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| Horny Goat Weed |
London, Jully 30 : Low libido? You can try out the soft green heart-shaped leaf of the horny goat weed instead of the common anti-impotence pills, for a new study has revealed that it could also rekindle your sexual desire.
Researchers in Italy have based their findings on an experiment involving four plants used as natural aphrodisiacs in traditional cultures.
The active compound of common anti-impotence pills, sildenafil, works by inhibiting an enzyme, phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5). Because PDE5 helps control blood flow to the penis, inhibiting PDE5 promotes male erection.
In their study, the researchers tested the four plants in vitro to see how efficient they were inhibiting PDE5. Just one -- Epimedium brevicornum, known as horny goat weed – had an effect, the 'New Scientist' reported. Sildenafil, however, is 80 times more effective at inhibiting PDE5 than icariin.
So, the researchers extracted icariin from the plants, and produced six modified versions of it, which they tested on PDE5 also. "The most efficient of these, compound 5, works as well as Viagra," Mario Dell'Agli of Milan University said.
A drug made from compound 5 could also cause fewer side effects than Viagra, according to them. In addition to PDE5, sildenafil affects other phosphodiesterases, including some that are essential to sight and heart function.
As a result, people having heart problems are not advised to take the drug and patients who do take the drug sometimes suffer disturbances to their eyesight.
Preliminary tests suggest that compound 5 does not affect other phosphodiesterases, meaning it may not have the same side effects as the common anti-impotence pills.
"If people eat horny goat weed, I think it can be beneficial as it contains icariin," Dell'Agli said.
Researchers in Italy have based their findings on an experiment involving four plants used as natural aphrodisiacs in traditional cultures.
The active compound of common anti-impotence pills, sildenafil, works by inhibiting an enzyme, phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5). Because PDE5 helps control blood flow to the penis, inhibiting PDE5 promotes male erection.
In their study, the researchers tested the four plants in vitro to see how efficient they were inhibiting PDE5. Just one -- Epimedium brevicornum, known as horny goat weed – had an effect, the 'New Scientist' reported. Sildenafil, however, is 80 times more effective at inhibiting PDE5 than icariin.
So, the researchers extracted icariin from the plants, and produced six modified versions of it, which they tested on PDE5 also. "The most efficient of these, compound 5, works as well as Viagra," Mario Dell'Agli of Milan University said.
A drug made from compound 5 could also cause fewer side effects than Viagra, according to them. In addition to PDE5, sildenafil affects other phosphodiesterases, including some that are essential to sight and heart function.
As a result, people having heart problems are not advised to take the drug and patients who do take the drug sometimes suffer disturbances to their eyesight.
Preliminary tests suggest that compound 5 does not affect other phosphodiesterases, meaning it may not have the same side effects as the common anti-impotence pills.
"If people eat horny goat weed, I think it can be beneficial as it contains icariin," Dell'Agli said.
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