An open label study to evaluate the effect of Kaempferia parviflora in support of erectile function and male sexual health among overall healthy males 50–70

BackgroundKaempferia parviflora (KP) is an herbaceous plant from the family of Zingiberaceae. The KP rhizomes contain numerous flavonoids, two of which, 5,7-dimethoxyflavone (DMF) and 5,7,4-trrimethoxyflavone (TMF), are major constituents. Studies on isolated rat aortic rings revealed DMF causes endothelium-dependent relaxation and vasodilation, effects partly mediated by the NO-cGMP and cyclooxygenase pathways. In vitro studies noted an increased mRNA and protein expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), which is present in the endothelium of the penile vasculature and sinusoidal endothelium within the corpora carvernosa, and concluded this may result in an improvement in endothelial function. Experiments on rats suggested this plant extract may enhance copulatory behavior partly via the induction of hypothalamic dopaminergic D1 receptor expression. Additionally, a study on healthy elderly male volunteers revealed KP may increase blood flow to enhance penile circumference, length, and rigid...