Royal Honey is a dietary supplement primarily made with honey, that’s used for sexual enhancement in both men and women. The brand Royal Honey America claims their supplement can not only improve libido, but also improve fertility and even increase penis size in men.
But does Royal Honey contain ingredients proven to have these effects in clinical studies, or are these just marketing claims? Does the product contain any unhealthy additive ingredients? Is the product for men or women better-formulated? And how do real users rate and describe the effects of Royal Honey?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more as we review the ingredients in Royal Honey VIP, Royal Honey for Men, and Royal Honey for Women based on medical studies to give our take on whether or not the supplements are likely to be effective.
We’ll also share an FDA warning about a hidden drug ingredient found in Royal Honey, and share real, unsponsored user reviews of the supplement.
Royal Honey VIP Ingredient Analysis
Royal Honey VIP, also called Kingdom Royal Honey VIP, has five active ingredients shown above: honey, Tribulus terrestris, maca, tongkat ali and Panax ginseng.
Honey is unsurprisingly the first ingredient, and a medical review published in the Antioxidants journal found that honey can improve libido, erectile function and fertility in men. We cannot identify any evidence that honey improves sexual function in women.
Tribulus terrestris was shown in a 2020 meta-study to significantly improve sexual function in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women. The study authors analyzed data from five different clinical trials on Tribulus supplementation in women to come to this conclusion.
Maca is one of the most well-studied natural aphrodisiacs. However, as we referenced in our VigorNow reviews article on another sexual function supplement, this ingredient is best taken gelatinized rather than raw, because it is an indigestible starch (like potato) and may cause gastrointestinal upset when taken raw.
Tongkat ali was found in a 2017 medical review to have “remarkable association…in the treatment of male sexual disorders” in seven of the 11 clinical trials analyzed.
Panax ginseng was found to improve sexual arousal and sexual desire in women in a meta-analysis published in the Phytomedicine journal.
Clearly there are a number of effective ingredients in this formulation for improving sex drive and sexual function in both men and women. We would otherwise recommend this supplement based on its formulation, but unfortunately it’s been found to be contaminated with a hidden drug ingredient, as we’ll detail in the next section.
FDA Finds Hidden Drug in Royal Honey
In April of 2022, the FDA published a Public Notification that Kingdom Honey Royal Honey VIP contained the drug ingredient sildenafil, which is the active ingredient in Viagra.
The FDA advised consumers to not purchase or use Kingdom Royal Honey VIP, because drug ingredients require FDA approval, cannot be included in dietary supplements, and may cause side effects.
A later FDA News Release, published in July of 2022, suggests that other honey-based supplements may be tainted with another drug ingredient called tadalafil, which is the active ingredient in Cialis.
This later News Release does not describe the products by name, so it’s impossible to determine if other Royal Honey products may be tainted.
Real, Unsponsored Royal Honey User Review
A YouTube creator named “Life with the Vargas Family” shared his experience taking Royal Honey, answered some user questions, and explained his thoughts on how long prior to sex to take the supplement:
Are Other Royal Honey Products Better-Formulated?
Royal Honey has two popular supplements branded by sex: Royal Honey for Him, and Royal Honey for Her.
The ingredients shown above are from Royal Honey for Him, also called Etumax Royal Honey for Him.
Three of the ingredients are the same as in the Royal Honey VIP product reviewed in the previous section (Eurycoma longifolia is the scientific name for tongkat ali).
Bee larva powder is the only unique ingredient in this formulation, and we cannot identify any medical evidence suggesting it’s effective for improving sexual function.
The ingredients for Royal Honey for Her, also called Etumax Royal Honey for Her, are shown above.
Royal jelly was shown in a 2016 clinical trial to improve sexual function in menopausal women when used topically on the vagina, but we can’t find any medical evidence that it’s effective when taken orally.
Bee pollen is only included at a concentration of 1%, and we can’t find any medical studies suggesting it’s effective for improving libido in women.
Kacip fatima is a flowering plant claimed by the manufacturer to be an “amazing herb for women,” however there is no citation for this claim. While it has been studied for childbirth and hot flashes, we can’t find any studies suggesting this herb is effective for improving sexual desire or function in women.
Overall we consider Royal Honey VIP to be the best-formulated of the Royal Honey supplements.
Does Royal Honey Cause Side Effects?
Royal Honey does not appear to have been studied in any clinical trials, so it’s impossible to say for certain whether the supplement causes side effects.
However, we can make an educated guess based on its ingredients.
We consider this supplement more likely than average to cause side effects given that it was found to contain a hidden drug ingredient. Sildenafil can cause indigestion, flushing and headache according to medical research.
All of the ingredients listed on the label for Royal Honey are safe and non-toxic, so our concern over side effects is only in regard to the potential hidden drug ingredient(s) and not the herbal ingredients.
A YouTube video called “Royal Honey Horror Story” documents the side effects that one user experienced. We’ve timestamped the video below to start at the point where he begins discussing the side effects he experienced:
Can Ginseng Naturally Improve Sex Drive?
Panax ginseng, which is a plant native to Asia, has been studied in various clinical trials for its ability to improve sex drive in men and women, and to improve erections in men. We already reviewed this ingredient in the above sections, but we want to share further research on taking it in isolation for improving sexual function.
A 2013 medical review on ginseng and male reproductive function found that with daily use, the supplement increased sex drive.
A clinical trial published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine found that panax ginseng supplementation increased sex drive by 13% in menopausal women.
A clinical trial published in The Journal of Urology found that after eight weeks of treatment, erectile function scores were "significantly higher" in the ginseng group than the group taking placebo pills.
Illuminate Labs sells a panax ginseng extract supplement which is third-party tested to ensure label accuracy, potency and purity, and which contains no questionable additive ingredients.
Interested consumers can check out Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract at this link to the product page on our website, where the supplement can be purchased for only $15 on a subscription basis.
Royal Honey VIP costs $6.67 per serving, while Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract costs $0.25 per serving.
