Horny Goat Weed
| Ⓒ By Jonathan Roseland |
I'm not a doctor, medical professional, or trained therapist. I'm a researcher and pragmatic biohacking practitioner exercising free speech to share evidence as I find it. I make no claims. Please practice skepticism and rational critical thinking. You should consult a professional about any serious decisions that you might make about your health. Affiliate links in this article support Limitless Mindset - spend over $150 and you'll be eligible to join the Limitless Mindset Secret Society.
A Chinese herb and historical aphrodisiac for both sexes that also goes by the significantly less awesome name Epimedium.
Also called Rowdy Lamb Herb, it got its well-deserved names after Chinese herders, no doubt very bored, observed their goats and sheep being quite a bit friskier after feeding on it.
A Sexual Transmutation Hack
Scientific Research
Testosterone
Estrogen
Nootropic Mechanism of Action
Neural Stem Cell Activation
Erectogenic
Sensation Enhancer
Growing it in a Garden
Dosage and Usage
Sources
Cofactors
Side Effects
Conclusion
Horny Goat Weed Videos
This article is mostly going to focus on decoding what the human studies are saying about Horny Goat Weed and how this squares up with the anecdotal experiences of Biohackers online. For more of my own personal experiences, thoughts, and comparisons please see the written and video reviews in the sidebar.
A Sexual Transmutation Hack
Some people might not categorize Horny Goat Weed as a Nootropic, but I do because the sex drive is the strongest motivator we have...
In the 11th chapter of one of the best-selling books of all time, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill states:
"Sex desire is the most powerful of human desires. When driven by this desire, men develop keenness of imagination, courage, will-power, persistence, and creative ability unknown to them at other times. So strong and impelling is the desire for sexual contact that men freely run the risk of life and reputation to indulge it. When harnessed, and redirected along other lines, this motivating force maintains all of its attributes of keenness of imagination, courage, etc., which may be used as powerful creative forces in literature, art, or in any other profession or calling, including, of course, the accumulation of riches."
Anything that revitalizes our sexual energy will drive us to work harder, pursue our goals with fervor, reach new levels of intensity in our focus, drive us beyond our comfort zones, and push us to tap deep reserves of creativity. In this regard, I consider Horny Goat Weed a Nootropic.
Scientific Research
Horny Goat Weed is well worth the attention of people who take a little more conservative approach to their Biohacking. It's a historical Nootropic that's been used to positive effect for thousands of years by large populations. Chinese traders estimate that over 100 tons of raw ingredients are sold every year from markets in Bozhou, China.
It's been studied internationally and is regarded as an exceptionally safe tool for overall sexual enhancement.
To quote a 2011 Chinese paper:
Modern pharmacology studies and clinical practice demonstrated that Epimedium and its active compounds possess wide pharmacological actions, especially in strengthening yang, hormone regulation, anti-osteoporosis, immunological function modulation, anti-oxidation and anti-tumor, anti-aging, anti-atherosclerosis, and anti-depressant activities.
Horny goat weed increases the male-female gender-specific hormones in their respective sexes.
Testosterone
Many things in the modern man's lifestyle lower his testosterone.
- Refined or processed carbohydrates, a diet that regularly contains bread, pasta, baked goods, and other grains will elevate insulin levels. In the long term, this causes diabetes and in the short term, it lowers testosterone.
- Meat, unfortunately, the meat industry pumps a lot of weird hormones and chemicals into the meat we consume that take a serious toll on our internal chemistry, robbing us of testosterone. A good reason to exclusively consume grass-fed hormone-free meat and dairy.
- Drinking alcohol, especially beer, the hops in beer are estrogenic to the extent that they have been researched as an option for helping middle-aged women with hot flashes.
- Xenoestrogens and low-quality water, very common chemicals like BPAs, are used almost universally in plastic packaging, disrupt the endocrine system and lower testosterone. Additionally, a variety of alien estrogenic chemicals are common in municipal water supplies. This can be partially avoided by getting a good water filtration system, but inevitably you are going to consume normal tap water while bathing or outside of your home.
- Stress, the consistent companion in a man's life, chronically high cortisol levels push down testosterone.
- Lack of exercise, one of the most consistent ways to augment testosterone is consistent exercise, so missing sessions in the gym can take a toll on your health in more ways than one.
- Use of technology, indirectly, which is conducive to a sedentary lifestyle
It combats these negative influences by increasing testosterone levels in the short term and long term through mechanisms of action that keep the complex hormone system in balance.
Estrogen
Two chemicals in it, Icaritin and Desmethylicaritin, work a little bit differently in women to boost the levels of the female hormone. A couple of things that disrupt Estrogen levels in women:
- Dieting, extreme eating regimens that aim to lower body fat will disrupt.
- Excessive exercise will disrupt the feminine hormonal system.
- Birth control, going on The Pill interferes with a lot of factors in female biology. If you don't want to make babies check out this guide to herbal birth control, there are actually a whole lot of low-impact natural options that if used intelligently are as effective as the highly disruptive pharmaceutical solutions.
- Menopause, between ages 40-50 women, women experience a host of unpleasant symptoms as a result of falling estrogen; hot flashes, night sweats, moodiness, and loss of libido.
Nootropic Mechanism of Action
This herb utilizes multiple mechanisms of action. It owes its libido-exciting effects to its active ingredient, Icariin, a prenylated flavonoid that can cross the blood-brain barrier, where it has a Neuroprotective effect. It has been studied extensively with over 60 research results on Pubmed, involving human subjects.
- It has both short-term and long-term positive effects on the complex hormonal systems of the body, its long-term or cumulative effect is due to its role as a natural PDE-5 inhibitor, this takes 2 - 4 weeks to peak.
