Long before “testosterone support” became an industry, traditional healers were studying the plants associated with male vitality, strength, resilience, reproductive wellness, and longevity.

One of those plants was Barrenwort, a member of the Epimedium genus.

You may also know it by its more provocative nickname: Horny Goat Weed.

But reducing this ancient botanical to an aphrodisiac misses the much bigger story behind the plant.

For centuries, Epimedium has occupied an important place in traditional East Asian herbal medicine, particularly Traditional Chinese Medicine, where it is known as Yin Yang Huo.

Traditionally, it has been associated with nourishing what Chinese medicine describes as Kidney Yang—a concept connected with warmth, vitality, reproductive energy, physical strength, resilience, and the fundamental life force that keeps a person moving forward.

And that history is exactly why Barrenwort earned a place in Elevate.

An Ancient Herb With a Powerful Reputation

The story surrounding Epimedium stretches back many centuries.

According to an account passed down through Chinese herbal literature, shepherds observed increased vitality and mating behavior among animals that consumed a particular wild plant. The observation eventually became associated with Epimedium and helped contribute to its reputation as an herb connected with virility.

The colorful story is where the modern nickname “Horny Goat Weed” comes from.

But historically, the plant’s role was broader than sexual function alone.

Traditional herbal practices associated Epimedium with supporting Yang energy, vitality, physical strength, the bones and muscles, and reproductive wellness.

In other words, this wasn’t simply an “aphrodisiac herb.”

It was a vitality herb.

From Ancient Herbalism to Modern Science

Thousands of years later, researchers have begun investigating the chemistry behind Epimedium.

The plant contains numerous naturally occurring compounds, including a group of plant chemicals known as prenylated flavonoids.

One of the most extensively studied is:

Icariin

Icariin is a major bioactive constituent found in Epimedium and has become an important focus of modern research surrounding the plant.

Scientists have investigated icariin and related compounds for their potential influence on biological pathways associated with reproductive health, hormone-related signaling, physical performance, bone metabolism, oxidative stress, inflammation, and overall vitality.

And one area is particularly interesting when we talk about men’s wellness:

testosterone.

Barrenwort & Testosterone Research

Researchers have explored Epimedium and icariin for their potential effects on pathways involved in male reproductive biology and testosterone synthesis.

Preclinical studies have produced interesting findings surrounding testosterone-related mechanisms, reproductive tissues, and the biological processes involved in male hormonal function.

However, there is an important distinction to make.

Much of this research has been conducted in laboratory or animal models. We do not have enough high-quality human clinical evidence to claim that Barrenwort will significantly increase testosterone levels in men.

And we think that distinction matters.

Herbalism doesn’t need exaggerated promises.

The traditional history of a plant, its phytochemistry, and emerging scientific research can be fascinating without turning every botanical into a miracle cure.

Instead, we ask a broader question:

Does this plant have a meaningful history of use for male vitality, and does modern research give us a reason to continue investigating why?

With Barrenwort, the answer is compelling.

More Than a Number on a Lab Test

When we talk about testosterone at Muse of the Rise, we’re interested in more than simply chasing a number.

Testosterone is associated with numerous aspects of male physiology, including muscle mass, bone health, reproductive function, energy, and sexual health.

But masculine vitality is even broader than testosterone alone.

It is the feeling of having energy to build.

Drive to pursue.

Strength to protect.

Clarity to lead.

Resilience when life demands more from you.

Elevate was created around supporting that bigger picture.

Why We Use Barrenwort in Elevate

Barrenwort earned its place in Elevate because it sits at a fascinating intersection between traditional masculine vitality practices and modern botanical research.

For generations, Epimedium was valued as an herb associated with Yang energy, strength, reproductive vitality, and resilience.

Today, researchers are studying compounds such as icariin to better understand how this ancient plant interacts with biological pathways related to male wellness.

And within Elevate, Barrenwort doesn’t work alone.

We’ve paired it with a broader formulation of traditionally valued botanicals including Muira Puama, Korean Ginseng, Tongkat Ali, Ginkgo Biloba, Rehmannia, and Tribulus Terrestris, among other carefully selected ingredients.

Each plant brings its own history, phytochemistry, and traditional purpose.

The philosophy behind the formula is not about relying on one “magic” ingredient.

It’s about synergy.

Ancient Wisdom. Modern Curiosity.

One of the most fascinating things about herbalism is watching modern science begin asking questions about plants humans have valued for hundreds—or even thousands—of years.

Barrenwort is a perfect example.

An herb traditionally described through the language of Yang, vitality, strength, reproductive energy, and virility is now being examined through the language of flavonoids, cellular signaling, hormone-related pathways, and reproductive biology.

Those two systems of understanding aren’t identical, and we shouldn’t pretend they are.

But they can exist in conversation with one another.

At Muse of the Rise, that intersection matters to us.

We honor the wisdom that came before us while remaining curious about what modern research continues to uncover.

That is why Barrenwort has a place in Elevate.

Not because masculinity needs a quick fix.

But because we believe masculine vitality is something worth protecting, cultivating, and nourishing.

Where masculinity meets divinity.

Educational content only. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Research surrounding Epimedium, icariin, and testosterone includes substantial preclinical research, while high-quality human clinical evidence remains limited.

Somewhere along the way, we were taught to imagine matriarchy as patriarchy with the roles reversed.

