasing blood flow and by promoting muscle relaxation. Some of the components may improve circulation.
Results from in vitro and in vivo assays suggest Avlimil has both estrogenic and antiestrogenic effects, at low and high concentrations respectively (4). A small unpublished clinical trial involving 49 women found Avlimil to have a positive effect on sexual response (1). However, ingredients in the commercial product are different from those used in the study (3).
Avlimil has not been studied in cancer patients. Because this product contains botanical ingredients that have estrogenic effects, patients with hormone sensitive cancers should consult with their physicians before using it.
Purported Uses and Benefits
- Female sexual dysfunction
Mechanism of Action
The herbs sage, kudzu, red clover, licorice, and black cohosh that are present in Avlimil have estrogenic effects and have been used for relief of menopausal symptoms. Damiana leaf is purported to be an aphrodisiac but scientific proof is lacking. Capsaicin, a component of capsicum, can cause depolarization of C-fiber polymodal nociceptors and release of substance P which can heighten sensitivity (2). Manufacturers of Avlimil claim that the herbal components improve circulation that leads to increased blood flow to the genital tissue and also help muscle relaxation.
Warnings
Sexual dysfunction could be a result of other complex underlying physical, biological, or psychological disorders. Patients should consult and be monitored by a physician when using this product.
The Federal Trade Commission charged the marketers of Avlimil in making false and unsubstantiated claims. Avlimil’s ingredients are substantially different from the formula used in the clinical trial cited in the advertisements (3).
Contraindications
Since this product exhibits estrogenic effects (4), it may not be appropriate for patients who have hormonal sensitive cancers.
Adverse Reactions
- Following ingestion of Avlimil, minor irritation including stomach upset has been reported (1).