Horny Goat Weed for Men: 11 Ways It Benefits Your Body

Horny goat weed is famous for having the same magical effects as its name. This herb originated from China and some people call it epidemium. Other names for the horny goat weed are Yin Yan Huo, arrow-leaf barrenwort, randy beef grass and rowdy lamb herb.
People have used this herb in China for many years as a traditional remedy for many conditions. Like its name, horny goat weed can enhance your sexual drive. Apart from this, it is also a great alternative medicine for treating joint, skeletal, cardiovascular and other forms of diseases.

What’s This About Horny Goats?

The legend says that a Chinese goat herder made the first discovery of goat weed. He was doing his duties one regular working day when he noticed something going on with his flock.
He found out that the goats were extremely aroused after staying in a spot of land filled with a certain plant. People call these patches of herbs horny goat weed because of this incident.

How Does It Work?

Chemicals in horny goat weed can cause an increase in sexual drive. Its effect starts with increase of blood flow in the sex organs. Once it sets in, there will be a boost in sexual desire and it will improve the sexual function.

11 Uses of Horny Goat Weed

Horny goat weed provides multiple benefits to health. Here are some of the reported uses of this herb:

• Improves weak bones
• Solves problems with erectile dysfunction
• Prevents premature ejaculation
• Provides recovery from fatigue
• Helps solve sexual problems
• Improves the memory and mental alertness
• Prevents hypertension
• Fights heart diseases
• Helps with recovery from liver diseases
• Relieves joint pain
• Assists with countering the rapid escalation of HIV/AIDS complications

Where To Find Epimedium

Horny goat weed doesn’t come from foods. If you want to get some fresh leaves, you must look and ask in different herbal shops. If you are planning to pick this by yourself, it won’t be that easy. This particular plant is endemic in China. It has fifty species, which grows all over in the wild.
Tianmushan, which is in the northern corner of Zhejiang Province of China, is a mountainous area. This place is a ten-hour drive from the city of Bozhou. You will need to climb a mountain in order to get to the area where horny goat weeds are abundant.
The pickers of the herb only get the leaves and let the roots remain for the epimedium to grow again. More species of horny goat weed grows on the mountain peaks, but only a few pickers would dare climb those. It may not be as high as the Mount Everest but the trip is definitely not a walk in the park.

All About Supplements

Traveling to Tianmushan or even to China may be a very expensive and tiring journey. It is most likely that people won’t go to that place but instead look for some alternatives. This brings the topic to horny goat weed supplements.
Walk into a health store or an herbal shop to ask for horny goat weed supplements. Look for some, which have 500 milligrams per capsule. This will be enough to raise your libido. The best buy are icariin, which are contents standardized to a flavonoid.

Effectiveness: The Test Of Time

Its history and its background in traditional medicine of China is the best proof for its effectiveness. People have used horny goat weed for 2,000 years. The reason behind this is that, it works for many people all over the globe.

Safe Use Of Horny Goat Weed: Interactions

Before taking in a dose of horny goat weed herb or supplement, it is still important to consult a doctor first. The herb if combined with other chemicals or medicines may be dangerous. It is important to know the interaction that is going to take place if you consume horny goat weed with other products.

• High Blood Pressure Medications –Medicines to alleviate the high blood pressure interact with horny goat weed. One of the known effects of the herb is a lower blood pressure.
  A team up with an antihypertensive drug can cause your blood pressure to go dangerously low.

Examples of antihypertensive medications are captopril, enalapril, losartan, furosemide and more.

• Medicines For Slower Blood Clotting – Anticoagulant or antiplatelet medications may cause interactions with horny goat weed. The herb also contains an effect that slows down the blood clotting process. Taking it alongside these types of drugs may lead to bruising and continuous bleeding.

Some of the medications that you need to avoid taking in while using horny goat weed are aspirin, ibuprofen and naproxen. Apart from these pain relievers and muscle relaxants, you will also need to avoid dalteparin, diclofenac, warfarin, heparin and more.

If you take the above medicines, you should stop taking horny goat weed, just to be safe. If you have any questions about interactions, be sure to talk to your doctor.

In The Know: Side Effects

There are species of horny goat weed that are safe to take when used for up to two years. On the other hand, some of its types may be dangerous if taken in high doses and in long period. Here are the following side effects that might occur if you use horny goat weed incorrectly.

• Dizziness
• Vomiting
• Thirst
• Nosebleed
• Dry Mouth
• Spasms
• Severe breathing problems
• Interactions with other medications
• Heart Arrhythmia

Precautions

One must keep in mind that horny goat weed may be dangerous for people with certain conditions. If you have any of these conditions, avoid using horny goat weed:

• Pregnant Women – The herb is unsafe during pregnancy. The effects may cause harm to the developing fetus. It is important for a woman to be cautious of chemical intake during pregnancy. This includes consumption of herbs such as horny goat weed.

• Breast-feeding Women – Lactating mothers must also stop from using horny goat weed.
  The herb may have an impact to the quality of the breast-feeding milk.
  This may cause negative effects to the child who will feed from the mother.

• Low Blood Pressure – For people who have low blood pressure, making use of the herb could be dangerous to their health. Horny goat weed also lowers the blood pressure and it could be a possible cause of fainting.

The horny goat weed provides major benefits when it comes to sexual and physical health. This has been an important part of the Chinese medicine making it the real deal. Though it is a useful herb, everyone must be aware of the risks associated with its usage.