Icariin

Category: flavonoid

Aliases: Epimedium / horny goat weed extract

Pharmacological Mechanism

Prenylated flavonoid from Epimedium species. Weak PDE5 inhibition + estrogenic activity; mechanistic basis for the traditional erectile / libido + osteoporosis indications. Bioavailability poor; deglycosylated icaritin has higher absorption.

Half-Life (t½)

PO: 3h

Dosing Guidelines

• PO: Typical 500 mg (Range: 250–1000 mg)

Target Organ Systems

• reproductive
• musculoskeletal

Pathways It Modulates

• Nrf2 / Keap1 antioxidant response (activator) — PDE5 inhibitor + bone (Epimedium)

Chemical Identifiers

• PubChem CID: 5318997
• Formula: C33H40O15
• Molecular weight: 676.66 g/mol
• InChIKey: TZJALUIVHRYQQB-XLRXWWTNSA-N
• SMILES: C[C@H]1[C@@H]([C@H]([C@H]([C@@H](O1)OC2=C(OC3=C(C2=O)C(=CC(=C3CC=C(C)C)O[C@H]4[C@@H]([C@H]([C@@H]([C@H](O4)CO)O)O)O)O)C5=CC=C(C=C5)OC)O)O)O