Off the shelf 'herbal Viagra' goes on sale - at £7.97 for two tablets

A tablet hailed as the natural alternative to Viagra is to go on sale over the counter this week in Superdrug stores at £7.97 for two.

Viapro is made from a total of 22 exotic ingredients including stinging nettles, mountain herbs and the velvet of deer antlers.

The American manufacturers claim the 375mg pill improved the sex drive of more than 90 per cent of men in tests.

Superdrug says it proved popular during a trial at its Brighton branch and is now available at 116 stores nationwide.

The high street chain believes Viapro offers an attractive alternative to Viagra and similar drugs which can be obtained only on prescription or from internet suppliers who often deal in fakes. It is also being sold at Harrods in London.

About 10 per cent of UK men suffer from erectile dysfunction, but many are too embarrassed to see their doctor.

NHS prescriptions for Viagra are offered only to those whose problem is caused by conditions such as prostate cancer, diabetes or multiple sclerosis. Others have to obtain the drug from private doctors, which can be expensive.

The Viapro pills are said to work within 30 minutes and last 24 hours. Although no prescription is needed, the makers advise men with heart conditions or other medical complaints to seek their doctor's advice before taking them.

The ingredients include maca root, from the high mountains of Peru, which has been used to increase libido by locals for centuries.

Also included is shilajit, meaning "rock warrior", a mineral found in the Himalayas which contains calcium and zinc. The velvet from deer antlers is used as it contains amino acids thought to stimulate testosterone.

Clinical trials involving 47 subjects with mild to moderate erectile dysfunction appear to back up the claims.

The Viapro makers claim 91 per cent reported improved performance and 62 per cent claimed to have completely regained normal sexual function.

Pfizer, which makes Viagra, remains sceptical. A spokesman said: "If they have got the clinical trial evidence to back up their claims then fair enough, but invariably with these sort of herbal treatments they don't.

"There is also the issue that Viagra is a prescription treatment for a very serious medical condition.

"If you can just pick something up off the shelf then whatever it is that's causing it can continue to perpetuate untreated."