Horny Goat Weed Side Effects (And A Better Approach)

Nothing exists in a vacuum. And I have to tell you: I tried this stuff. But the horny goat weed side effects were not something I considered when I did. Perhaps I would have started with a "test dose," if I was more aware of how it would hit me.

And quite honestly, for me, the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. Here's the deal.

I'm an older guy (last of the boomers) if that helps you get a radar fix on how much I'm going to tell you may be on your radar. And if you've come here because you're wondering about side effects, I will tell you I had some. So let me just give you an idea of the overview here.

The overview:

• What Horny Goat Weed is
• Why men (and sometimes women) use it
• What I was expecting
• What I got
• References - benefits
• References - side effects
• Why you might want to look at this alternative

What is Horny Goat Weed?

In short, Horny Goat Weed is a Chinese herb that is actually taken for a number of things: hay fever, athersclerosis (hardening of the arteies), fatigue, osteoperosis. And often, it is taken for erectile dysfunction. And according to the NIH, it might also have benefits against cancer and resistance to cancer drugs.

Why men (and sometimes women) use it

Well, I had always only heard of it being used for ED (and maybe increased drive and libido). Although the other uses above are listed, I have to expect that most people are attracted to it because of its name and what the name implies: improved libido and performance.

For this, it depends who you ask. According to Web MD, people take it for some expected benefits, but in their opinion, none of the supposed benefits have been proven.

People use horny goat weed for erectile dysfunction (ED), sexual problems, weak and brittle bones, health problems after menopause, and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support any of these uses.

For me, I would have to say that the man with an argument is no match for a man with an experience.

My experience was that it did what I was expecting it to do. But my experience also tells me I wouldn't recommend it; at least, not in large doses or by itself. There are other ways of skinning the cat. I will get to it later.

But perhaps you can relate to my mindset for looking into it (and trying it).

What I was looking for (Horny Goat Weed Benefits)

Because I'm not one to be too graphic or "out there" on my site, I will just say that being in my early 60's, I'm doing pretty good health-wise overall. Aside from Covid last year (that was an experience) I've been pretty healthy. Never hospitalized for anything other than that all my life.

But in my 60's, like most men, I don't perform like I did in my 20's and 30's.

The typical sexual-related reasons men use horny goat weed are:

• to increase sex drive and sexual desire (to counteract low libido)
• to create the effect of a "natural viagra" (counteract erectile dysfunction)
• to increase blood flow

There are also some "non-sexual" reasons why some natural health care practitioners recommend horny goat weed. 

It is known to have some positive effects in other areas, too:

• because it is thought to help with opening arterial flow, it is sometimes taken to help lower blood pressure
• it is also sometimes suggested that it works as a blood thinner
• it can help to reduce fatigue

I, of course, was "testing" for the effects on intimacy. You see,

Sometimes (honestly) at this age, it can be a bit of "work" to keep her happy and keep me in the zone at the same time.

Now, I do pretty well in the intimacy department. But it's not like it used to be. And I am blessed with a very intimate wife. She loves being intimate. And even though I am often content being able to satisfy her, she always enjoys sexual intimacy more when she knows we are both sharing the end zone.

While I have no trouble rounding 3rd base, sometimes I'm not always able to "hit a home run." (It's getting better, by the way. More on that, later.) But let's just say I was curious to see if the Horny Goat Weed was good for it's name's sake.

What I got (the benefits plus some side effects)

I took two capsules like the package said. Within about 2 hours, I noticed the desired effects, But I also got some rather unpleasant side effects.

This stuff helped. 

I could say the anatomy was a little more on "auto pilot." As graphic as I want to get here, let's just say I didn't slide into home plate. I ran it in. Easy run.

But I was also aware I was feeling some rather distracting effects, too.

Urination. Lots of Urination. I found I was dumping a lot of urine for about 4 or 5 hours. It seemed to be joined by a "flush feeling." If you've ever had a "niacin flush" it's probably the closest way to describe it. I was feeling warm. I didn't get any itching. But warm. Yeah. And...

My blood pressure spiked. So did my heart rate.

Also, out of curiosity (and maybe just a little out of concern) I thought I should check my blood pressure. Though I'm in my early sixties, I've been blessed with good genetics and run about 130/90 for the most part without any BP medications.

But I put that sucker on (and this was after some intimacy, mind you) and I was a little surprised to see that not only was my BP running 150/110, with a pulse of about 125!! I checked it again about an hour later and it was 160/100 with a pulse of 105.

Not good. Not good at all.

Overall, I just didn't like the way I felt. Ironically, the side effects were so distracting that it was a mixed bag. 

And the other problem was that the side effects went on long after the reason for putting up with them was long past. It seemed it took about 6 to 8 hours for everything to go back to normal.

Why using Horny Goat Weed (by itself) might not be the best approach for you

Like I said... for me, the juice wasn't worth the squeeze.

I did some searching online for "negative side effects" for Horny Goat Weed and it was hard to find much listed. But I did find the "RX List" web site:

A heart arrhythmia has also been reported in a man who took horny goat weed in a commercial product used for sexual enhancement. Research also shows that a specific multi-ingredient commercial product (Enzyte, Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals) that contains horny goat weed might cause abnormal heart beats when measured by an electrocardiogram. These changes might increase the chance of having a heart arrhythmia. However, since these products contain multiple ingredients, it is not clear if these effects are caused by horny goat weed or other ingredients.

You should consider this alternative

Honestly, I should have known better. You see, I've been taking another supplement now for a while and it's actually been helping. I just got "curious."

Slow and steady wins the race.

I should know better. But human nature being what it is, sometimes I don't take my own advice. (I've done the same with investing, too. When I stick to my formulas, I generally do well, and gains far outnumber losses. But every once in a while, I feel "lucky." And I stop investing and start to gamble. And that is a way to lose gains fast.

I was actually shopping for my regular multivitamins and saw the stuff and thought, "what the heck?" But it does go against my normal philosophy and my "long-term" approach has otherwise been working anyway.

The truth is, ED and prostate health issues go hand in hand.

What I do believe is that using products like horny goat weed or others - by themselves, in massive doses, for "special occasions" is not the proper approach.

The proper approach to aiding intimacy is targeting prostate health.

Using a shot of horny goat weed in a pinch for a special occasion is like a push-up bra or a stuffed suit. Alternatively, proper nutrition (targeted, in this case, toward a healthy prostate) is more like regular workouts at the gym. (I'm also using a supplement for 'libido assistance.' Let's just say Mrs. Roo is pleased....)

I think you get the idea. The reality is that BPH (enlarged prostate) affects ED and other issues. The prostate is a multi-tasking organ. Treat it right and it will serve you well all the way around.

I did a "deep dive" analysis of the kinds and amounts of ingredients in the different prostate formulas. It was an eye-opener.

If you're interested in looking at that article, you can click HERE to read it. I even did an excel sheet to map some things out. And when I did that, I discovered a whole bunch of clarity on both the products and the industry. Please take a look. If you're in need, you'll be glad you did.

By the way (and dose of honesty here - affiliate link) I could recommend a number of products. And sometimes I suggest grabbing something off the drugstore shelf.

But I've tried a lot of them. I've tried some from the pharmacy: "Real Health Prostate Formula," "Super Beta Prostate" and "Urozinc Prostate Health Formula." I've ordered the ones advertised on the radio, too: "Prostagenix," for instance.

None of those worked for me like these.

I suggest these as a pair, because they work.

VigRX Prostate Support for prostate health.

VigRX for PROSTATE PERFORMANCE.

And yes, if you decide to try it and it works for you, I do benefit from the purchase. But honestly, I would recommend it even if I didn't benefit from it.

I just want to share a good thing.