quarters hours, while the half-life for Viagra is four hours. For some men (single guys, mostly), this might be a problem. However, for most of us this isn’t much of a limitation and may be safer.

Some of horny goat weed’s flavonoids inhibit estrogen, which may help it treat sexual disorders. However, some studies suggest it increases estrogen, especially in women. While there haven’t been studies to show it increases testosterone in men, It has been shown to do so in male rats.

It has shown efficacy in clinical trials for enhancing sex drive in patients with kidney failure. Some lignans in some species of horny goat weed stimulated nerve growth in animal studies.

Chinese traditional doctors usually combine horny goat weed with yin tonic herbs when used for support of sexual health. They believe the herb will cause unwanted side effects such as aggressiveness or a racing heart beat If taken without the counter-acting herbs.

It is also true that epimedium is mildly toxic to the kidneys, which the counteracting herbs help protect. They use Zuo Gui Wan, but you can choose from any of the herbs in this book that support the kidneys, cuscuta, for example.

Dosage

Supplements usually don’t contain enough icariin to do the job, usually only about ten percent. It’s better to use the whole herb (or an extract standardized to forty percent or more, which is hard to find). You can get icariin without the rest of the plant, but I strongly suggest that it is the rest of the nutrients in horny goat weed that make it so much safer than Big Pharma’s modified versions.

Testosterone-boosting dosages are based on icariin content:

• 150 lb. person=900 mg icariin.
• 200 lb. person=1200 mg icariin
• 250 lb. person=1500 mg icariin

Some studies suggested a much lower dose was bio-active for health benefits other than boosting testosterone. Essentially they suggest a dosage of about 60 mg icariin.

Warnings and Side Effects

Horny Goat Weed contains a chemical that is mildly toxic to kidneys. Continued high-dosage use may cause kidney damage.

In animal studies, prolonged use of excessive amounts of horny goat weed was associated with decreased thyroid activity.

At least one sexual enhancement supplement containing horny goat weed has caused heart arrhythmia. However, since the other ingredients are not known, it is impossible to determine if it was the horny goat weed or another ingredient that caused the problem. (This is just another reason to stay away from all prepared ED and sexual enhancement supplements. They are very dangerous. Stick to the herbs in this guide, and use them with caution.)

Horny goat weed lowers blood pressure. People on blood-pressure reducing medications should not use horny goat weed or their blood pressure may drop too low.

Horny goat weed suppresses blood clotting. Do not use horny goat weed if you are already on a chemical that suppresses blood clotting. Don’t use horny goat weed before any kind of surgery, including visits to the dentist.

Pregnant women should not take horny goat weed. It increases estrogen levels in some women, and may be dangerous to the fetus. Also, don’t take horny goat weed if you have an estrogen-sensitive cancer, such as breast or uterine cancer.