How to Treat Erectile Dysfunction and Premature Ejaculation

Erectile dysfunction (ED) and premature ejaculation (PE) are two distinct conditions and must be discussed separately.Treatment for ED includes both traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and Western medicine. In TCM, the first step is to differentiate between excess (shi) and deficiency (xu) patterns.Patients with recent-onset ED or younger and middle-aged individuals typically present with excess patterns, whereas those with long-standing disease or elderly patients more commonly exhibit deficiency patterns—or a combination of deficiency and excess.

Next, the affected organ system(s) must be identified: emotional stress or depression primarily affects the Liver; irregular diet harms the Spleen and Stomach; excessive mental strain impacts the Heart and Spleen; fright or shock predominantly injures the Kidneys; damp-heat mainly involves the Liver; internal accumulation of damp-heat most often affects the Spleen and Stomach; and excessive sexual activity primarily damages the Kidneys.Based on syndrome differentiation, targeted herbal therapy is applied. Western medical treatment primarily employs phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors.The most common agents include sildenafil and vardenafil; domestically produced options include Jinge (a generic sildenafil).

For PE, initial management focuses on TCM, which shares many similarities with ED treatment. Additionally, psychological and behavioral therapies are essential components.Psychological therapy primarily utilizes sensate focus training.Behavioral therapy is followed by herbal treatment—similar to that used for ED—and topical medications such as lidocaine or dyclonine ointments applied to the glans penis and frenulumto reduce local sensitivity.

This helps prolong intercourse duration.Additionally, oral Western medications are available—for example, dapoxetine (Priligy®), currently the only drug specifically developed and approved by China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for the treatment of PE.