Horny Goat Weed Alternative to Viagra

Italian researchers are testing a promising alternative to Viagra that they’re calling 3,7-bis-(2-hydroxyethyl)-icaritin — or more simply put, “horny goat weed.”

In lab experiments, a semi-synthetic derivative of the active compound in Epimedium brevicornum, an ancient Chinese herbal remedy for impotence, performed as well as Viagra but with the potential for fewer side effects, the researchers say.

It’s an ironic finding: Health Canada has issued a string of warnings on Chinese herbal products for erectile dysfunction because they contain undeclared sildenafil — the active ingredient in Viagra.

Now, a Chinese aphrodisiac may outperform the blockbuster drug.

The study is scheduled for the Oct. 24 issue of the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Natural Products.

“The inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual function is an increasing problem with a considerable impact on interpersonal relationships and quality of life for men,” the researchers write.

During sexual arousal, a chemical called cyclic GMP causes smooth muscle to relax, increasing blood flow to the penis. Viagra works by blocking an enzyme that normally breaks down this chemical. This allows more blood to flow to and be trapped in the penis, resulting in an erection.

But, “sildenafil (Viagra) shows a lot of side effects including headache, facial flushing and visual disturbances,” says lead author Mario Dell-Agli, from the department of pharmacological sciences at Milan University. “So it is important to search for new alternatives to Viagra.”

His group studied medicinal plants that had a reputation in the literature for their aphrodisiac effects. They tested four. Only one, “horny goat weed,” was strongly active against the enzyme that inhibits blood flow to the penis. But it needed improvement to match Viagra’s potency.

When the researchers chemically modified the active compound, they came up with something “as potent as sildenafil on the enzyme,” Dell-Agli says. And because it targeted the enzyme more precisely, it could have fewer side effects, he says.

It hasn’t been tested in humans. But, “this molecule, in my opinion, can be considered a candidate worthy of further studies,” Dell-Agli says.

The study is scheduled for the Oct. 24 issue of the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Natural Products.

“The inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual function is an increasing problem with a considerable impact on interpersonal relationships and quality of life for men,” the researchers write.

During sexual arousal, a chemical called cyclic GMP causes smooth muscle to relax, increasing blood flow to the penis. Viagra works by blocking an enzyme that normally breaks down this chemical. This allows more blood to flow to and be trapped in the penis, resulting in an erection.

But, “sildenafil (Viagra) shows a lot of side effects including headache, facial flushing and visual disturbances,” says lead author Mario Dell-Agli, from the department of pharmacological sciences at Milan University. “So it is important to search for new alternatives to Viagra.”

His group studied medicinal plants that had a reputation in the literature for their aphrodisiac effects. They tested four. Only one, “horny goat weed,” was strongly active against the enzyme that inhibits blood flow to the penis.

Tags: Horny Goat Weed, sil, Viagra