Erectile dysfunction (ED) is said to affect 18 million men in the United States alone.  The popular drug, Viagra (sildenafil), improves performance but does so with potential side effects that may dampen the mood.  In their search for new drugs that treat ED but with fewer side effects, Italian researchers have identified horny goat weed, a natural aphrodisiac long popular in China, as a viable alternative.

Viagra and several other medications prescribed for treating ED come with the risk of side effects that include visual disturbance, stomach distress, headaches, and facial flushing.  Herbal remedies said to enhance sexual performance are thought to do so with fewer side effects, according to Mario Dell’Agli, who presented the findings of his recent study to the American Chemical Society on September 30.

Of the herbal extracts Dell’Agli and his team of researchers studied, horny goat weed proved to be the most potent inhibitor of an enzyme that controls blood flow to the penis.  When this particular enzyme is inhibited, an erection occurs.

With a bit of chemical modification, the herb’s active ingredient, icariin, was found to have a more precisely targeted effect on the erection-controlling enzyme than sildenafil.  The scientifically documented action of the weed makes it particularly attractive in the search for better ED treatments that come with less risk of undesirable side effects.

Source: American Chemical Society