Sorry, guys, I would never make it more complicated than it really is. It just seems complicated because we are modern men and not farmers anymore. We are used to buying pre-packaged off-the-shelf products and trusting labels with ingredients. These are the origination materials of what ends up in a GNC store and the package will be given sensational art. Cnidium is a common plant, very cheap and grows in America and Europe as well as Asia. Used by early American settlers and the American Indians. But, sure there is probably some variability in cnidium, depending on the geographic location of origin. But I have never been disappointed by it.
Okay, history lesson over.
Where you can get it?
I am not being evasive nor elusive but I have been away from New York for a very long time. In Flushing there are so many herb stores in that hub where the ladies are. Being away for a while, I am not sure what stores remain open. I once counted like 7 or 8 in a short walking distance of each other when I had to go from store-to-store to find a missing herb in a formula that everybody was out of.
For example, a very honest herb store is at 37-11 Prince Street Flushing NY 11354. You can get any herb there in bulk at a very fair price. Most Chinese herb stores' main business is ginseng and that could be very expensive, depending on the quality and cultivation, BUT NOT THIS COMMON SEED OR SEED-FRUIT CALLED "CNIDIUM." It is a cheap old wild plant with a cluster of cheap seeds so for this plant don't worry about quality.
The store above (one of many) should be open and it is run by a very nice Asian lady with better English than mine. (so, that's not really a complement LOL) When she is off taking care of other matters, sometimes poor English speakers might be present. But, I have included the Chinese character below. Just show them that and they will surely serve you. And below is the link if you so choose to buy from a different online vendor. (one of many) Flushing should even be cheaper. But this one pound bag for between 5 and 10 bucks is enough probably at LEAST for two years.
The store above is unique because I believe on top of the good English speaking owner, she usually has on hand an herbal doctor. The store is also very popular for Lotto and cigarettes and other items to keep it going when the herbal business is slow.
You don't have to buy a big one pound bag, either, when buying in Flushing or in any Chinatown. They sell it by the ounce also. OR ONLY BUY A COUPLE OF OUNCES TO SEE IF YOU LIKE IT --- for a dollar or two.
You could also use a high-speed blender and make a powder for better assimilation into your body system. I am sure if you search the internet you will find pills and extracts of cnidium. I shy away from those (it doesn't mean you have to shy away from them) as they are not so natural anymore but probably work even stronger and faster and with more convenience and control.
Depends on you and your body type. And for other herbs and other conditions, I might try the pills. But, for me, this herb is very peculiar in that I find it so powerful, it needs no help. Granted, right now, my source is a good Asian country. But when you buy it on line or in Flushing, 90% chance it is coming from China. Some herbs taken in this simple manner would render them useless. For example boiled horny goat weed is quite powerful for me but needs other herbs to soften the blow but I have found raw horny goat weed powder to be useless.
It might take a few days for it to build a little momentum in your system. A teaspoon of the herb for me is really too much. But if you are extremely sexually active like some of you studs are, it might be fine and you can adjust according to your system.
You see, guys, this being a plant, its potency varies from farm-to-farm and plant-to-plant just like grapes for wine vary vastly in the quality of the wine. It is unlike a pharmaceutical or an herbal extract which is standardized. (this may sound like a contradiction from what I said before about comparing it to ginseng, but it is not, really, because ginseng and some other plants are highly-prized and very expensive and highly cultivated and cnidium is not.)
So, please be patient before you feel I misled you or sent you on a wild goose chase. I am telling you in all honesty my simple humble experience. I am not even suggesting you try it. Some of you are quite happy with your own "helpers." I am not a doctor giving advice nor even a professional herbalist, although I have spent a vast amount of time studying and can hold my own in discussions with herbalists.
Please read all prior warnings (prior posts) with respect to the prostate as --- of course -- it is a sexual stimulant and all your sexual organs will become engorged with your body's forced manufacture of semen and hormone-rich blood.
Out of courtesy and integrity, I must tell you all I know because if you choose to experiment it should be a safe and pleasurable experiment. So, in a bona-fide Chinese sexual formula, an herbalist would never give cnidium alone. It would be moderated by other herbs to sort of soften and smooth the impact. But, in low doses with careful observation -- a small amount on its own for a short time or taken with breaks to allow the system to cool down has caused me no harm and indeed, favorable results. And back off if too strong.
Because this is a general discussion and some of you guys might have other substances like V and C and L in your system or any of the other GNC products or bodega products or internet products, so we are not all on a level playing field. Therefore, we might have varying results.
Forgive me for the verboseness of this but the subject lends itself to it being long. You are all quite adept in the art of mongering and now you are on the road to become adept in the art of sexual herbal potencies.
Good Luck, Gentlemen.
Activeherb™ Bulk Chinese Herbs
She Chuang Zi
(Cnidium Fruit, Fructus Cnidii, 蛇床子)
$10.98
1 lb - Custom Order Item #: AH690
*****Medical Disclaimer: The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.