FDA Warns About Aphrodisiac Coffee

WASHINGTON -- The FDA is warning of potential serious side effects associated with an instant coffee marketed as a dietary supplement that enhances sexual experiences.

Magic Power Coffee, which is sold online, contains the undeclared active drug hydroxythiohomosildenafil -- a compound similar to sildenafil, the active ingredient of Viagra.

Like sildenafil, the drug can interact with nitrates, causing dangerous decreases in blood pressure.

"Because this product is an instant coffee labeled as an 'all natural dietary supplement,' consumers may assume it is harmless and poses no health risk," Deborah M. Autor, director of the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research's Office of Compliance, said in a prepared statement.

The beverage is sold online in a 2-serving box and 12-serving carton through several independent distributors working in what the agency described as "a multilevel marketing scheme."

This and other similar sexual enhancement products have been on the FDA radar in recent years, as many FDA-approved drugs, approved-drug analogs, and similar active ingredients have been found in these supplements but do not quality as dietary ingredients.

The FDA has not received any reports of adverse events associated with the coffee.