Women on top.
Men beneath them.
A different ruler sitting on the same throne.

But that is not the matriarchy I believe we are being called back to.

True matriarchy asks no one to kneel.

It does not ask men to become smaller so women can become larger. It does not demand submission, obedience, or the humiliation of the masculine.

It does not seek revenge for generations of imbalance by simply swinging the pendulum violently in the opposite direction.

That would not be liberation.

That would be the same architecture of domination with different people holding the keys.

What I am speaking about is something much older and much more radical:

A way of living where power does not have to mean power over someone else.

We Have Confused Power With Domination

Much of the modern world has been built around hierarchy.

Someone commands.
Someone obeys.

Someone owns.
Someone serves.

Someone wins.
Someone loses.

And after living inside these structures long enough, we begin to assume that hierarchy is simply the natural order of human beings.

So when people hear the word matriarchy, they often imagine women taking control of that hierarchy.

But what if the feminine is not here to conquer the pyramid?

What if she is here to remind us that we were never meant to live as one?

There are forms of leadership that do not require domination.

There are forms of strength that do not require intimidation.

There are forms of community where responsibility is shared without pretending everyone is identical.

There are relationships where two people can honor one another without either surrendering their sovereignty.

There are families where leadership can exist without fear.

There are communities where people contribute because they belong—not because they are controlled.

This is the distinction that matters.

The Mother Does Not Need a Throne

When I speak of matriarchy, I am not necessarily speaking about a government ruled by women.

I am speaking about an orientation toward life.

The archetypal Mother understands something the empire often forgets:

Life is not something to conquer. It is something to tend.

She thinks in generations.

She asks whether the soil will still be fertile after the harvest.

She asks whether the children are safe.

She asks whether the elderly are cared for.

She asks whether there will be enough for tomorrow.

She understands that wealth means very little if the community surrounding it is starving.

Her power comes through stewardship, creation, protection, nourishment, intuition, relationship, and responsibility.

And none of those things require a man to become weak.

In fact, healthy feminine power has no interest in weak men.

It does not need emasculated men kneeling at the feet of powerful women.

It desires men who can stand.

Men who protect.

Men who build.

Men who create.

Men who provide.

Men who lead where they are called to lead.

Men whose strength is rooted deeply enough that the power of a woman does not threaten them.

And women whose power is rooted deeply enough that they do not need to diminish men in order to feel powerful themselves.

The masculine does not need to disappear for the feminine to rise.

They were never meant to destroy one another.

They were meant to meet.

Submission Is Not the Same as Devotion

There is something beautiful about devotion.

Devotion to God.

Devotion to family.

Devotion to a partner.

Devotion to community.

Devotion to a purpose greater than the self.

But devotion freely given is fundamentally different from submission demanded.

One comes from love.

The other comes from control.

A healthy society should not require human beings to abandon their sovereignty in order to belong.

A healthy relationship should not require one person to erase themselves for another.

And a healthy community should not require obedience to a personality at the center of it.

We can honor leadership without worshipping leaders.

We can respect masculine strength without surrendering feminine wisdom.

We can honor feminine wisdom without treating masculinity as something dangerous that must be subdued.

We can choose cooperation without demanding sameness.

We can belong to one another without owning one another.

Maybe the Circle Is the Better Symbol

Patriarchal domination is often imagined as a pyramid.

Power concentrates at the top.

Everyone beneath it supports the structure above them.

But the feminine reminds me more of a circle.

There is still leadership in a circle.

There are still elders.

Teachers.

Protectors.

Mothers.

Fathers.

Healers.

Builders.

Farmers.

Visionaries.

Children who will eventually inherit everything we create.

But no human being must become inherently less so another can become more.

Everyone brings something to the center.

Everyone carries responsibility.

Everyone has something to teach.

Everyone has something to learn.

The question becomes less:

Who gets to rule?

And more:

How do we create something that allows life to flourish?

That is an entirely different question.

This Is Not About Women Winning

I have no interest in a future where women finally “win” against men.

Because if women win and men lose, humanity still loses.

I am interested in restoration.

I am interested in remembering.

I am interested in creating families and communities where masculine and feminine strength are not competing for dominance.

Where strong fathers are honored.

Where mothers are supported.

Where children are protected.

Where elders still have a place.

Where food, land, health, spirituality, work, and community are woven back together.

Where leadership is measured by how well we care for what has been entrusted to us—not by how many people we can place beneath us.

Perhaps that is one of the deepest invitations of the feminine:

Power does not have to stand above life.

Power can stand in service to life.

No One Has to Kneel

Maybe the next chapter is not patriarchy.

Maybe it is not matriarchy in the way we have been conditioned to imagine it either.

Maybe it is the restoration of principles we lost when domination became synonymous with strength.

The Mother does not need the Father on his knees.

The Father does not need the Mother beneath his feet.

She can stand in her fullness.

He can stand in his.

And perhaps the sacred thing happens when neither is asking the other to become smaller.

When neither needs ownership.

When neither needs domination.

When neither needs submission to prove their power.

When both understand that their strength carries responsibility to something larger than themselves.

Family.

Community.

Earth.

Future generations.

God.

Because the highest expression of power may not be having someone kneel before you.

It may be having the strength to stand beside them.

That is the matriarchy I am interested in remembering.