Butea superba

Butea superba is a vining shrub native to Thailand, Vietnam, and India thought by locals to be an aphrodisiac among other effects. It is abundantly distributed in the Thai deciduous forest and has been popular among Thai males for its supposed effects on rejuvenation and sexual vigor. In English it has variously been called red kwao krua, creeping butea, butea gum tree, flame of the forest, and climbing palas. Existing open trials have come to conflicting conclusions about the efficacy of butea, though they used completely different products at different doses and in different populations. No placebo-controlled clinical studies exist so far to support aphrodisiac activity. The tuberous roots of Butea superba were found to contain flavonoids and flavonoid glycosides as well as sterol compounds, including β-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol. One study in rats found the application of high doses of dried plant material (200 mg/kg body weight) had a negative impact on several blood parameters and decreased testosterone