Epimedium Herb and Powder Profile

Also known as

Epimedium grandiflorum. horny goat weed, xian ling pi, and yin yang huo.

Introduction

Epimedium is an ivy-like ground shrub of the higher and drier areas of China and Tibet. It is in the same plant family as Barberry and Oregon Grape, and its first recorded use is circa 200 B.C.E. in China. The name of the herb in Mandarin, yin yang huo, roughly corresponds to "weed for licentious goat." Legend has it that a goat herder discovered the properties of epimedium by observing his billy goats' uncontrollable sexual appetites after they grazed on the herb.

Constituents

Fats, saponins, and essential oil, with trace amounts of epimedins, epimedosides, icariin, magnflorin, and quercetin.

Parts Used

The dried leaf.

Typical Preparations

Teas, tinctures, encapsulations of the leaf or powder.

Summary

Precautions

Take no more than the recommended dose. More is not necessarily better. Maximum erectile strength is possible when blood pressure is normal and taking an excess of epimedium may increase blood pressure and heart rate but does not have an incrementally increasing effect on erection. Not recommended for long term use.