Some evidence suggests that flavonoids are beneficial at increasing bone density in animals and humans. Icariin is a flavonoid found in plants from the genus Epimedium, and some evidence suggests that it may be beneficial to bone health. Chemically icariin is a prenylated flavonol glycoside. Studies have investigated the cellular effects of icariin and found that it may stimulate osteogenic differentiation in bone marrow cells and inhibit the absorption activity of osteoclasts. Studies show that icariin may be more effective at causing differentiation of osteoclasts and maturation of osteoblasts compared to genistein, another flavonoid which may increase bone density. The icariin metabilies that may be responsible for its ability to improve bone density, which include icariside I, icariside II, icaritin, appears to have no oestrogenic activity. Consuming icariin containing herbs may therefore be a treatment for certain bone diseases.
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