Horny goat weed may have a funny name, but when it comes to the natural energy supplements that can help you maintain your healthy vigor, it’s a serious must-have. Here’s the scoop on this oddly-named supplement, and why it truly is one of nature’s best energy elixirs.
What Is Horny Goat Weed?
Horny goat weed is the extract of the Epimedium plant, which grows in China and the Mediterranean. Also known as Yin-Yang-Huo in Traditional Chinese Medicine, the popular name “horny goat weed” was originally coined when farmers noticed that their goats and sheep exhibited, well, more frisky behavior after eating this wild plant.
Epimedium plants contain lots of beneficial phytonutrients including desmethylicaritin, anhydroicaritin, quercetin, ikariosides, sagittatoside B, and diphyllosides, but the active ingredient in horny goat weed that’s got scientists raving is a prenylated flavonoid compound called icariin.1
If you’re new to flavonoids, they’re not as complicated as they sound. Flavonoids are simply a kind of antioxidant—and antioxidants can keep us healthy by helping our bodies deal with all of life’s oxidative stress.2 The specific antioxidant blend of flavonoids in icariin and the way they’re bound together is especially supportive when it comes to staying strong and energized.
How Can I Get Icariin in My Diet?
Although you can consume lots of beneficial antioxidants in the foods you eat, the unique blend of flavonoids known as icariin can only be found in Epimedium plants.
If you really want to, you can actually eat the leaves of the Epimedium plant to get icariin, but this somewhat exotic plant isn’t generally available in supermarkets, and its leaves are so bitter that they need to be extensively boiled and soaked before they can be consumed. For this reason, most people find it far more convenient to access icariin by simply supplementing with horny goat weed.
Choosing the Best Horny Goat Weed Supplement
With the overwhelming plethora of horny goat weed supplements on the market, it can be hard to separate the high-quality products from the rest of the pack. At 42Nutrition, we want only the best for your health, so here are the basic features we recommend as essential in any horny goat weed supplement:
- A clean, natural formula that’s free of synthetic additives, gluten, wheat, dairy, soy, yeast, sugar, fillers, flow agents, and GMOs.
- Maximum bioavailability. Our 42Nutrition horny goat weed is standardized to give you up to 10X more icariins for premium, extra-strength support.
- A synergistic energy complex that enhances support. Some key ingredients that especially complement horny goat weed include maca root powder, saw palmetto, tohgkat ali root powder, tribulus terrestris extract, polypodium vulgare, muira puama root powder, L-Arginine, and capsicum powder.
- Manufactured in a GMP certified facility.
- Standardization and third party testing to insure you’re getting what you paid for.
- Amber glass packaging to keep your supplements fresh.
Including horny goat weed in your daily wellness routine is an effortless way to make sure you’re getting all the antioxidant goodness your body craves to keep every cell singing with boundless energy. Consider all the laughs you’ll share with friends over the unusual name an added bonus. (You’re welcome.)
References:
1. Chen, X., Mukwaya, E., Wong, M., & Zhang, Y. (2013). A systematic review on biological activities of prenylated flavonoids. Pharmaceutical Biology, 52(5), 655-660. doi:10.3109/13880209.2013.853809
2. Panche, A. N., Diwan, A. D., & Chandra, S. R. (2016). Flavonoids: an overview. Journal of Nutritional Science, 5. doi:10.1017/jns.2016.41