How much icariin equals viagra?

Overview

Icariin is the active ingredient found in the traditional Chinese medicinal herb Epimedium most commonly known as Horny Goat Weed. This plant has been used for generations as a natural treatment to treat erectile dysfunction, low libido and circulatory issues. In short, icariin is 80 times less potent than viagra, however, there are supplements in the market that contain enough icariin to deliver the desired effect.

Research

In 2017 the American Society of Andrology and European Academy of Andrology published research on the effects of icariin on rats which experienced ED. They wanted to assess the efficacy of icariin on eurogenic erectile dysfunction and penile atrophy. 

After giving the rats which experienced ED 1.5mg/kg of icariin daily for 4 weeks, researchers came across two major findings. 

Effects of Icariin

1. Promotes increased blood flow. 

How? A normal erection occurs when one’s body becomes prepared to engage in a sexual activity. The body will release a chemical known as cGMP. This chemical allows the penis and/or clitoris to relax allowing blood to begin to flow in. The increased amount of blood can equate to over eight times the volume of blood before and erection. Once one has an orgasm the body will release an inhibitor called PDE-5. This inhibitor's purpose is to break down the cGMP. Once the cGMP is broken down and nonexistent, the penis or clitoris allows blood to flow out, making one lose their erection.  

The PDE-5 inhibitor is present in those prior to one engaging in sexual activity meaning that they will never be able to experience an erection. This is why icariin has been proven to be effective as it blocks the PDE-5 inhibitor, allowing for cGMP to relax the penis/ clitoris allowing for blood to flow in and create the desired erection. 

2. Repairs the damaged neural pathway for erection

How? A neural pathway is a connection of nerves where an electrical signal can be sent from the brain throughout the body to deliver a specific function. An easy way to remember what the pathway looks like is similar to that of an electrical wire.

A neural pathway can be damaged from a range of causes leading to impairment. Some causes come from stroke, brain lesions or injury to the spinal cord. By having damage to the neural pathway one can experience a weakness toward a set of muscles. In this case that would be with getting an erection. 

Research shows that icariin is able to repair the damaged neural pathway for erection. The damaged pieces are the Schwann cells. You can picture this as the rubber that is around a metal electrical wire.  With icariin, stem cells are able to come in and repair these damaged areas leading to greater connection within the neural pathway.