As the supposed wonder drug Viagra comes under increasing fire, health reporter KAREN ROSINE looks at the many natural libido lifters available in the High Street...

Reports of men dying in America after popping the potent pill Viagra have led to concerns in the UK over the drug. Side-effects such as headaches, blurred vision and heartburn have also increased concern, and fears have been raised as to what other symptoms have yet to surface.

With so many doubts over drugs like Viagra - compounded by television documentaries such as Channel 4's The Rise and Rise of Viagra last night and tonight's Horizon on BBC2 at 9pm - people are increasingly exploring natural alternatives.

Potent herbs and plants have been spicing up people's love lives for centuries and many are now available in supplement form from High Street health shops. The General Nutrition Centre in the Westgate Centre, Oxford, sells many of these, including Guarana, which is used by Amazonian tribes to stay alert while hunting and stimulates sexual desire.

The store also stocks Ginkgo Biloba, which stimulates blood flow to the extremities and the herb Damiana, which stimulates the sexual organs and reduces inhibitions. Kava Kava is supposed to induce euphoria and make you more alert, while Saw Palmetto - mooted as another natural aphrodisiac - is reputedly used in voodoo love potions and acts as a stimulant on the testicles and breasts.

The better known ginseng is renowned for its energy-giving properties and supplements deficiencies such as libido. Avena Sativa (oat seed) reduces anxiety and tension. Store manager Anne Winterbottom said: "You very rarely get any side-effects with natural remedies. We get a lot of men in here interested in health and vitality and some coming in with impotence problems.

"It depends on the person how well they work. They have to be taken on a regular basis to have an effect. Staff here are able to talk about the various alternatives and give advice to people who come in and the treatments are a lot more gentle on the body." Some foods such as strawberries, peaches, grapefruit and mangoes are also very sensual, and scents such as ylang ylang and sandalwood are reputed to be good at putting you in the mood.

Lizzie Austin, a homeopathic practitioner based at the Well Being Clinic in Kingston Road, Oxford, claimed impotence could be successfully treated with homeopathy. She said homeopathic remedies were much better than drugs such as Viagra because they treat the whole person.

"We treat impotence by treating the individual, "she said.

"We would find out all about them on every level. If they are coming in with impotence we would want to know all the details of any other health problems they have and their history of health problems. "We would also want to know about their lives - what sort of person they are, what makes them tick, including how they react to the environment, and whether they are a warm or chilly person, how they sleep, what food they like to eat.

"We look at the symptoms on a mental, emotional and physical level. Then we match a remedy to the person."

Mrs Austin explained the remedies were made from a variety of natural mediums, including vegetables, plants, minerals and some from animal origins such as bees or cuttlefish.

She said she did not approve of drugs like Viagra because the side-effects were not all known and the drugs were treating the symptom rather than the cause.

"It could be all sorts of things causing it. It could be emotional and just popping a pill does not stop that. As soon as you stop taking the pill, the problem is still there," she said.

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