The herb with the suggestive name has been used for centuries in Asian traditional medicine to help with a range of health problems. Prominent amongst them is erectile dysfunction and impotence.
Horny Goat Weed is the common name given to a genus of plants predominantly native to China, although a few varieties do grow elsewhere in Asia. The plant’s botanical name is Epimedium and there are currently 65 accepted species within the genus. Most Epimedium plants have colourful flowers whilst the plant itself grows from a tuber. It’s this tuber, or root, that is used for medicinal purposes.
Although extracts from the root of the plant have been successfully used in dietary supplements like Dr Phil erectile dysfunction supplements for some time now, the science to back them up lags behind. In 2008 though a group of scientists in Italy established that the plant does contain a compound similar to those used in synthetic ED products. These compounds, known as phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors, work by reducing the activities of PDE5, an enzyme found in the smooth muscle tissue in arterial walls. To explain how it, and compounds like icariin et al work, we need to first understand PDE5’s role in the process.
Sexual stimulation in a normal healthy male causes the body to produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide in turn activates guanylate cyclase, an enzyme responsible for triggering the production of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). CGMP relaxes smooth muscle tissues in blood vessels, leading to vasodilation and increased blood flow. In penile blood vessels this increased blood flow is what causes an erection.
Like most things that happen in the body, where there is an action there is an equal reaction. It’s part of the very intricate system of checks and balances we have that ensures we run smoothly, right down to the smallest atoms. Because we don’t need permanent ongoing vasodilation and increased blood flow, we have a mechanism that switches it off and returns arterial walls and blood flow to normal. This mechanism is phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE5). PDE5 breaks down cGMP, which stops it working and allows our blood vessels and blood flow to return to normal.
PDE5 though also requires regulation itself otherwise it would continually break down cGMP before it had done its job. PDE5 regulation is carried out by PDE5 inhibitors. Normal healthy males have natural PDE5 inhibitors but men with ongoing erectile dysfunction issues don’t, or they have abnormally low levels of them. So you can see the problem for these guys. Without natural PDE5 inhibitors cGMP doesn’t get a chance to work properly. Therefore vasodilation and increased blood flow to the penis is reduced or just doesn’t happen, and he doesn’t get an erection. Or can’t sustain one for very long.
PDE5 Inhibitors In Dr Phil Erectile Dysfunction Supplements Work Like Viagra
And that’s where products like Viagra come in. They contain a manufactured type of PDE5 inhibitor that does the same job natural PDE5 inhibitors would normally do. This allows cGMP to do its job properly and the result is a normal erection! Herbal ED supplements like Dr Phil erectile dysfunction supplements contain a range of complementary compounds like Horny Goat Weed and Tongkat ali, which all work together to provide temporary relief for ED.