Do we sell Horny Goat Weed containing 90% icariin or 98% icariin?

Every so often we are asked the question; Do we intend to sell Horny Goat Weed supplements containing percentages of icariin above 60%, such as 90% or 98% icariin extract?

The answer to this question is; no, at least not for the foreseeable future.

So why not? (you ask)

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Study & Test

It goes without saying that at the 'Icariin Health' shop we have an intrinsic devotion to all things icariin!

As a result of this passion, we are continually researching and testing out new Horny Goat Weed products behind the scenes. Unsurprisingly, therefore, icariin percentages from 10% through to 90% & 98% pure, are something that we have been studying and trialing ever since we first opened back in 2009.

Naturally, one would make the assumption that; 'the higher the percentage of icariin within a finished Horny Goat Weed extract, the more beneficially effective the extract will be'. Unfortunately, however, this is not strictly the case with herbal plant extracts.

Over the years we have carried out numerous controlled trials using Horny Goat Weed extracts of the following icariin percentages; 50%, 60%, 70% 80%, 90%, 98%, and even 100% pure icariin.

On each round of trials, the results invariably showed that the 50% to 70% range was the most effective, with the 60% icariin purity level being the most consistently beneficial overall.

Upon discovering this pattern of optimum efficacy within the mid-range icariin percentages, we contacted several 'herbal extract research institutes' to find out why this correlation exists.

The Findings

Plants consist of a complex structure of constituent parts (elements). When undergoing the processes of extraction, the balance of these constituent parts fluctuates due to the refining processes being carried out.

Icariin is an active 'flavonoid' derived from the Epimedium plant species, and as with any active plant flavonoids, in order for them to stay correctly conserved and fully effective in their optimal state; they must remain embodied within a fundamental balance of the constituent parts that they were originally formed with at the initial stages of plant growth.

An analysis carried out by a French bio-lab has shown that when Epimedium plants are extracted to yield upwards of the 70% icariin purity level, the active icariin flavonoids begin to lose their stability and structure, resulting in the cessation of the icariin flavonoids active capabilities. The outcome of this is an overall reduction in the beneficial effect of the finished extract.

Below is a chart obtained from the aforementioned French bio-lab, best illustrating their findings:

This structural imbalance and the resulting fluctuation in icariin flavonoid efficacy (as illustrated in the chart above), is the reason why Epimedium extract producers cannot officially 'standardize' Horny Goat Weed extracts within the 70% to 98% icariin percentage range. Standardization in terms of herbal extracts is a guarantee of potency with respect to a particular active ingredient. Concerning Horny Goat Weed extracts, this guarantee of potency can only be rightfully granted to the 10% - 60% icariin extracts.

If at some stage we observe that 'icariin flavonoid structure' can be stabilized by producers of Horny Goat Weed extract to pure strengths beyond the 60% icariin level, and that those producers can fully certificate the standardization accordingly, then at that stage we will reanalyze extracts of those icariin percentages and possibly consider retailing them based strictly on an outcome of consistently positive results. However, due to their current lack of reliability in terms of effectiveness, we will for the foreseeable future avoid selling Horny Goat Weed supplements within the 70% to 98% icariin range, and maintain with what is currently the optimal icariin purity in terms of consistently showing the most beneficial effectiveness, that being; standardized 60% icariin.