To address problems in sexual health, many practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine instruct their patients to mix their tea or soup with significant horny goat weed dosage. Icariin, a flavonoid abundantly found in the herb, is the biochemical responsible for this tremendous improvement in sexuality.
So, what makes the icariin found in Horny Goat Weed (Epimedium sagittatum) so important? Does it really improve libido and boost testosterone levels?
Is it true it also have a whole bunch of general health benefits as well?
And how much of Horny Goat Weed you should take to reap all its benefits?
Keep reading to learn!
The Role of Nitric Oxide in Your Body
To appreciate the significance of nitric oxide, you must first understand its role in ensuring the health of your blood vessels.
From time to time, your body has to increase the bloodflow to some organ or tissue to ensure its function. For example, during exercise, your muscles need more oxygen to break down carbohydrates and fats to meet increased energy demands.
To ensure this, the blood vessels in the muscles relax to increase local blood flow, providing more oxygen and energy to the tissues.
The same thing happens in response to sexual stimulation. The blood vessels in the penis dilate, allowing more blood to enter the penile tissues. This results in an enlargement and stiffening of the organ: erection.
The described relaxation of the blood vessels is called vasodilation.
Vasodilation is triggered by the release of nitric oxide, which increases the local concentration of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). cGMP is a molecular messenger that causes the vascular relaxation needed to increase blood flow.
However, blood vessels cannot be in a constant state of dilation. Systemic persistent vasodilation leads to low blood pressure and shock, while the same event on a local scale may result in constant erections. The latter is a painful and dangerous condition known as priapism, which can result in local necrosis.
To reverse vasodilation, the body uses an enzyme known as phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5) to breakdown the cGMP within the cells. This leads to the blood vessels returning to their normal non-dilated state.
However, due to such factors as an unhealthy lifestyle, a concurrent disease, or just aging, nitric oxide production can become so low that the body starts having difficulties achieving vasodilation in the first place. This eventually leads to erectile dysfunction, decreased stamina, high blood pressure, and impaired cognition.
How Icariin Can Help You
Being a PDE5 inhibitor, icariin prevents the breakdown of cyclic GMP. This lets the lower nitric oxide concentration in the blood have a greater effect in dilating the blood vessels. Basically, icariin is an all-natural form of Viagra (sildenafil).
Through this, the penis relaxes its smooth muscles and lets more blood to rush inside. This results in an erection, which would not have happened without the aid of a PDE5 inhibitor.
Epimedium supplements have been found to prevent further damage to the penis’ smooth muscles and blood vessels. And although clinical studies are still limited, the herb has shown great potential in rehabilitating the nerves in the penis.
Aside from improving erectile function, taking a horny goat weed supplement may also provide a whole lot of additional health benefits.
Increase Testosterone Levels
It seems that the Chinese healers were right about this herb’s impact on sexual health. After all, not only does horny goat weed improve testosterone levels, but it also has mimetic properties.
This means it’s capable of acting in a way similar to testosterone, possibly providing the same benefits as the hormone itself. In a way, this explains why the horny goat weed is such a famous natural aphrodisiac.
Reduce Risk of Dementia and Improve Cognitive Function
As revealed through animal studies, icariin has anti-amyloid properties.
Beta-amyloid is a peptide that can form plaques in the brain, severely damaging the local tissues and leading to Alzheimer’s disease.
Additionally, icariin extract can protect the brain from toxic damage. In a 2007 animal study, subjects were given a neurotoxin that induced learning and memory deficits – and icariin was able to improve their learning and memory.
Horny goat weed has also been found to stimulate neural stem cells, resulting in the formation of new neurons in the brain.
Promote Bone Growth and Repair
Various studies have confirmed that icariin can enhance bone growth and repair by stimulating tissues that promote bone formation. At the same time, icariin can inhibit the activation of tissues that cause the breakdown of bone mass.
Improve Heart Health
Taking an icariin supplement can reduce the hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis). It can also mitigate diabetes-related oxidative damage to the heart muscle.
In a heart attack, a number of heart muscle cells would die. But, supplementation with the compound was able to reduce the number of cells and tissues dying after such an event.
Stimulate the Formation of Blood Vessels
Icariin can stimulate blood vessel growth by activating the respective pathways responsible for generating, moving, and shaping the blood vessels.
Because of this, it’s believed to have potential in healing stroke-related injuries and vascular damage of all sorts.
Help in Preventing Cancer
Icariin was able to prevent the development of certain tumors, Burkitt lymphoma, and leukemia.
In stomach cancer, it icariin prevented the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells. As for liver cancer, it was able to inhibit tumor formation and trigger the death of cancer cells.
Shield DNA From Damage
Such factors as free radicals can damage the DNA in your cells, resulting in faster aging and various chronic diseases.
Studies have observed that icariin protects cellular DNA from free radical damage. It also inhibits the mechanism responsible for cellular aging and inflammation.
Finding the Right Dosage
You can take horny goat weed in capsule, tablet, or powdered form. You can also drink it as a tea, but studies are few in confirming the herb’s potency in this form.
Like all remedies for erectile dysfunction, the recommended dosage of horny goat weed depends on your weight.
The ideal dosage for 40% horny goat weed extract is 80 milligrams per kilogram of body weight. Otherwise, if the supplement you purchased came with directions, it’s best to follow the dosage recommended by the manufacturer.
No matter how safe it may seem (given the sheer number of people who claim to have benefited from regular intake), you should still be careful when taking this herb.
Large doses can cause negative side-effects such as breathing difficulties, vomiting, and muscle cramps. And, as always, if you have heart ailments and other diseases, consult your doctor before taking any herbs and supplements.
All in all, this herb may have a weird name but it certainly delivers fabulous results, as proven by the studies we’ve cited here and reported by those folks who’ve experienced its benefits firsthand. That’s the power of icariin for you!
