Cnidium Monnieri
cnidium research cnidium for sex

Cnidium monnieri is a plant which grows in China (and possibly in Oregon) whose seeds are used in classical traditional Chinese medicine for skin problems and as a natural sex booster. Cnidium is known in China as She Chuang Zi. You may find cnidium seeds in bulk at Chinese pharmacies and some health food stores. See also these herbal sexual enhancers, Yohimbe herb, Tribulus-Terrestris herb.

Dr. Sahelian and his research staff have tested various doses and extracts of exotic herbs, including cnidium and Maca from a number or raw material suppliers to determine the ideal dose and combination for optimal sexual enhancement with fewest side effects. After years of trial and error, a unique proprietary blend with 20 herbal extracts, has been created which works within days. This unique blend is a close kept secret known only to Dr. Sahelian and his research staff. You will only find this exact combination in Passion Rx.

What's in Cnidium Monnier?
Cnidium seed contains several compounds including coumarins, osthol, imperatorin, glucides and hepatoprotective sesquiterpenes.

Properties of Cnidium
Preliminary studies show some of the compounds in cnidium may have anti-histamine, anti-itch, anti-fungal, and anti-bacterial effects, along with having an influence on the pituitary-adrenocortex axis. Additional studies on rodents indicate that cnidium may improve bone strength (coumarins from fruits of cnidium inhibit formation and differentiation of multinucleated osteoclasts of rats). In rabbits, a compound found in cnidium called osthol or osthole was found to help relax the corpus cavernosa of the penis, which would potentially help with blood flow and erections. There are many natural sexual enhancing herbs, including Muira-Puama and the ayurvedic herb Ashwagandha. Another one that is often added to Chinese herbal sexual enhancers is cistanche.

As of Feb 2005, no human trials have been published on Medline regarding the clinical use of cnidium.

Availability of Cnidium
Cnidium is widely available in bulk from herbal companies, however cnidium is currently not easily found by itself. Cnidium is most often found in combination with other sex enhancing herbs in formulations. Cnidium is also available in different extract potencies, for instance a 4:1 extract.

Cnidium study
Cytotoxic activity of coumarins from the fruits of Cnidium monnieri on leukemia cell lines.
School of Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
Planta Med. 2003 Dec;69(12):1091-5.
Cnidii monnieri Fructus [CmF; Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson] is used as a tonic agent in traditional Chinese medicine. In a previous Chinese herb-cytotoxicity screening test, the ethanol extract of CmF exhibited strong effects on human leukemia (HL-60), cervical carcinoma (HeLa) and colorectal carcinoma (CoLo 205) cells. Then, the CmF extract was subjected to silica gel column chromatography and recrystallization to give five coumarins: osthol, imperatorin, bergapten, isopimpinellin, and xanthotoxin. Among these compounds, osthol showed the strongest cytotoxic activity on tumor cell lines. The structure-activity relationship established from the results indicated that the prenyl group has an important role in the cytotoxic effects. However, imperatorin showed the highest sensitivity to HL-60 cells and the least cytotoxicity to normal PBMCs. Osthol and imperatorin both caused apoptotic bodies, DNA fragmentation, and enhanced PARP degradation in HL-60 cells by biochemical analysis. These results indicate that osthol and imperatorin can induce apoptosis in HL-60 cells. Therefore, osthol and imperatorin are cytotoxic marker substances in the fruits of Cnidium monnieri.

Cnidium questions
Q. Which is more potent as a sexual enhancer, cnidium or avena sativa?
   A. Probably cnidum, but each person is different. See also Avena-Sativa herb.

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