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A Chinese herbal

remedy called

Horny

Goat Weed

is a promising

alternative to

Viagra for

impotent

men,

Italian

researchers

said in Oct. 2008.

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The herb has long

held a reputation as

a natural aphrodisiac.

The lab experiments,

which did not look at

whether the plant

actually increases desire,

could lead to new drugs

to help men get erections,

said Mario Dell’Agli,

a researcher at the

University of Milan,

who led the study.

“This could be

the natural Viagra,”

he said in a

telephone interview.

”The novelty is that we

have synthesized a new

molecule that one day

may be able to replace

Viagra.”

Erectile dysfunction

is a common

condition worldwide,

and drugs like

Pfizer Inc’s

Viagra,

Eli Lilly and Co’s

Cialis or tadalafil,

and Bayer AG’s

Levitra or vardenafil,

work by increasing

blood flow to

the genitals.

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But the medicines,

which inhibit an enzyme

called phosphodiesterase

type 5 that restricts blood

flow around the body,

including to the penis,

can have side effects

ranging from headaches,

upset stomach and visual

problems including

blindness.

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_____Horny Goat Weed

.____epimedium sagittatum

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The Italian team

looked for alternatives

by studying a number of

plants reputed to boost

sexual performance.

After homing in

on horny goat weed,

the researchers modified

a compound in the plant

called icariin and found

it blocked the erection-

inhibiting enzyme as

well as Viagra did.

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._____Horny Goat Flower

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Because the compound

targets the enzyme

more precisely,

it may have fewer side

effects than Viagra,

known generically as

sildenafil,

Dell’Agli said.

Further tests in animals

and humans are needed

but the extract from the

herb represents a potential

new erectile dysfunction

treatment with fewer

side effects,

Dell’Agli said.

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“The compound icariin

is present in the horny

goat weed in large

amounts and its activity

against (the enzyme) is

lower compared to

Viagra,”

he said.

“But the new molecule

we synthesized from

icariin is as good as

Viagra against

(the enzyme).”

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