Viral ED tricks fact-checked: salt, baking soda, Vicks, watermelon and more
The short answer
None of the viral tricks has good evidence behind it for ED. We found no study testing salt, baking soda or Vicks for erections, and extra salt or swallowed baking soda can cause harm. Watermelon has no ED trial of its own, and pomegranate juice has one small pilot trial. Exercise, weight loss and FDA-approved medicines have real evidence, and a clinician check comes first.
The short version: short videos and ads keep promising a kitchen-cupboard fix for erection problems: a pinch of salt, a spoon of baking soda, a menthol chest rub, a slice of watermelon. We looked for the evidence behind each one. For salt, baking soda and Vicks we found no study in men with ED at all, and two of them can cause real harm. Watermelon and pomegranate have a thin thread of research, but it is small, early and, for watermelon, not about the fruit itself. The approaches with solid evidence are less exciting and more reliable: exercise, weight loss, a heart-healthy diet and FDA-approved medicines, chosen with a clinician who also checks what the ED may be pointing to.
| Viral claim | What the evidence shows | Can it cause harm? |
|---|---|---|
| The “salt trick” (table or blue salt) | No study found; diets higher in sodium are linked with high blood pressure | Yes, over time, through blood pressure |
| Baking soda in water | No study found for ED | Yes: large amounts can cause electrolyte problems and heart rhythm trouble; stomach rupture has been reported |
| Vicks VapoRub applied to the genitals | No study found for ED; the label lists chest, throat, muscle and joint uses only | Label warns against damaged skin and the eyes, and against swallowing it |
| Watermelon | No trial of eating watermelon for ED; one 24-man pilot used a citrulline supplement | Not as a food |
| Pomegranate juice | One small trial; the result did not reach statistical significance | Not as a food |
| ”Natural” honey or herbal sexual-enhancement products | FDA testing keeps finding hidden prescription drugs in them | Yes: hidden drugs can interact with nitrates |
Where do these claims come from?
Most viral ED tricks spread through short videos and advertising rather than research, and the claim usually arrives with a link to buy something. A March 2025 explainer written for Ro and syndicated on WFTV described salt-trick videos in which many people recite the same script and share the same personal story, often next to a link promising the “full recipe,” and it traced search interest in the phrase to late September 2024 (WFTV, “What is the salt trick for men”). A testimonial is not evidence. The Federal Trade Commission’s guidance for health marketers says claims made through testimonials still need scientific backing, that health benefit claims generally need randomized controlled trials in people, and that “traditional use” claims should not be made for treating serious medical conditions (FTC, Health Products Compliance Guidance, December 2022). None of the tricks below meets that bar.
Does the salt trick work for ED?
There is no evidence that eating salt, or rubbing it on the body, improves erections; we found no study that tested it. The versions described online involve eating table salt or “blue salt,” or applying salt to the body, and the videos often show salt being stirred into water or cola (WFTV). The better-documented effect of salt runs the other way. The FDA says diets higher in sodium are associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure, and that a high-sodium diet draws water into the bloodstream, which can raise blood pressure (FDA, Sodium in Your Diet). High blood pressure is on the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) list of blood vessel conditions that can lead to ED (NIDDK, Symptoms & Causes of ED). The FDA’s concern is with diets higher in sodium over time, which is what a daily salt habit sold as an erection booster adds up to. Our page on ED and high blood pressure explains that link.
Can baking soda help erectile dysfunction?
No study shows baking soda helps ED, and swallowing it in large amounts can be dangerous. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. MedlinePlus calls it nontoxic in cooking, but lists symptoms of overdose that include vomiting, muscle spasms, weakness and convulsions, and notes that if vomiting and diarrhea are not controlled, chemical and mineral imbalances may follow that can disturb heart rhythm (MedlinePlus, Baking soda overdose). Poison control toxicologists at the California Poison Control System described a 50-year-old man who had added baking soda to his drinks as an antacid daily for years. After a week of vomiting and diarrhea he arrived at the emergency department with dangerously low potassium and had an episode of ventricular tachycardia there. The authors also reviewed case reports of the stomach rupturing from the gas it releases (Al-Abri and Olson, J Med Toxicol, 2013). The National Capital Poison Center adds that stomach ruptures can occur when baking soda is taken after a large meal or heavy drinking (Poison Control, baking soda). There is no erection benefit to weigh against those risks.
