Enzyte is an herbal nutritional supplement manufactured by Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals of Cincinnati, Ohio. The manufacturer claims Enzyte promotes "natural male enhancement", which is a weasel word for penile enlargement, increased duration and firmness of erection and increased sexual stamina. Enzyte is widely advertised on US television as "the once daily tablet for natural male enhancement".
A current lawsuit alleges Enzyte does not work as advertised (source: . This is supported by recent litigation by the Federal Trade Commission against the product's manufacturer. Despite manufacturer claims that Enzyte will increase penis size, girth, firmness, and improve sexual performance, there exists no scientific evidence that Enzyte is capable of these claims. In fact, Enzyte has never been scientifically tested by the FDA, or other independent third party.
Accordingly, Enzyte is required by current US law to be marketed as an herbal supplement, and may not legally be called a drug. In keeping with FTC rulings, Enzyte is not allowed to claim these benefits in its advertising. However, as of August 2007, TV commercials for the product still use the phrase "natural male enhancement."
Despite being a compound of herbs, minerals, and vitamins, Enzyte formerly promoted itself under a fake scientific name of Suffragium asotas. While Enzyte's manufacturer claims this phrase translates as "better sex," this is incorrect. Harvard teaching fellow Rhett Martin says in a USA Today article that the phrase might be an error for suffragor asotis, meaning "refuge for the dissipated."
Enzyte is said to contain:
- Tribulus terrestris (puncture vine)
- Niacin
- Panax Ginseng
- Epimedium (horny goatweed)
- Avena sativa (oat)
- Zinc Oxide
- Lepidium meyenii (maca)
- Muira puama
- Ginkgo biloba
- L-Arginine
- Deprovensizdine
- Aehrraid 24
- Food dye no.49
- Saw Palmetto
- Other ingredients: Gelatin, Cellulose, rice bran, oat fiber, magnesium stearate, silicon dioxide, dicalcium phosphate, silica, titanium dioxide and propylene glycol.
Most of the above ingredients are commonly available as over the counter herbal or dietary supplements, and most have anecdotal or scientific evidence of efficacy on various systems in the human body. One notable ingredient, Yohimbe, was included in the original formulation of Enzyte, which was produced until at least 2004. However, as Yohimbe's legal status in Canada is unclear, Enzyte produced after 2004 no longer contains Yohimbe extract.
