So, is yohimbe embargoed or not?

[teamfatboy]

HI folks, I've heard conflicting reports about yohimbe..either it's banned and folks won't ship products with it in to NZ, or it's legal, and folks can sell it from NZ websites without prosecution, and it can't all be old-stock, surely?

One story's gotta be wrong, but what's the actual truth? Does Customs actually post a list somewhere? I couldn't find one.

[Pseudonym]

If you look up MedSafe's Classification of Medicines database and search for "yohimbine" you'll see it's listed as a prescription medicine.

Now, I'm a little hazy as to exactly what yohimbine is. I think it's a derivative of yohimbe, but whether that means yohimbe in its unprocessed form is also ruled out, I couldn't say.

[Flex]

Yohimbine is an alkaloid in Yohimbe - like caffeine in coffee beans. Yohimbine HCL (Yohimbine Hydrochloride) is a synthetic manmade version. Because Yohimbine is listed as a med any product with yohimbe in it is technically banned for retail sale as it contains the active yohimbine. You can only import it for personal use if you have a prescription.

[Flex]

One other thing, Yohimbine has been listed as prescription only in NZ for at least 7 or 8 years, so it's not like a new change or restriction on it. Any retailer should be well aware of what they are selling and know it's not legal for them to sell it.

[bj powerL]

Flex man, what do you do for a job, luv the knowledge bro! Where do you get the time to lookup or know this stuff.

[biggurl27]

:ditto: definately lots of knowledge there! Very interesting reads

[teamfatboy]

Yohimbine is an alkaloid in Yohimbe - like caffeine in coffee beans. Yohimbine HCL (Yohimbine Hydrochloride) is a synthetic manmade version. Because Yohimbine is listed as a med any product with yohimbe in it is technically banned for retail sale as it contains the active yohimbine. You can only import it for personal use if you have a prescription.

Heya Flex,

Thanks for that - I'm learning heaps!

Am I correct in thinking that the medicine controls that apply to Yohimbine HCL don't apply to 'raw' yohimbe (twigs, or leaves, or whatever) - along the lines of willow-bark versus aspirin?

[deegee]

Like flex said it has been banned for years, its just that in the past nobody ever bothered to enforce it very much, however it appears in the last 6-12 months lots of things that were slipping in unchecked are now being stopped.

[bj powerL]

This just got sent to me and might help all

http://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/class/classintro.asp

The link has the class for medicines but does not include the class of 'dietary supplements' which brings up ingredients that this one doesn't.

So I guess beware, just because you don't see something in the class/classintro page doesn't mean it's ok

[Stifado]

Hi, i buy a lot of supplements from 'Iherb' in the U.S. I noticed under Yohimbe that some of the products were restricted and some were not. I emailed them recently and asked why. They said it depends on who the manufacturer is and whether or not that manufacturer had provided the required docs about the products approval. In short, it appears that if they don't have the 'Red writing' under the product saying that 'We cannot send this item to your country due to import restrictions', you are free to go ahead and order it. I have purchased several products from them which have Yohimbe in it and they have arrived just fine. Yohimbe on it's own seems to be a different story. If it's part of a product that has say 8 ingredients, it seems to be ok? Not sure if from a body building point of view this will suffice...but if you are looking for help with 'fun between the sheets'..then these are just fine....It gives you another kind of lift...if you know what i mean..

[Riccardo]

They're still classed as medicines, nothing has changed sunce 2008, so sure you may have avoided detection a few times (they cant check every package). But are you prepared to risk medsafe commandos raiding your place at dawn and sticking their size 12 Magnums up your ass? That will surely give you another kind of 'lift'.....if you know what I mean...