Does Icariin Work?

The very simple answer to this question is YES, icariin does work. In fact, it works extremely well for thousands of people around the world every day. However, to what extent icariin works, really depends upon the 'quality' of the icariin supplement that you use, with the word 'quality' encompassing various important factors, all of which are covered in further detail below.

Up next, however, is to break down exactly 'how' icariin works.

How Does Icariin Work Exactly?

Icariin is an active 'flavonol' type substance, that is present within all members of the Epimedium plant species. It benefits and enhances many different functions within the body, many of which have already been established, while many new beneficial effects are being discovered as the decades pass. The following article will discuss the two most prevalent beneficial functions of icariin. These functions being:

Improved signaling and delivery of nitric oxide.
Increased levels of free (unbound) testosterone hormones.

These two beneficial functions gained from taking icariin, are the most distinguished scientific reasons as to how Horny Goat Weed (Epimedium) acquired its reputation thousands of years ago in the Far East as a potent herbal aphrodisiac.

Improved Nitric Oxide Signaling & Delivery From Taking Icariin

Nitric oxide is a very important naturally occurring gas molecule in the human body, it is responsible for various functions and one of those functions is instructing the body to send blood to different places when required. Without the correct amount of nitric oxide signaling, the body simply cannot correctly deliver the appropriate amount of blood to the place in which required. In slightly more specific terms regarding men's sexual health; nitric oxide diffuses to the smooth muscles of the arteries, allowing them to dilate and then deliver blood to the penis.

Nitric oxide signaling is something that can often fail to occur to its required extent. Such a downturn as this can be due to various factors, be it; age, stress, natural changes in chemical balance, diet, etc. Important to note is that; in 90% of cases, erectile dysfunction is actually caused by a deficiency in nitric oxide signaling.

Icariin, when taken daily over an extended period, is an extremely powerful booster of nitric oxide signaling activity within the body. Taking icariin can improve nitric oxide production enormously and this is precisely why icariin is known as the best natural remedy for the symptoms associated with erectile dysfunction.

Not only is icariin very effective for men suffering from ED, but is also far less harmful when compared to the prescription medicine options available, which will often exhibit a nasty array of side effects, some of which quickly become very evident to one's sexual partner e.g. the facial flush effect of the blue pill.

If you suffer from male impotence and want a powerful natural remedy, then icariin contained within Horny Goat Weed extract is the number #1 choice of treatment.

Increased Levels Of Free (Unbound) Testosterone Hormones From Taking Icariin

Testosterone levels begin to decline in the late third or early fourth decade of a person's life and diminish at a constant rate thereafter. Steeper declines occur with free (unbound) testosterone hormones. Such a lowering of testosterone levels is a major risk factor for a multitude of metabolic and mental health conditions.

Free testosterone is the only form of testosterone that actually binds to androgen receptors, resulting in both anabolic and androgenic beneficial effects. This androgen binding then activates a formidable flow of biological mechanisms for protein synthesis, tissue growth, increased bone density, and muscle strength. This is why bodybuilders and other athletes hold great importance towards strong levels of free testosterone.

Free testosterone not only affects bones and muscles but also has a huge influence on male sex drive and prostate/sperm health. Needless to say, free testosterone is a very crucial hormone for men, and both the maintenance and elevation of free testosterone levels is always a top of the list priority for men wishing to remain virile and sexually active.

In addition to the boosting of free testosterone hormones, icariin also improves the rate at which free testosterone hormones successfully bind to androgen receptors - by up to a staggering 90%. This enormous beneficial factor gained from using icariin, explains why it has become so popular among men, both from a sexual health standpoint and a sporting/athletic performance standpoint.

What Benefits Does Icariin Have To Offer?

Taking a good quality icariin supplement will work to enable you to acquire the following benefits:

Sexual Health (including increased sex drive, regained erectile function, improved prostate health/sperm production)
Athletic Health (including increased strength, increased muscle mass, increased stamina, increased mental drive, improved overall performance)
Bone Health (including improved bone repair, improved levels of bone density, reduction of the symptoms associated with osteoporosis and arthritis)
Mental Health (including improved focus, reduced anxiety, reduced stress, anti-depressant properties, improved memory function, reduction of the symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease)

Does Icariin Work For Both Men & Women?

It's all well and good to say that icariin works and to outline what benefits it can offer a person, however, it's equally as important to know whether or not icariin works for both men and women.

Icariin is well established as being beneficial for men however fewer people realize that icariin also works very well for women too. For women, icariin offers the same amount of benefits as those given in the list above, however with regards to 'sexual health', icariin rather obviously offers a different set of benefits compared to those outlined for the 'sexual health' of men.

By taking a Horny Goat Weed supplement containing a high standardized icariin percentage, women can benefit from both increased libido and better quality orgasms.

Interestingly, women do not usually require the same milligram dosage per day that men require. This doesn't mean that taking too much icariin is harmful to women, but simply that it would be unnecessary and therefore a waste of the icariin extract being used. This factor is of course also influenced by the percentage of icariin contained within the Horny Goat Weed supplement being taken. We shall cover icariin quality and percentage more below, however as a simple example: if the supplement you (as a woman) are taking contains only 10% icariin then a woman would be expected to take the full dosage per day, as a 10% icariin supplement is not very potent. However, if for example, the Horny Goat Weed supplement you are taking contains 60% icariin, then as a woman you could benefit equally from taking less of the daily recommended number of capsules than specified for male adults. As a woman you can also take the complete daily dose of even a full-strength 60% icariin supplement, however as previously mentioned, it may simply be unnecessary and not provide any greater benefit -> which is a worthwhile 'money-saving tip' for the female variety!

