Is Horny Goat Weed Effective At Treating Erectile Dysfunction?

Almost every man has heard of horny goat weed before.

That’s because horny goat weed is one of the most popular ingredients that goes into many herbal male enhancement supplements.

Plus, its laughable name makes it easy to remember.

The question is, does horny goat weed really work?

Exactly what is horny goat weed?

The botanical name for Horny Goat Weed is epimedium.

It’s also called yin yang huo, barrenwort, rowdy lamb herb, or randy beef grass.

Native to Asia, specifically, parts of China, Japan, and Korea…

Horny Goat Weed is known as one of the Asia’s most exotic herbs, with a long history of use in Traditional Eastern Medicine.

According to legend, its name came about because a goat herder noticed his flock became increasingly horny after eating the plant!

Today, horny goat weed is celebrated and used around the world…especially by older men to enhance sexual potency and addressing erectile dysfunction problems.

Moreover, some men use Horny Goat Weed regularly as a drug free alternative to Viagra and Cialis.

How is horny goat weed supposed to combat ED?

Erectile dysfunction occurs when you can no longer reliably get and maintain an erection firm enough to have sex.

And although you can have ED at any age, it becomes more common as you get older.

In the United States, approximately 40% of men over the age of 40 experience sexual failure.

To understand how horny goat works, its better if you first understand how erectile dysfunction occurs.

Normally, when you’re sexually stimulated, nitric oxide signals a chemical called cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) that relaxes the smooth muscle tissue (in the penis).

This enables blood to flow into the penis which then leads to an erection.

With erectile dysfunction, an enzyme named protein phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) interferes with the nitric oxide and cGMP that relaxes the smooth muscle in the arteries.

As a result, the blood can’t move through the arteries and create an erection.

It is believed that Icariin, a compound in Horny Goat Weed, can naturally inhibit (stop)  the PDE5 that’s blocking dilation of the arteries in the penis.

This allows blood to fill the arteries, and the three cylinders in the penis, which then creates an erection.

The prescription medication sildenafil (Viagra) works in much the same way.

So with Horny Goat Weed, it is said to  essentially deliver the same kind of help you’d get from a prescription ED pill, but without side effects.

What does the scientific evidence say about horny goat weed?

A 2008 study supports the PDE5 inhibiting effect of icariin, acting similar to some drugs used for ED.

What’s more, the study showed that Horny Goat Weed shows fewer side effect.

Additionally, two studies performed 2007 and 2010, respectively, found that horny goat week was effective at restoring sexual function to castrated rats.

Conclusion

Although there is evidence to suggest that icariin in horny goat weed to be helpful at inhibiting PDE5, there are presently no double-blind placebo studies done on humans to confirm horny goat weed’s effectiveness.