Malawi men protest ban of Revin drink boosting sexual stamina: Many suffering from erection problems

Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS)  has announced  that a ban has been imposed on the import, sale and supply of “erection causing” energy drink Revin Power – a Zambian produced beverage –  but men in the country are protesting that they should be allowed to have “erection rigging” through the drink.

MBS acting Director General Willie Muyila said on Monday that after a consumer in Uganda complained of a prolonged erection, with tests suggesting the drink  contained the active ingredient of Viagra, they  made “analytical tests” with the Pharmacy and Poisons Board and found out  that  the drink contained sildenafil citrate used to treat erectile dysfunction.

But Malawian men commenting on an earlier story on Nyasa Times of the purported ban of the drink and those who took it on social media platforms, said they should let them have “free and fair erection” using the drink or any other.

One man commenting under the name Bundaunda said: “I use Revin Natural Power and it gives me sexual stamina. The performance is beyond what I normally do.”

Random spot checks found that the price for Revin varies between K380 and K700 in hawkers, shops and supermarkets like Chipiku. But in other places such as bottlestores the drinks fetch as high as high K1 000 depending on the bar and probably location.

Some of the Malawian men said they are experiencing erectile dysfunction – a subject which is a taboo in the society  to discuss openly.

However, in debating the ban of Revin, the men were happy to share intimate details of their lives on social media, saying  many were  having struggles with impotence.

The men blame stress for the sexual issue, with the other most common causes being tiredness, anxiety and boozing too heavily.

Nonetheless, others queried  Malawians regulators for being awaken from slumber over Revin Power after reports that a man who consumed the drink in Uganda faced  a prolonged erection, wondering where they were when this product was being sold on the Malawian market.

Media practitioner Chachacha Munthali wrote on Facebook: “A stubborn erection far away in Uganda has just jolted the Malawi Bureau of Standards and the Pharmacy, Medicines and Poisons Board to life. A man in Uganda had an erection that lasted six hours after consuming Revin! Tests there revealed the energy drink contains sildenafil citrate, popularly known as Viagra. The Pharmacy, Medicines and Poisons Board argues that Viagra can only be given to someone who has a prescription. Now, Revin is not new in Malawi. It has been around for two years or so. What has it done, in that period, to thousands of men who took to it like ducks to water?

“I doubt sildenafil citrate is a recent addition to the product. And that raises some questions. Why has it taken MBS and the board over two years to realise Revin was up to no good and needed to be banned? Did it have to take an incurable erection in Uganda for them to realise Malawian men were equally at risk? How many harmful products, local and foreign, do people consume simply because MBS and/or the board are sleeping on the job? Shouldn’t it be MBS’s remit to routinely test these products to certify their suitability?”

Munthali also wondered whether the bureau  and the board tested  ‘white ginger roots’ a herbal aphrodisiac locally known as Gondolosi or Mondia Whitei in scientific terms, Mthibulo, Mkwapukwapu and other local libido-boosting pills.

“Some people swear by them they are better than Revin,” he wrote.

Gondolosi  plant is said to be of great significance in a man’s sexual life as it helps him to be strong and good in bed

But others warned over reports of men dying because of pleasure after using libido boosters.

Men continue to seek products that improve blood flow to the male sex organs, increasing erection and performance.

However, medical experts advise that before resorting to these remedies, lifestyle changes can influence sex drive’s healthier diet, quitting smoking and recreational drugs, and avoiding over consumption of alcohol all have positive benefits.