Is it safe to put Vicks VapoRub on the penis?
There is no evidence that Vicks VapoRub helps erections, and its label does not list any use on the genitals. The product is a camphor, eucalyptus oil and menthol ointment. Its Drug Facts label lists two uses: rubbed on the chest and throat for a cough from a cold, and on muscles and joints for minor aches. The same label says it is for external use only, to avoid the eyes, not to use it on wounds or damaged skin or with tight bandages, and to get medical help or call a Poison Control Center if it is swallowed (DailyMed, Vicks VapoRub label). Applying it to genital skin falls outside every use on that label, and we found no study of it for ED.
Does watermelon help ED?
Watermelon has a plausible story but no trial behind the fruit itself. It is a natural source of citrulline (Rimando and Perkins-Veazie, J Chromatogr A, 2005), an amino acid the body turns into arginine, which feeds the nitric oxide pathway involved in erections. The only ED study we found used a citrulline supplement, not watermelon: in a single-blind pilot of 24 men with mild ED, 12 (50%) improved by one step on an erection hardness score while taking citrulline, compared with 2 (8.3%) on placebo, and the authors said it was less effective than prescription PDE5 inhibitor medicines, at least in the short term (Cormio and colleagues, Urology, 2011). That is one month per phase, two dozen men and no comparison with eating the fruit. Our pages on L-arginine and L-citrulline and diet and ED, which also covers beet juice and coffee, go through that research in detail.
Does pomegranate juice help ED?
The only randomized trial of pomegranate juice for ED we found did not reach statistical significance. In a double-blind crossover study of 53 men with mild to moderate ED, each man drank pomegranate juice for 4 weeks and a placebo drink for 4 weeks. Of the 42 who reported improvement on a global assessment questionnaire, 25 did so after the pomegranate juice. Improvement was more common on the juice, but with a p-value of 0.058 the difference did not reach statistical significance, and the authors described it as a pilot study, suggesting larger groups and longer treatment periods (Forest and colleagues, Int J Impot Res, 2007). Pomegranate is a reasonable part of a fruit-rich diet. It is not a proven ED treatment.
Can any of these tricks cause harm?
Yes. Salt and baking soda carry real risks, and so do “natural” sexual enhancement products sold online and in stores.
Status: FDA warning: hidden drug ingredient found. Source: U.S. FDA notifications, checked 2026-10-18.
The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) says no complementary health approach has been shown to be safe and effective for treating ED, and that many products sold as “herbal Viagra” have been found to contain hidden drug ingredients that are not on the label (NCCIH, Dietary Supplements for Sexual Enhancement). Honey products are part of the pattern: FDA laboratory analysis found tadalafil, the active ingredient in Cialis, in a product called Royal Honey VIP, and warned that it may interact with nitrates such as nitroglycerin and lower blood pressure to dangerous levels (NCCIH, Royal Honey VIP warning). FDA says its own list covers only a small fraction of contaminated products, so a product’s absence from the list does not mean it is safe (FDA, Sexual Enhancement and Energy Product Notifications). There is a quieter harm too. NIDDK notes that ED may be a symptom of another health problem (NIDDK), so time spent on a trick can delay a check for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure or heart disease. Our guide to FDA tainted supplement warnings shows how to spot these products.
What does have evidence?
The approaches with the best evidence are lifestyle change and FDA-approved treatment chosen with a clinician. A 2023 meta-analysis of 11 randomized trials found that aerobic exercise improved erectile function scores by an average of 2.8 points on a 6 to 30 scale compared with no exercise, with larger gains in men whose ED was more severe (Khera and colleagues, J Sex Med, 2023). In a 2-year randomized trial of 110 obese men aged 35 to 55 with ED and without diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, 17 of the 55 men advised to lose weight and be more active reached a score of 22 or higher on the erectile function questionnaire, compared with 3 of the 55 controls; the authors summarized this as improvement in about one third of the men (Esposito and colleagues, JAMA, 2004). A meta-analysis of 6 trials with 740 men found that lifestyle changes and treatment of heart risk factors improved erectile function scores (Gupta and colleagues, Arch Intern Med, 2011). NIDDK also lists smoking, heavy drinking and too little physical activity among the behaviors that may contribute to ED (NIDDK). Our comparison of natural remedies and medication sets these side by side.
