As West Africa continues to be flooded by unregulated sexual stimulants, there are growing concerns about the health risks faced by the men who use them.
A New York Times report has found that products claiming to be 100 natural herbal remedies to improve virility, are resulting in serious consequences.
These artisanal drugs are leaving men drooling uncontrollably, suffering from migraines and life-threatening erections, and facing a higher risk of heart attacks.
Public health officials in Ivory Coast found that so-called sexual stimulants, like the beverage Attoté, contains a drug commonly known as Viagra, but at levels eight times higher than the recommended dose.
The pills are manufactured in India and smuggled into country, where they are crushed and mixed with other ingredients to form a drink which is sold for $1.50 domestically.
Available on Amazon and even Walmart, it is sold for $15 in France, and $20 in the United States, where they are advertised as “100 percent natural”, though the ingredients are not listed on the bottle.
The United Nations says up to half of the drugs in West Africa are unregulated, and resulting in an estimated half a million deaths a year, with sexual stimulants like Attoté the most frequently reported.
While Ivory Coast suspended its production a few months ago, citing misleading advertising and health risks, including death, demand remains high.