A new study has suggested that a dietary supplement meant for sexual enhancement in adults is proving to be extremely toxic for children.

The Center for Injury Research and Policy and the Central Ohio Poison Center, both at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Colombus, published the report based on the study Monday. Researchers claimed at least 275,000 calls — an average of one call every 24 minutes — were made to poison control centers in the U.S. (which receive phone calls through the Poison Help Line and document information about the product, route of exposure, individual exposed, exposure scenario, and other data) because of exposure to all kinds of dietary supplements from 2002 to 2012. The data was obtained from the National Poison Data System, maintained by the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC).

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The report said miscellaneous substances found in commonly used dietary supplements accounted for the majority of exposure calls (43.9 percent). The dietary supplements with the highest proportion of serious medical outcomes were energy products, botanical and cultural medicines. In the category of botanical medicines (a medical system based on the use of plants or plant extracts that may be eaten or applied to the skin), yohimbe accounted for the largest proportion of serious medical outcomes (28.2 percent).

The data showed almost seventy percent of the exposure calls occurred among children below six years of age and almost 97 percent of them occurred at home. The child ingested the substance entirely in most cases, albeit unintentionally.

The study also found that 78 percent of yohimbe exposures occurred in children of ages six or older, with one reported death and 1.3 percent cases being deemed serious.

The supplement in question is made from the bark of Pausinystalia yohimbe tree, usually found in parts of central and western Africa. It is used as an aphrodisiac and to deal with impotence; it is also used for athletic performance, weight loss, chest pain, high blood pressure and diabetic neuropathy.

According to the National Centre for Complementary and Integrative Health, Yohimbine hydrochloride, a standardized form of yohimbine, is available in the United States as a prescription drug for erectile dysfunction.

The organization also says that according to a recent analysis, 49 brands of supplements labeled as containing yohimbe or yohimbine were available for sale in the United States. However, another study published in 2015 found that yohimbine content among dietary supplements was inconsistent and, even more worryingly, the labels on some of these supplements did not list yohimbine as an ingredient despite containing it.

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The website of Nationwide Children’s Hospital quoted Henry Spiller, co-author of the study and director of the Central Ohio Poison Center, saying: "Although the majority of these exposure calls did not result in serious medical outcomes, exposures to yohimbe and energy products can be dangerous, suggesting the need for child-resistant packaging, caregiver education and FDA regulation of these substances."

Spiller also called for stricter federal monitoring by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration of dietary supplements, product mislabeling and contamination with other substances.

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