Can ED be reversed naturally?
Sometimes ED improves when its cause is treated or a habit changes, but no home trick does that on its own. The trials above show lifestyle change can raise erectile function scores, including in men with excess weight or cardiovascular risk factors. Other causes, such as nerve damage, low testosterone or a medicine side effect, need a clinician to identify them. Our page on whether ED can be reversed goes through which causes tend to improve and which do not.
When should I talk to a clinician?
Talk to a clinician if erection trouble keeps happening, started suddenly, or comes with other symptoms, rather than trying another trick. NIDDK lists diabetes, high blood pressure, heart and blood vessel disease, low testosterone and many common medicines among the things that can lead to ED (NIDDK). Ask about any supplement or “natural” product before taking it, and tell the clinician if you take nitrates for chest pain. If you have swallowed a large amount of baking soda or any product and feel unwell, contact Poison Help or emergency care right away.
The bottom line
The salt trick, baking soda and Vicks have no evidence for ED, and two of them can hurt you. Watermelon and pomegranate have only thin research behind the ED claim, and for watermelon none of it tested the fruit. What does have evidence is less viral: regular exercise, weight loss, a heart-healthy diet, not smoking and, where it fits, an FDA-approved medicine from a licensed prescriber. More myth checks are in our myth library.
Sources
- WFTV, “What is the salt trick for men, and is it a secret to improved intimacy?” (March 28, 2025): explainer written for Ro, describing scripted salt-trick videos and search interest beginning in late September 2024.
- U.S. FDA, Sodium in Your Diet: higher-sodium diets are associated with an increased risk of high blood pressure.
- NIDDK, Symptoms & Causes of Erectile Dysfunction: conditions, medicines and lifestyle behaviors that can lead to ED, including high blood pressure.
- MedlinePlus, Baking soda overdose: overdose symptoms and electrolyte imbalances that can disturb heart rhythm.
- Al-Abri SA, Olson KR. Baking soda can settle the stomach but upset the heart (J Med Toxicol, 2013): case report and review of complications including low potassium, arrhythmia and gastric rupture.
- National Capital Poison Center (Poison Control), baking soda: sodium and bicarbonate toxicity and stomach rupture after large meals or alcohol.
- DailyMed, Vicks VapoRub (camphor, eucalyptus oil, menthol ointment) label: labeled uses and warnings.
- Rimando AM, Perkins-Veazie PM. Determination of citrulline in watermelon rind (J Chromatogr A, 2005): watermelon as a natural and rich source of citrulline.
- Cormio L, et al. Oral L-citrulline supplementation improves erection hardness in men with mild erectile dysfunction (Urology, 2011): single-blind pilot, 24 men; 50% versus 8.3% improved.
- Forest CP, et al. Efficacy and safety of pomegranate juice on improvement of erectile dysfunction (Int J Impot Res, 2007): crossover trial, 53 men completed; P=0.058, not statistically significant.
- NCCIH, Dietary Supplements Marketed for Weight Loss, Bodybuilding, and Sexual Enhancement: What the Science Says: no complementary approach shown safe and effective for ED; hidden drug ingredients in “herbal Viagra” products.
- NCCIH, Royal Honey VIP Contains Hidden Drug Ingredient: FDA found undeclared tadalafil; nitrate interaction warning.
- U.S. FDA, Sexual Enhancement and Energy Product Notifications: the list covers only a small fraction of contaminated products.
- Federal Trade Commission, Health Products Compliance Guidance (December 2022): substantiation, testimonials and traditional-use claims.
- Khera M, et al. Effect of aerobic exercise on erectile function: systematic review and meta-analysis (J Sex Med, 2023): 11 randomized trials; mean improvement of 2.8 points.
- Gupta BP, et al. The effect of lifestyle modification and cardiovascular risk factor reduction on erectile dysfunction (Arch Intern Med, 2011): 6 trials, 740 participants.
- Esposito K, et al. Effect of lifestyle changes on erectile dysfunction in obese men: a randomized controlled trial (JAMA, 2004): 110 obese men aged 35 to 55; 17 of 55 versus 3 of 55 reached an IIEF score of 22 or higher.
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