- It regulates calcium channels, essential to the delivery of 3 important neurotransmitters, glutamate, acetylcholine, and norepinephrine. Additionally, according to a 2010 study "Our findings suggest that the potential neuroprotective effect of icariin on... induced neurotoxicity via the balance intracelluar calcium homeostasis."
- It has testosterone-mimetic properties, according to Shantou University Medical College research, "Icariin improved the condition of reproductive organs and increased the circulating levels of testosterone."
- Finally, according to recent research, it's an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, meaning that it prevents a chemical process that breaks down acetylcholine in the mind. ACH is a fragile and essential neurotransmitter that we rely on at a profound level to form new memories, focus, and learn.
Neural Stem Cell Activation
A 2012 Shanghai study, found it has anti-aging properties as a preventative agent against cognitive decline
Our findings suggest that icariin represents a promising candidate for the modulation of aging. Therefore, icariin administration may effectively prevent or delay the onset of age-related cognitive degeneration, and its capability to activate quiescent [neural stem cells] may potentially be one of its mechanisms.
Erectogenic
Horny Goat Weed has a hard (Pun intended!) earned reputation, as an erection enhancer. While it has this effect in men of all ages, it's a particularly effective agent for dealing with erectile dysfunction. To this effect, it's fast-acting, according to one user:
"I took it before bed, 30-40 minutes before sex, and oh my god, I had one of the best sex ever :) I decided to take it only on the day when I'm sure I will have sex. I took it 3 times and I can confirm that the sex is much better due to extremely hard and long lasting erections. This stuff makes me more sensitive, but on the same time I can have all under control"
Sensation Enhancer
The good news is that it improves the sensation of sex and masturbation by 25%-50%. So it is an effective biohack but it's not going to be a game-changer for your sex life (like a tantric practice), if you take Horny Goat Wood before having protected sex with a condom it's not going to make it feel like you are having unprotected sex. I didn't find it to be that big of a difference in sensation but it is noticeable and pleasant.
Growing it in a Garden
There's quite a bit of debate online about the dubious quantity and quality of Icariin content, along with the legitimacy of Chinese herbs that get stored for months and shipped across oceans. So for those with a green thumb and the time on their hands, it's worth considering simply growing your own Horny Goat Weed.
Dosage and Usage
Researching the recommended dosage you will run into a lot of statements like "At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses" - Not very helpful! The reason for this ambiguity is that the percentage of the active ingredient, Icariin can vary greatly between different products, 20% is pretty standard, although some concentrations have up to 50%. The recommended dosage of Epimedium itself depends upon the Icariin concentration. When dealing with herbal supplements, especially when combining herbals it's best to do some experimentation and self-quantification. Alternatively, you can also take pure Icariin in supplemental form.
Sources
Nutraceuticals come from the natural world, they tend to absorb the toxins in the environment around them, making many of the herbal supplements that you might find possibly Iatrogenic - they may actually do you more harm than good. This is why I wouldn't buy any old Epimedium that I found on store shelves or online, especially if it's cheap. I'd also prefer not to get my Epimedium in a "multi-vitamin" stack that combines it with a bunch of other things unless they prove its purity with a certificate of analysis. I enthusiastically recommend these sources as they have the highest standards in the industry for quality assurance and purity testing...
Downloadable Icariin?
You may be interested in taking it as an infoceutical - a non-pharmacological, side-effect-free version of the supplement that takes advantage of the phenomenon of water memory - which is imprinted on water via quantum collocation and electromagnetism using this device...
Infocueticals typically have 1/3 or half the effect of the actual medicine being imprinted. If you're skeptical of Infopathy that's understandable, it's a game-changing application of a little-known scientific phenomenon. But I'd urge you to evaluate the scientific evidence (presented in my biohacker review) that downloadable medicine is no longer science fiction...
Cofactors
Horny Goat Weed and several hundred milligrams of Tongkat is a great combination that many sex hackers take before for rowdy horizontal activities. You may want to take the Tongkat capsuled as it has a very strong taste (although, my friend Lucas Auon makes the case that the strong taste hitting the back of your mouth is actually part of its experiential effect).
Either in the powder or the more bioavailable gelatinized form and Horny Goat Weed, is a favorite of Biohacker's aiming to enhance their performance in the bedroom or overcome erectile dysfunction. One herbal enhancement enthusiast on Longecity gushed:
"horny goat with maca... turns me into a porn star :) And I can confirm that you don't need to take it for let's say 3 weeks to start working. I take it only when needed and it makes miracles "
Is another traditional Chinese with powerful effects on the libido and overall body energy. A stack of Horny Goat Weed and Yohimbe is a favorite of sex hackers and herbal enthusiasts.
Side Effects
As an energizing agent, taking too high of a dosage will cause anxiety. In rat studies, even at ultra-high dosages, there was no toxicity.
Conflicts: It lowers your blood pressure, so it's not a good idea to take it with other drugs for low blood pressure.
Conclusion
I like it so much, it's one of the few supplements that I make space for in my luggage anytime Mrs. Roseland and are getting out of town for a change of scenery. Recently, we celebrated our fourth anniversary in a beautiful historical town. We found a restaurant that we fell in love with where we dined daily; enjoying each other and the breathtaking view from their terrace. And I indulged in fine food and drink a bit more than I do usually which is often not the greatest prelude for epic sexytime. But stacking Horny Goat Weed and Tongkat Ali our passion burned hot (so hot that we literally started a small fire in our AirBNB - fortunately the fire brigade was not needed!)
Photos
Videos
Attachments
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Horny Goat Weed the Sexual Performance Enhancer and Hormone Biohack for Him and Her!
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