Drinking it can cause a potentially dangerous reaction, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says
Your morning coffee may contain more of a jolt than you expected: Texas-based herbal coffee company Bestherbs Coffee LLC has voluntarily recalled its New of Kopi Jantan Tradisional Natural Herbs Coffee after a laboratory analysis by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discovered the product contains an ingredient similar to the active ingredient in Viagra.
The FDA’s laboratory analysis confirmed evidence of desmethyl carbodenafil, an ingredient which is structurally similar to sildenafil, the active ingredient found in Viagra. The analysis also found that the coffee product contained undeclared milk, which also puts anyone with a milk sensitivity or allergy at risk.
The presence of desmethyl carbodenafil can be a big problem, according to the FDA’s report. The “undeclared ingredient may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin, and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.” Men with high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes are especially at risk, because they are often prescribed nitrates for treatment.
When doctors prescribe erectile dysfunction treatments like Viagra, they take your whole medical history and current medications into consideration, Philip Werthman, M.D., director of the Center for Male Reproductive Medicine and Vasectomy Reversal in Los Angeles, told us in our investigation on herbal Viagra supplements. If you’re in the high-risk group, they may not even prescribe the erectile dysfunction drugs to you—and if they do, they’ll monitor you closely for potential drug interactions or side effects that could pop up along the way.
Take something that contains the ingredients on your own, and you don’t have that oversight. You may not even know you’re creating a potentially dangerous combo.
Bottom line: If you’re currently experiencing problems with your erection, make an appointment with your doctor. Skip the coffee—and other non-prescription supplements that promise to restore your sex life and boost your erection.