Icariin Is Now Recognized As the Best Natural Libido Enhancing Supplement Available.
Icariin is a flavonol, a type of flavonoid. It is the prenyl acetylation of kaempferide 3,7-O-diglucoside. The compound is derived from several species of plants in the genus Epimedium,which are commonly known as Horny Goat Weed or Yin Yang Huo.Extracts from these plants are reputed to produce aphrodisiac effects, and are commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine to enhance erectile function, as well as for several other indications.
1. How does icariin work?
Taking icariin in the form of an orally administered Horny Goat Weed extract supplement results in the increase and improvement of two vital processes that naturally occur within the human body.
The first of these two activities mentioned is the increase in efficient transmission of a naturally occurring free radical called Nitric Oxide. Nitric Oxide is a vital cellular signalling molecule and its primary signaling purposes lay within the successful delivery of blood around the body when and where required.
The second activity which occurs within the body from the consumption of icariin is an increase in the level of 'free form' circulating testosterone hormones i.e. the primary male sex hormone. Testosterone can only exhibit its useful properties by connecting to the androgen receptors on the cell walls and in order to achieve this successfully, the testosterone hormones have to be in their 'free form'.
2. Are there different strengths of icariin extract available?
Yes, there are different strengths of extract available and understanding 'icariin strength' initially seems very obvious, however when you dig a bit deeper things become slightly less cut-and-dry as first thought.
Icariin strength is essentially represented by the percentage of the actual icariin flavonol contained within any Horny Goat Weed (Epimedium) supplement after the extraction process has taken place, that's the rather obvious part. However, the effectiveness of icariin at treating health conditions is not actually linear with an increase in icariin content percentage. The reason for the lack of linearity between the increase in icariin percentage and the increase in effectiveness is due to the fact that like most flavonols, icariin is at its most active when it is still embodied within a portion of its original constituent parts i.e. if you remove all the constituent parts leaving 100% icariin flavonols, then those flavonols naturally become less stable and as result less effective.
3. Is icariin a good supplement for Bodybuilding & Sports Performance?
The use of icariin based supplements by athletes of all types in order to improve sporting performance is something that has been happening for many years, with results obtained incomparable to any other 'single extract' natural herbal supplement. Despite this lengthy history of icariin's use within sports supplements, the majority of athletes who have a good foundation of knowledge regarding dietary supplements don't generally have in-depth knowledge of Horny Goat Weed/Epimedium/Icariin. The reason for this is due to the fact that the majority of performance enhancing sports supplements consist of a huge mixture of various different ingredients and the manufactures then usually give the supplements a fancily branded name that they think best markets the product to the type of consumer they are targeting, hence unless you are a person who carefully studies the exact content of all your chosen performance supplements, you may also have overlooked the fact that some of your current or previous performance boosting supplements have in fact contained Horny Goat Weed (Epimedium) extracted to a standardized percentage of icariin.
When you consider the fact that icariin based supplements at high standardized purity percentages (such as 60% icariin) are very powerful natural NO (Nitric Oxide) boosters and Testosterone boosters, it becomes very obvious as to why they hold a very heavy presence in this field of sports supplements, especially in the area of endurance sports and bodybuilding. The benefits obtained by athletes who take an icariin based supplement daily include the following:
*Increased endurance from the extra delivery of blood and oxygen to the muscles.
*Reduced recovery time due to efficient delivery of nutrients to the repairing muscle tissue.
*Increased lean muscle.
*Hugely improved stamina and increased mental drive.
*Vastly intensified 'pump'.
4. Does taking icariin result in any adverse side effects?
Taking Horny Goat Weed extract (containing icariin) can result in some very mild side effects, however such side effects are very rare, usually only occurring in only 1% of people who take Horny Goat Weed extract. Generally speaking as long as you follow the correct dosage instructions stated by the manufacturer then you shouldn't experience much in the way of adverse side effects.
For those few people who have reported having mild adverse side effects from taking icariin, such side effects have consisted of mild headaches and in some very rare occurrences (in men) a slight increase in levels of aggression resulting from the boost in free circulating testosterone. Such side effects as those just mentioned usually only occur within the initial week or two of icariin dosing, basically until your body becomes accustomed to the icariin flavonol. If you have any pre-exisiting medical conditions then obviously it is always best practice to consult your doctor/physician prior to taking health supplements.
