'Herbal Viagra saved our sex lives': New supplement made from pine bark claims to boost libido in just 8 weeks - but does it really work?

  • Lady Prelox, which costs £37.95 for a month's supply, lauched in the spring
  • Key ingredient is french pine bark extract, said to boost blood flow
  • Studies suggest many women see a difference in just eight weeks
  • We asked two women who took the supplement to share their stories
 

It has been dubbed ‘Pink Viagra' – the herbal supplement for women that claims to boost libido and satisfaction between the sheets.  

Launched this spring, the makers of Lady Prelox claim it works by improving poor circulation, which they claim causes a lack of sexual desire.

The key ingredient is a French pine bark extract called Pycnogenol, plus rose hip extract and amino acids.

Dubbed the 'female Viagra' after the little blue pills that treat erectile dysfunction in men, herbal libido booster Lady Prelox is on sale on the high street

Dubbed the 'female Viagra' after the little blue pills that treat erectile dysfunction in men, herbal libido booster Lady Prelox is on sale on the high street

Taken once a day, this herbal mix is said to encourage blood flow to the reproductive organs and the  brain, making sex more enjoyable for women.

Three clinical trials with 255 women published in Panminerva Medica – the Journal of the Italian Medical Association - found the supplement improved female sexual pleasure.

All participants who supplemented with Lady Prelox showed a significant improvement in desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm satisfaction and also recorded less discomfort and pain during intercourse.

Around 87 per cent reported an improvement in their sex lives after eight weeks, and scientists concluded the pill, on sale at Holland & Barrett at – many would argue – a hefty £37.95 for a month’s supply, ‘significantly improves sexual function’.

The product is the female version of Prelox for men. Launched in 2010, annual European sales for Prelox now top £10 million.

So is it really any good? We asked two women to take the pill and report how it affected their sexual desire… 

Claire Johnson, 42, is an operations manager. She lives in Aylesford, Kent, with her husband Daniel and two children

Revived: Claire Johnson, 42, says she had little sexual desire and just wanted to get sex 'over and done with'

Revived: Claire Johnson, 42, says she had little sexual desire and just wanted to get sex 'over and done with'

Having quite a few older friends, I had heard people talk about the menopause and the symptoms that go with it. 

So, when I started noticing I had some of the same things - tiredness, mood swings, difficulty sleeping - I wondered if I was going through the change.

I wasn't sleeping very well which meant I was tired throughout the day and would snap at my husband for no reason. I didn't feel like myself but was powerless to stop how I felt.

In general, I just didn’t feel great and my sex drive was affected by that, too. My husband and I were having sex – about once a week – because knew sex was important to the relationship, but I just saw it as something I needed to tick off the to-do list.

After taking the herbal supplement, she had 'more energy, was less stressed and more interested in sex'

After taking the herbal supplement, she had 'more energy, was less stressed and more interested in sex'

As a woman, desire works differently to men and we need to be in the right mood to be intimate. But the way I was feeling meant the mood was never quite right.

I would have sex but wouldn't really enjoy it, instead I would just want to get it over and done with.’

My husband Daniel didn't really notice something was wrong with our sex life until I started taking the supplement and it improved. Then he saw a huge difference in me.

But before this point, my moods were bad and I was terrified we’d get to the point where we weren’t having any sex at all.

Then, in November, a colleague mentioned she had been taking Lady Prelox tablets as one of the participants in a clinical trial. 

Knowing it was herbal meant I didn’t really have anything to lose. I wouldn’t have wanted to take a chemical tablet.

Because it’s natural, it took some time to work  - but two months of taking it I noticed I felt different.

I had more energy, was less stressed and more interested in sex.

Instead of seeing it as a chore I would find myself thinking about when my husband and I could get a moment to ourselves. 

I was more passionate and instead of slapping his hand away if he was being amorous, I encouraged it.

The quantity of sex we are having is the same, but the quality is much better - and Daniel has definitely noticed a difference.

In general, I feel better within myself in so many different ways. Intimacy is so important in a relationship and now I feel we’ve got that back.

I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to get the spark back in their sex life.
 
Stella Ashton, 33, is a teacher from Cheltenham Spa and a mother-of-three

I became single a year ago after a long-term relationship and I was left feeling really daunted by the idea of dating.

Being a busy working mum I never really had time to think of myself and was always rushing around.

It meant I never really thought about dating and finding a new relationship, until recently.

No energy for a relationship: Busy mother Sarah said she had no libido, but now feels happier and ready to date again

No energy for a relationship: Busy mother Sarah said she had no libido, but now feels happier and ready to date again

I don’t want to be on my own forever and would like to meet someone but at the same time, at the end of last year, I was just left feeling exhausted.

I didn’t feel very sexy or particularly interested in being intimate with someone - the desire to have sex had just gone away - and I knew that needed to change before I would meet someone.

Pycnogenol is derived from the pine bark of a tree known as Pinus pinaster (pictured)

Pycnogenol is derived from the pine bark of a tree known as Pinus pinaster (pictured)

I was also daunted about being on my own and trying to get to know a new partner.

So, I went to see a sex therapist who suggested I try Lady Prelox.

‘She explained it was a completely herbal supplement that supposed to help women with low libidos and who, generally, felt unsexy.

Since it was herbal I knew I didn't have anything to lose, so the sex therapist gave me some boxes to try.

After just four weeks of taking it, I felt so much better. I was happier in myself, I felt more attractive, more feminine and less anxious.

In turn, my libido came back and I began to be interested in the idea of dating and having a relationship with someone.

I know that my sex drive was so low before because I was so exhausted – but these pills seemed to reverse that.

Now I’m confident that when I do meet someone, I’ll be able to have a full relationship – and will definitely keep taking the tablets.
 

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