Horny Goat Weed (Epimedium sagittatum)

Botanical name: Epimedium sagittatum

Other names: Barrenwort, bishop's hat, fairy wings, horny goat weed, or yin yang huo

Family: Berberidaceae

Parts used: Leaf

Main actions: Increases libido, increase blood flow, erectogenic

Horny goat weed is a herbaceous perennial native to temperate central and Southern China (1)

This plant has been used traditionally in China as an aphrodisiac for thousands of years (2). According to Chinese legend, this property was first noticed by a goat herder who observed increased sexual activity in his flock after consuming it. Horny Goat Weed is indicated in cases of erectile dysfunction in men as well as low libido in both sexes. The main compound responsible for its erectogenic properties is Icariin, which inhibits the protein PDE-5 and allows greater blood flow to the penis (3). Horny goat weed is also thought to increase testosterone levels (4). Other common uses for Horny goat weed are for treating Osteoporosis, with particular focus on post menopausal women (5).

Caution: Not to be used by pregnant or breast feeding women. Lowers blood pressure.

References:

https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:107314-1 (1)

Ratch, C. 1990. Encyclopedia of Afrodisiacs (2)

Dell’Agli M, Galli GV, Dal Cero E, et al. Potent inhibition of human phosphodiesterase-5 by icariin derivatives. J Nat Prod. Sep 2008;71(9):1513-1517. (3)

Zhang, ZB, Yang, QT. The testosterone mimetic properties of icariin. Asian J Androl. 2006 Sep;8(5):601-5. Epub 2006 Jun 5. (4)

Wang, Z., Wang, D., Yang, D. et al. Osteoporos Int (2018) 29: 535. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-017-4255-1 (5)