What Is 'Quality' In Respect Of Icariin?

If you refer back to the first section of this article, you will recall us mentioning that the extent to which icariin will work depends entirely upon the 'quality' of the icariin supplement that you choose to take, well this vital area of 'quality' is what we will now cover for you.

When we use the term 'quality' in respect of icariin flavonols, we are referring to the factors which determine how well a Horny Goat Weed supplement will work, in relation to the effectiveness of the icariin flavonols contained within the extract. This question of 'quality' not only encompasses the 'amount' of icariin flavonols contained within the Horny Goat Weed extract, but also the 'grade' of said icariin flavonols.

'Amount' Of Icariin

Herbal remedy manufacturers can extract Horny Goat Weed plants down to contain as little as 10% icariin flavonols right up to 98% of icariin flavonols. On this basis, it would appear obvious to assume that a 98% icariin Horny Goat Weed extract will be the most effective, after all, it contains the most icariin flavonols right. While in literal terms that statement is true (i.e. pure logic dictates that a 98% icariin Horny Goat Weed extract contains more flavonols than any lower percentage extract), a 98% icariin supplement is not the most effective option and will not work as well as one would naturally assume.

The explanation as to why a 98% icariin Horny Goat Weed extract is less effective than extracts of a lower icariin percentage, is the result of 'active ingredient' breakdown from 'over-extraction', meaning that when you take a natural plant matter such is the Epimedium (Horny Goat Weed), and extract it thus to purify it down to contain a specific percentage of an active element, you are essentially stripping the plants composition of its original constituents. The downside to this is that if for example, you strip-out too much of the plant's original constituents, you can actually end up damaging the active elements to the point of rendering them inactive and ineffective.

Horny Goat Weed can be extracted down to contain a maximum of around 60%-65% icariin before the aforementioned over-extraction damage begins to occur. From the 70% icariin extraction point and upwards, the active icariin flavonols start to become inactive, with the remaining balance of plant-parts no longer able to support the integrity of the icariin flavonols. The higher that the percentage of extraction goes beyond the 70% purity mark, the less active flavonols there will be remaining in the Horny Goat Weed extract. So for example, an 80% icariin extract may contain the same amount of active flavonols as a 40% icariin extract, and a 98% icariin extract may contain the same active flavonols as say a 10% or 20% icariin extract.

For this very reason, most retailers will adhere to selling Horny Goat Weed extracts within the 10% to 60% icariin extract range, as they know that they are retailing a standardized extract that both guarantees the active icariin percentage to consumers and essentially; works the best.

'Grade' Of Icariin

When it comes to the grades of quality within the realm of icariin, it's fairly cut and dry because there are only really two different grades of icariin.

Okay, although having just said that this factor is cut and dry, there is one tricky aspect about telling apart the two different grades of icariin, meaning that to the average consumer the indicator of the different grades isn't glaringly obvious and consequently the majority of consumers are completely oblivious to this major difference.

The reason for this lack of awareness regarding the two different grades of icariin is due to the difference being denoted solely by the word 'icariin' in its singular form, compared to the word 'icariin' in its plural form i.e. icariin versus icariins. For the average consumer, this difference is not immediately noticeable when scanning the information of a product. As a result, many consumers get caught-out with buying an icariin product that they believe to be high grade yet with a cheap price tag.

Icariin (the singular form of the word) is the best grade of Horny Goat Weed extract, meaning that a percentage of 'icariin' refers to the actual percentage of icariin flavonols contained within the finished plant extract. Icariins (the plural form of the word) refers to a vastly inferior grade of Horny Goat Weed extract because 'icariins' is the percentage of the plant matter which contains a percentage of icariin flavonols, confusing right? Well here is an example to serve as further clarification:

Let's say that the Horny Goat Weed product in question states that it contains 50% icariins, this means that the extract within the product contains 50% worth of plant matter that contains icariin flavonols while the other 50% of the plant matter actually contains zero icariin flavonols. The 50% plant matter that does contain icariins will normally only contain a very small percentage of actual active icariin flavonols, therefore the product would be far less effective than that of a product in which 100% of the plant matter contains 10% icariin flavonols e.g. a 10% icariin (singular form of the word) Horny Goat Weed product.

The reason as to why we stated earlier that the 'grade' aspect of buying icariin is very cut and dry, is because the concrete rule is to quite simply avoid any Horny Goat Weed extracts that are formulated using icariins.

Which Quality of Icariin Works Best?

So now you know that; yes - icariin does work, and you also understand exactly how it works, let's conclude with covering 'which quality and percentage of icariin extract works the best'.

Based on the above icariin 'quality' factors the most effective percentage of icariin and therefore the percentage which will work the best in terms of the various aforementioned health benefits is a 60% icariin Horny Goat Weed extract. Not that everyone needs an extract as potent as a 60% icariin quality of extract, however, because for example some people may only suffer from a small loss in libido, hence 60% icariin could be overkill for solely wishing to gain a subtle boost in sex drive. However, should you feel a definite decline in an area of your health corresponding to one or more of the beneficial areas of icariin, then a 60% icariin Horny Goat Weed extract would be the most effective route to take.

To find out more about how icariin works and how you can benefit from a high-grade Horny Goat Weed supplement such as 60% icariin extract, then please visit the following link:

ICARIIN 60% - The Key Health Benefits Explained