Male Enhancement

What this is. A herbal blend sold into the male performance category. The ingredients and amounts are below — read them before you decide.

The bottle says Male Enhancement. The panel says one ingredient: 800 mg of horny goat weed extract per two-capsule serving. Icariin is the compound the research is about, and its content is not stated — so nobody, us included, can tell you how much of it is in here.

What you are actually getting, per 2 capsules

• Horny Goat Weed Extract (Epimedium; extract ratio not stated) — 800 mg

That is the whole panel. One line, one number. Nothing is standardised, so there is no arithmetic to show you: 800 mg is the weight of the extract, not the weight of any active compound inside it. Icariin content is not stated. Epimedium extracts on the market range from a fraction of a percent icariin to 60%, and the difference between those two bottles is enormous. Ours does not say which it is, so the honest answer to “how much icariin am I getting?” is that we do not know.

Worth knowing before you buy

We are not going to tell you what this does. The human research on epimedium is thin, and most of what exists looks at isolated icariin rather than at an unstandardised leaf extract — which is exactly the figure this panel leaves out. Any description that promises you an outcome from 800 mg of an extract with an unstated icariin content is inventing it.

Something else worth knowing, about the category rather than this bottle: the FDA has repeatedly found undeclared prescription erectile dysfunction drugs, including sildenafil and tadalafil analogues, in products sold under names like this one. That is precisely why the ingredient panel matters. Ours lists one herb and one weight, and both are printed above.

This sits in our men's health collection because that is where you would look for it, not because the dose supports a result. Honesty belongs in the description, not in hiding the product from the menu.

How to take it

Two capsules a day with water. Sixty capsules in the bottle, so one serving a day is 30 days.

Other ingredients

The Supplement Facts panel supplied with this product does not list other ingredients, which means the capsule shell is not stated. Gelatin shells are animal-derived and are not suitable for vegetarians or vegans; cellulose shells are. Because the panel is silent on which this is, we cannot tell you this product is suitable for vegetarians or vegans, and we are not going to guess. There is no allergen statement on the panel either. If either point decides the purchase for you, ask us before you order and we will read the bottle.

Cautions

Epimedium may affect blood pressure and may add to the effect of medicines that thin the blood, so speak to your doctor or pharmacist first if you take blood pressure medication, anticoagulants or antiplatelets, and stop it well before any planned surgery. If you take nitrates or an erectile dysfunction medicine, raise this with your doctor rather than combining them on your own. Keep out of the reach of children. Do not use if the safety seal is damaged or missing. Store in a cool, dry place. Do not exceed the recommended dose. If you are pregnant, nursing, under 18, taking prescription medication or living with a medical condition, speak to your doctor or pharmacist before starting this or any supplement.

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.