NEW YORK, Feb 24 (Reuters Health) -- Men suffering from premature
ejaculation may benefit from an Asian herbal remedy called SS-cream, a new study
suggests. The ointment significantly delays ejaculation about 80% of the time in
men who use it, according to a report in the February issue of the journal
Urology.
The cream contains nine herbal extracts, including Ginseng Redix Alba,
Angelicae Gigantic Radix and Cistanchis Herb. The active ingredients, which
include bufosteroid and eugenol, are thought to desensitize nerves and dull
feeling, according to lead study author Hyung Ki Choi, of Yonsei University
College of Medicine in Seoul, and colleagues.
"This agent, based on the preliminary data, appears promising," said Dr.
Natan Bar-Chama, the director of male reproductive medicine and surgery at Mount
Sinai Hospital in New York, in an interview with Reuters Health.
"The number of patients who suffer from this disorder is extremely high,
it's a very prevalent condition. Unfortunately, very few effective therapies
have been available," said Bar-Chama, who was not involved in the new research.
The study included 106 men aged 20 to 50 who could maintain an erection
for an average of a 1 1/2 minutes before ejaculating. Only 11% of the men and
their partners reported satisfaction during sex.
The men were given six packets of ointment, five that contained SS-cream,
and one that contained an inactive placebo. The cream was applied to the penis
one hour before intercourse.
When the men used the SS-cream, the time from initiation of intercourse to
ejaculation was about 11 minutes. With the placebo cream, intercourse lasted
about 2 1/2 minutes. Overall, the SS-cream increased the length of intercourse
about 80% of the time, compared with 15% of the time with the placebo.
Eighty-two percent of the couples said that they were more sexual
satisfaction after using the SS-cream, compared with 20% when using the placebo.
However, some subjects experienced side-effects. Almost 19% of the time
the SS-cream caused mild pain and burning. For some of the patients, SS-cream
might have been too effective; four of the men could not reach orgasm after 45
minutes of intercourse. Conversely, three of the men using the ointment were not
able to achieve erections when using the cream.
These side effects were mild and localized, conclude the researchers, who
developed the product and "have financial interests and other relationships with
SS-cream," according to the report.
"With these results, we believe that SS-cream is simple, safe, and
effective in the treatment of premature ejaculation," they write.
The study is well-designed and the findings suggest further study is
warranted, according to Bar-Chama.
"I think the study design as well as the number of patients enrolled
support their conclusion that this looks promising," he said. "Further testing
is warranted as well as confirmation by other centers -- all the studies have
been based on one center's experience."
It is also not clear exactly how the cream delays ejaculation, according
to Bar-Chama. "These are natural compounds and I would love to know what the
origin is," he said. While the cream is not currently available in the US, it
should be the subject of further study, he said.
"From my understanding this is something they have and are testing, it's
not an agent that is currently available," he said. But if it was available,
"based on this data," Bar-Chama said he might recommend that patients try it.
