To avoid paying for prescription drugs, or the embarrassment of discussing such matters with their physicians, many turn to over-the-counter (OTC) products.

Sales of dietary supplements doubled in the US from 1999-2007, and around 50% of Americans use them for a variety of conditions.

The dazzling array of products, from horny goat weed to ginseng, costs from $0.83 to $5.77 per day. But lack of regulation on dosage, purity or ingredients, and limited information regarding health effects confuses patients and medical practitioners alike.

Researchers from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, reviewed the scientific evidence for the effectiveness and safety of the most common ingredients in top-selling men’s health products.

They wanted to provide urologists with a guide for counseling patients who present with sexual health problems and who are taking such supplements.