More information:[http://www.guidechem.com/cas-489/489-32-7.html]
1. How does icariin work?
Taking icariin in the form of an orally administered Horny Goat Weed extract supplement results in the increase and improvement of two vital processes that naturally occur within the human body.
The first of these two activities mentioned is the increase in efficient transmission of a naturally occurring free radical called Nitric Oxide. Nitric Oxide is a vital cellular signalling molecule and its primary signaling purposes lay within the successful delivery of blood around the body when and where required.
The second activity which occurs within the body from the consumption of icariin is an increase in the level of 'free form' circulating testosterone hormones i.e. the primary male sex hormone. Testosterone can only exhibit its useful properties by connecting to the androgen receptors on the cell walls and in order to achieve this successfully, the testosterone hormones have to be in their 'free form'.
2. Are there different strengths of icariin extract available?
Yes, there are different strengths of extract available and understanding 'icariin strength' initially seems very obvious, however when you dig a bit deeper things become slightly less cut-and-dry as first thought.
Icariin strength is essentially represented by the percentage of the actual icariin flavonol contained within any Horny Goat Weed (Epimedium) supplement after the extraction process has taken place, that's the rather obvious part. However, the effectiveness of icariin at treating health conditions is not actually linear with an increase in icariin content percentage. The reason for the lack of linearity between the increase in icariin percentage and the increase in effectiveness is due to the fact that like most flavonols, icariin is at its most active when it is still embodied within a portion of its original constituent parts i.e. if you remove all the constituent parts leaving 100% icariin flavonols, then those flavonols naturally become less stable and as result less effective.
3. Is icariin a good supplement for Bodybuilding & Sports Performance?
The use of icariin based supplements by athletes of all types in order to improve sporting performance is something that has been happening for many years, with results obtained incomparable to any other 'single extract' natural herbal supplement. Despite this lengthy history of icariin's use within sports supplements, the majority of athletes who have a good foundation of knowledge regarding dietary supplements don't generally have in-depth knowledge of Horny Goat Weed/Epimedium/Icariin. The reason for this is due to the fact that the majority of performance enhancing sports supplements consist of a huge mixture of various different ingredients and the manufactures then usually give the supplements a fancily branded name that they think best markets the product to the type of consumer they are targeting, hence unless you are a person who carefully studies the exact content of all your chosen performance supplements, you may also have overlooked the fact that some of your current or previous performance boosting supplements have in fact contained Horny Goat Weed (Epimedium) extracted to a standardized percentage of icariin.
When you consider the fact that icariin based supplements at high standardized purity percentages (such as 60% icariin) are very powerful natural NO (Nitric Oxide) boosters and Testosterone boosters, it becomes very obvious as to why they hold a very heavy presence in this field of sports supplements, especially in the area of endurance sports and bodybuilding. The benefits obtained by athletes who take an icariin based supplement daily include the following:
*Increased endurance from the extra delivery of blood and oxygen to the muscles.
*Reduced recovery time due to efficient delivery of nutrients to the repairing muscle tissue.
*Increased lean muscle.
*Hugely improved stamina and increased mental drive.
*Vastly intensified 'pump'.
4. Does taking icariin result in any adverse side effects?
Taking Horny Goat Weed extract (containing icariin) can result in some very mild side effects, however such side effects are very rare, usually only occurring in only 1% of people who take Horny Goat Weed extract. Generally speaking as long as you follow the correct dosage instructions stated by the manufacturer then you shouldn't experience much in the way of adverse side effects.
For those few people who have reported having mild adverse side effects from taking icariin, such side effects have consisted of mild headaches and in some very rare occurrences (in men) a slight increase in levels of aggression resulting from the boost in free circulating testosterone. Such side effects as those just mentioned usually only occur within the initial week or two of icariin dosing, basically until your body becomes accustomed to the icariin flavonol. If you have any pre-exisiting medical conditions then obviously it is always best practice to consult your doctor/physician prior to taking health supplements.
More information:[http://www.guidechem.com/cas-489/489-32-7.html]
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