What is icariin or Horny Goat Weed Extract?Does Horny Goat Weed and Icariin Work for Erection?How does icariin mime testosterone?

article content dotArticle Content:

Horny Goat Weed and its Traditional Applications.

Epimedium brevicornum herb Horny Goat Weed icariin Epimedium leaf Extract Epimedium brevicornum Maxim.Epimedium sagittatum CAS 489-32-7 photo picture image Being sweet and warm, it can tonify the kidney and invigorate yang; being pungent and warm, it can also dispel pathogenic wind and dampness. Being stronger in tonifying the kidney and strengthening uscles and bones, it serves to treat syndromes of impotence due to kidney-deficiency, infertility due to uterine coldness, wind-dampness with arthralgia, and weak extreties. In spite of weaker dryness than Rhizoma Curculiginis, it still can pair yin and help yang. So it should be used cautiously.

 1. For lumbago due to kidney-deficiency, impotence and infertility due to sperm coldness, it is often used with Fructus Lycii, Radix Morindae Officinalis, Radix Rehmanniae Pareparata, Radix Acontit, etc., to tonify the kidney, strengthen yang and supplement esssence and blood.

 2. For climateric irregular menstruation, fluctuation of blood pressure, and functional uterine bleeding in the type of deficiency of kidney-yang, it is often used with Rhizoma Curculiginis, Radix Angelicae Sinensis, Rhizoma Anemarrhenae and Cortex Phellodendri to regulate and tonify yin and yang, and to nourish blood and modulate menstruation.

 3. For chronic arthralgia, low immunity, cold pain and lassitude in the loins and knees, it is often used with Radix Morindae Officinalis, Ramulus Loranthi, Radix Achyranthis, Cortex Eucommiae, Radix Dipsaci, etc., to dispel wind-dampness and strengthen muscles and bones.

 Modern Researches:

 Epimedium has androgenic (related to male sex hormone) effect. Its liquid extract (especially that made from its leaves and roots) can promote seminal secretion in dog. It can inhibit cardiac contractility. The preparation of this herb can obviously increase the coronary flow in both vivo and vitro. It also can dilate peripheral blood vessels, increase the blood flow of extremities and improve the micro-circulation.
 Unlike the many herbs that have estrogenlike effects, epimedium is an unusual herb in that it has testosteronelike effects. It stimulates sexual activity in both men and women, increases sperm production, stimulates the sensory nerves, and increases sexual desire. This herb increases blood flow to the penis and also prevents a protein called fibrin from being deposited on capillary walls, thus preventing loss of sexual function in men with atherosclerosis. Epimedium's testosteronelike actions also allow it to fight the muscle wasting experienced by many people with AIDS. In laboratory tests, chemical components of the herb even act against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) itself.
 Its decoction, alcohol extract and methyl alcohol extract all have significant and lasting hypotensive action when intravenously injected into the rabbit. It also has bacteriostatic effect, obviously on poliovirus, mildly on staphylococcus albus and staphylococcus aureus, and also on enterovirus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It also has effects of raising mice's tolerance on hypoxia (a deficiency of oxygen reaching the tissues of the body), lowering blood sugar and blood lipid, inducing diuresis, arresting cough and expectorating (ejecting from the throat or lungs).
 Used as a kidney tonic, epimedium also treats sterility and barrenness. It is taken internally for a number of ailments, including asthma, bronchitis, cold or numb extremeties, arthritis, lumbago, impotence, involuntary and premature ejaculation, high blood pressure and absentmindedness.
 Epimedium Extract.Horny Goat Weed Extract.Icariin.CAS.NO:489-32-7.M.F.C33H40O15.Epimedium brevicornum Maxim Extract.Icariine,Epimedium sagittatum,Epimedium Leaf Extract.Epimedium extract powder,Epimedium Alcohol Water Extract.icariin photo picture image

 Affecting the cardiovascular system:

 The heart: Experiments show that, to varying degrees, non-amino acid components of alcohol-based extract of Yin Yang Huo improves the subjects' myocardial ischemia and EKG readings, and that Yin Yang Huo increases coronary blood flow, decreases heartbeat rate, and improves myocardial ischemia tolerance.
 Blood pressure: Yin Yang Huo lowers the blood pressure by one of the following mechanisms: 1) effecting a sympathetic block; 2) counteracting endogenous catecholamine; 3) dilating arteria coronaria, arteria femoralis, and cerebral vessels; and 4) blocking the ROC and PDC Ca2+ channels of vascular smooth muscles.
 Blood rheology: Experiments on rabbits show that Yin Yang Huo lowers whole blood viscosity and inhibits red blood cell aggregation. In a healthy person, Yin Yang Huo significantly lowers the rate of ADP-induced blood platelet aggregation, inhibits blood platelet aggregation reaction, and lengthens blood zymogen coagulation time.
 Arrhythmia: Administered by vena jugularis injection at the dosages of 60mg/kg and 120mg/kg, the total flavone glycoside of Epimedium koreanum Nakai can significantly counteract barium chloride-induced arrhythmia in hamsters and adrenaline-induced arrhythmia in guinea-pigs.

 Effects on the immune system:

 Regulating macrophage: Yin Yang Huo, Yin Yang Huo polysaccharide, and Yin Yang Huo glycoside can enhance the function of mice's abdominal macrophage. Under LPS stimulation, they can also promote IL-1 and TNF production by mice's abdominal macrophage to stimulate.
 Regulating T-lymphocytes: Administered to mice with cyclophosphamide-impaired immune systems, Yin Yang Huo can restore their ANAE to the normal level, and increase the permeating ability of their thymocyte 3H-TdR.
 Regulating B-lymphocytes: Experiments show that Yin Yang Huo can promote antibody production in hydrocortisone- and hydroxyurea-treated mice (i.e., mice whose immune system has been inhibited).
 Regulating NK and LAK cells: Yin Yang Huo can significantly enhance the activity of NK cells in senile hamsters; similarly, it can enhance the activity of LAK cells, and act synergistically with IL-2.

 Anti-aging effects: Yin Yang Huo can enhance the activity of LH, FSH, T, E2, and IL-2 and NKC.

 Anti-inflammatory effects: Yin Yang Huo can significantly lower the prostaglandin E content in inflammation exudate, enhance erythrocyte catalase activity in mice, inhibit ear swelling in mice with the adrenal grand removed, and does not significantly affect the weight of the adrenal gland or the vitamin C level in hamsters.

 Promoting fracture recovery: Administered to patients with fractures, Yin Yang Huo can promote hematoma polarization and absorption, cartilaginous calcification, callus growth, porotic bridging and rebuilding, and increase both the number and activity of cells of fractured bones.

Last PageNext Page

Reference:

citations1.What is icariin or Horny Goat Weed Extract?Does Horny Goat Weed and Icariin Work for Erection?How does icariin mime testosterone?

last edit date:30th,April.2009.