Horny Goat Weed or Barrenwort?
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Introducing Epimedium
Epimedium is a genus of plants comprising some 50 or more species. Two species are found around the mediterranean, where they are known by names such as Bishop’s Hat, Fairy Wings or, less poetically, Barrenwort. The genus is far more abundant in Asia, where the majority of the species are found. In China, Epimedium was long ago given the name Horny Goat Weed (Yin Yang Hao). As the legend has it, a goatherd noticed that eating the plant caused his male goats to become very excitable; Epimedium entered the Chinese pharmacopeia as a male libido enhancer, and remains popular as such to this day.