Is this supplement the real deal for Sarm? I know what sarm is but I am wondering about this supply in question.
Icariin is a derivative of the plant epimedium sagittarius (horny goat weed)- RPM uses a high percentage extract of Icariin (50%) in very appreciable doses. 95% of the products during the "Horny Goat Weed" supplement craze were a 5-20% icariin extract, and not used in correct dosages- this steered a great deal of bodybuilders away from this supplement. Now we are going to bring Icariin back, in the form of the highly effective compound that it is!!!!! When I started research high-dose Icariin, I was honestly really surprised that no one did this sooner- too many benefits/applications to bodybuilding to ignore........
The prerequisites of a SARM (selective androgen reuptake modulator) are the ability of a compound to: "stimulate increases in strength and fat-free mass through testosterone mimetic properties, supporting bone growth, and maintaining and restoring sexual function and general "maleness", while being orally bioavaliable and not effecting blood pressure or blood lipids." Icariin fits every one of these prerequesites, here are some studies:
Asian J Androl. 2006 Sep;8(5):601-5. Epub 2006 Jun 5.Click here to read Links
The testosterone mimetic properties of icariin.
* Zhang ZB,
* Yang QT.
Department of Urology, Second Affiliated Hospital, Shantou University Medical College, Shantou 515041, China.
[email protected]
AIM: To evaluate the testosterone mimetic properties of icariin. METHODS: Forty-eight healthy male Sprague-Dawley rats at the age of 15 months were randomly divided into four groups with 12 rats each: the control group (C), the model group (M), the icariin group (ICA) and the testosterone group (T). The reproductive system was damaged by cyclophosphamide (intraperitoneal injection, 20 mg/kg x day) for 5 consecutive days for groups M, ICA and T, at the sixth day, ICA (gastric gavage, 200 mg/kg x day) for the ICA group and sterandryl (subcutaneous injection, 5 mg/rat . day) for the T group for 7 consecutive days, respectively. The levels of serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), serum bone Gla-protein (BGP) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity in serum (StrACP) were determined. The histological changes of the testis and the penis were observed by microscope with hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase biotin-dUTP-X nick end labeling (TUNEL), respectively. RESULTS: (1) Icariin improved the condition of reproductive organs and increased the circulating levels of testosterone. (2) Icariin treatment also improved the steady-state serum BGP and might have promoted bone formation. At the same time, it decreased the serum levels of StrACP and might have reduced the bone resorption. (3) Icarrin suppressed the extent of apoptosis of penile cavernosal smooth muscle cells. CONCLUSION: Icariin has testosterone mimetic properties and has therapeutic potential in the management of hypoandrogenism.
Pharmazie. 2005 Dec;60(12):939-42. Links
Icariin, a flavonoid from the herb Epimedium enhances the osteogenic differentiation of rat primary bone marrow stromal cells.Chen KM, Ge BF, Ma HP, Liu XY, Bai MH, Wang Y.
Institute of Orthopaedics, Lanzhou General Hospital, Lanzhou, Gansu 730050, PR China.
[email protected]
The herb Epimedium has long been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine to treat bone fracture and prevent osteoporosis. Researchers believe that the flavonoids contained in the herb are the effective component for this activity. However, no single flavonoid has been studied for its effect on bone-related cells. In the present study, icariin, one of the major flavonoids of the herb, supplemented the primary culture medium of rat bone marrow stromal cells (rMSCs) at 0.1 microM , 1 microM and 10 microM respectively. It was found that icariin stimulated the proliferation of rMSCs and increased the number of CFU-F stained positive for alkaline phosphatase in a dose-dependent manner. Icariin also dose-dependently increased the alkaline phosphatase activity, osteoalcin secretion and calcium deposition level of rMSCs during osteogenic induction. The addition of 10 microM icariin caused four times more mineralized bone nodules to be formed by rMSCs than in the control. The results demonstrated that icariin should be an effective component for bone-strengthening activity, and one of the mechanisms is to stimulate the proliferation and enhance the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs.
Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2005 Dec;82(4):686-94. Epub 2005 Dec 27. Links
Antidepressant-like effect of icariin and its possible mechanism in mice.Pan Y, Kong L, Xia X, Zhang W, Xia Z, Jiang F.
State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Immunobiological Laboratory, Institute of Functional Biomolecule, Nanjing University, PR China.
The behavioral, neurochemical and neuroendocrine effects of icariin isolated from Epimedium brevicornum were investigated in behavioral despair models of KunMing strain of male mice. Icariin was found to significantly shorten immobility time in the forced swimming test (FST) after orally administration for 21 consecutive days. Icarrin also produced a marked reduction in immobility time in the tail suspension test (TST) when administered for at least 7 consecutive days. The preferable antidepressant action by icariin was obtained at 17.5 and 35 mg/kg in the present study. Moreover, it was observed that the stress of FST exposure induced increases in brain monoamine oxidase (MAO) A and B activities, serum corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) levels, as well as decreases in brain monoamine neurotransmitter levels. Treatment of icariin for 21 consecutive days mainly reversed the above effects in the mouse FST. These results suggested that icarrin possessed potent antidepressant-like properties that were mediated via neurochemical and neuroendocrine systems.
Asian J Androl. 2005 Dec;7(4):381-8. Links
Effects of icariin on erectile function and expression of nitric oxide synthase isoforms in castrated rats.Liu WJ, Xin ZC, Xin H, Yuan YM, Tian L, Guo YL.
Andrology Center of Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100009, China.
AIM: To investigate the effect of icariin on erectile function and the expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms in castrated rats. METHODS: Thirty-two adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into one sham-operated group (A) and three castrated groups (B, C and D). One week after surgery, rats were treated with normal saline (groups A and cool.gif or oral icariin (1 mg/[kg.day] for group C and 5 mg/[kg.day] for group D) for 4 weeks. One week after treatment, the erectile function of the rats was assessed by measuring intracavernosal pressure (ICP) during electrostimulation of the cavernosal nerve. The serum testosterone (ST) levels, the percent of smooth muscle (PSM) in trabecular tissue, and the expression of mRNA and proteins of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and phosphodiesterase V (PDE5) in corpus cavernosum (CC) were also evaluated. RESULTS: ICP, PSM, ST and the expression of nNOS, iNOS, eNOS and PDE5 were significantly decreased in group B compared with those in group A (P 0.01). However, ICP, PSM and the expression of nNOS and iNOS were increased in groups C and D compared with those in group B (P 0.05). Changes in ST and the expression of eNOS and PDE5 were not significant (P 0.05) in groups C and D compared with those in group B. CONCLUSION: Oral treatment with icariin ( 98.6 % purity) for 4 weeks potentially improves erectile function. This effect is correlated with an increase in PSM and the expression of certain NOS in the CC of castrated rats. These results suggest that icariin may have a therapeutic effect on erectile dysfunction.
Wei Sheng Yan Jiu. 2005 Mar;34(2):191-3. Links
[Effects of Icariin on ovariectomized osteoporotic rats][Article in Chinese]
Bao JR, Yang JW, Li SF, Zhao W, Zhang Q, Yan Y.
Life Science College, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China.
OBJECTIVE: To observe the effects of Icariin on ovariectomized osteoporotic rats. METHODS: Female Wistar rats were ovariectomized and administered different dosage of Icariin and 17beta-estradiol for eight weeks. Bone mineral density (BMD), indexes of biomechanics and bone metabolism-associated biochemical markers were measured. RESULTS: Icariin increased the BMD, maximum load and flexural rigidity in the osteoporotic rats. The activities of serum tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRACP) and bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) were decreased in the Icraiin-fed ovariectomized rats. CONCLUSION: Icariin 225mg/kg per day could increase the BMD and improve indexes of bone biomechanics in ovariectomized osteoporotic rats. It was effective in preventing bone loss induced by ovariectomy.
I
cariin fits all of the criteria for a SARM, except it is in a very well-researched phytochemical extract, not an undeveloped potential pharmaceutical drug- hence the title Phytochemical SARM (P-SARM) :type:
