Epimedium (Horny Goat Weed)
Epimedium koreanum
Icariin, horny goat weed's signature flavonoid, stalled ovarian abnormal cells and pushed them into death by raising a short RNA that silences the enzyme holding the Wnt growth switch open.
What the evidence shows
Every line below is carried on the blend page that makes the claim. Follow it to the pathway and its sources.
Icariin, epimedium's active, lifts estradiol and the receptors that read it; ovarian follicles develop further, with fewer eggs lost to oxidative damage.
Icariin, a recognized hormetin: extends roundworm lifespan and stress tolerance through the insulin-signaling route.
A woodland ground-cover with heart-shaped leaves, named in Chinese for a goatherd’s observation about his flock, and in use since.
Over two years in a double-blind trial of 100 late-postmenopausal women, Epimedium's flavonoids, given with soy isoflavones, prevented the bone loss seen on placebo.
Its flavonoids, icariin and the epimedins, steady the stress-hormone axis, raise BDNF and the brain's monoamines, calm inflammation in the brain and support new nerve cells and connections; they also act on the PDE5 and cGMP signal.
Where it appears
6 blend pages carry this ingredient. Open it and you will find this ingredient in the list.
- ACB (Cell-Cycle Checkpoint Restraint)
- Female Fertility (Oocyte Competence)
- Hormesis (Adaptive Stress Conditioning)
- Nebula (Warrior Mode Rocket Fuel)
- Titanium (Skeletal & Articular)
- Trinity (Mind Body Spirit Harmonizer)