Governor orders study into sex stimulant seeds

Governor orders study into sex stimulant seeds

A pha dam seed, believed to be usable as an erectile stimulant for men, in tambon Muang Bang Khlang of Sawankhalok district of Sukhothai. (Photo by Phubet Faithes)
A pha dam seed, believed to be usable as an erectile stimulant for men, in tambon Muang Bang Khlang of Sawankhalok district of Sukhothai. (Photo by Phubet Faithes)

The governor of Sukhothai province's interest has been aroused after he learned that the seeds of a local tree can be used to effectively treat erectile dysfunction.

Pipat Ekpapan said he was instructing the Sukhothai College of Agriculture and Technology to find ways to quickly increase the number of pha dam (Gardenia sootepensis) trees in the province.

He would also ask the college to seriously research the effects of products from the pha dam tree, which is an indigenous plant, and later seek patent registration.

The governor's stirring interest in a possible local cure came as health officials warned that all samples of the drug sildenafil, the active ingredient in the popular erectile dysfunction drug viagra, collected during a survey of the Central Plains region were not from licenced producers.

Dr Sukhum Kanchanaphimai, director-general of the Medical Sciences Department, said his men had tested 10 samples, both capsules and powder, and none of them were licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Using unlicensed drugs carried a high risk. The quality was rarely up to standard and consumers had no way of knowing what the ingredients actually were, which could be fatal, he said.

He recommended consumers choose only FDA-certified medicine.

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