If you were to take a trip to the forests of East and West China, after some exploration you would come across a group of four-petaled, bright-colored flowers. These flowers and their roots make their way to the nightstands of thousands of men and women across the world each day without them even realizing. They go by the name Horny Goat Weed.
These flowers sprout from a plant properly called Epimedium, which is also known as barrenwort, bishop's hat, fairy wings, or most popularly (and our favorite)by the nickname horny goat weed.
Epimedium (A.K.A. Horny Goat Weed) in the wild.
For centuries, horny goat weed has been a traditional remedy used in China for various sexual performance and general health related reasons. They are now making their way to shelves in America and beyond.
Although the flower is pretty, it’s pretty useless without the active ingredient that gives the desired effect one is looking for. This active ingredient is known as Icariin. Now, we’ll discuss Icariin’s effects on humans (and rats) by way of the studies that have explored it.
What does Horny Goat Weed do?
Horny Goat Weed is primarily used by both men and women to address low libido, erectile dysfunction, fatigue, and/or pain. Some anecdotal but not yet lab-proven reasons for its usage are the following:
high blood pressure
hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis)
symptoms associated with menopause
osteoporosis
brain injury
hay fever
fatigue
Icariin, the active ingredient inside of horny goat weed, has Anti-Atherosclerotic effects.
Atherosclerosis (a·thr·ow·sklr·ow·suhs) is the buildup of fats, cholesterol and other substances in and on your artery walls. Atherosclerosis is extremely common, with 50% of people over the age of 40 likely to develop it.
This causes heart disease, low libido, erectile dysfunction as well as many other negative cardiovascular diseases.
Icariin has many positive effects, but the most notable are its ability to increase blood flow around the body,enabling cGMP and nitric oxide levels to rise. This leads to smooth muscle relaxation, widening of blood vessels and increased blood flow to the penis, facilitating erection, and increased blood flow in women to the vaginal wall.
The Chemical Structure for Icariin
For women specifically, Horny Goat Weed also contains Phytoestrogens, which are chemicals that replicate some effects of a woman’s natural estrogen. This estrogen-like activity can alleviate menopausal symptoms such as low libido.
Does this mean consuming Horny Goat Weed will lower my testosterone as a male? According to a 2009 study, absolutely not. This study regarded the effects of Phytoestrogens on testosterone, and the results were the following: “No significant difference in plasma testosterone concentration between the groups was detected during the first 7 weeks. However, at the age of 5 months (i.e. October 1, week 8) phytoestrogen-treated animals showed significantly higher testosterone concentrations than control animals (37.5 nmol/l vs 19.1 nmol/l).”
That is good news! Horny Goat Weed does not need to be avoided to keep your testosterone levels high.
Further Studies on Horny Goat Weed’s Effectiveness
Although not abundant, there are studies that have explored the effectiveness of Horny Goat Weed and its active ingredient, Icariin. We wanted to include them to give you a direct-from-the-source insight as to how we know how effective these roots are.
In a 2010 study, a group of 12 rats were treated for nerve injuries in the penile area. They were given a daily low-dose, purified form of Icariin and the results were observed.
As per the study “Daily treatment with low-dose, purified ICA improves penile hemodynamic parameters [blood flow] 4 weeks after cavernous nerve injury in a rat model of ED. Improved functional outcomes in ICA-treated animals are associated with increased penile nNOS* and smooth muscle content. Our findings are of interest not just as a validation of this traditional treatment for erectile problems but also as a new and potentially important means to study and treat nerve injuries in human patients.”
*nNOS = neuronal nitric oxide synthase; It produces nitric oxide and when needed, (in simpler terms) helps increase blood flow in muscles.
