Epimedium, known in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) also as horny goat weed, enjoys over 2,000 years of use and a colorful folk heritage. The plant was reputedly a favorite of the sexually hyperactive yin yang, a mythic creature which enjoyed one hundred orgasms a day. Do not try this at home.

Today horny goat weed and its extracts are recommended for enhancing libido in both men and women and for improving male sexual function. The plant is also widely employed to relieve symptoms of PMS and menopause. The flavonoid icariin is presumed to be responsible for these unique activities, but this has not been conclusively established.

At a recent dinner with a group of six medical doctors in Shanghai, I asked how effective the plant really is. Doctors Diao Yuan Kuang and Xiao Tong Shen, both clinicians at China’s famous Longhua hospital told me that horny goat weed is unsurpassed in TCM both for sex enhancement and for relieving PMS and menopause-related symptoms. Each described a long and successful history of use of this plant, especially for women.

Horny goat weed has a hypotensive effect, and may be contraindicated for people with very low blood pressure. Because TCM is basically “teapot medicine,” a supplementary dosage for horny goat weed is hard to establish. The recommended intake of 6 – 12 grams of the herb boiled as tea probably translates roughly into 250 – 500 milligrams of extract standardized to 10% icariin. Let your experience be your guide.