Supplements Category
Supplementation can give you that slight edge in hormonal optimization, but it's not the main thing you should focus on.
For the goal of increasing testosterone levels naturally, supplementation with herbs, amino acids, serines, or the commonly sold "testosterone boosters" isn't even close to as important as proper food intake, micronutrient balance, training methods, and various lifestyle factors would be.
With that being said, once you have the most important factors taken care of, there's handful of scientifically proven supplements that can be used to manipulate hormone production.
Such as*:
- Forskolin, which increases cAMP and nudged testosterone levels up by 33 in human study.
- Mucuna pruriens, which raises dopamine, and thus ramps up testosterone production.
- Ashwagandha, which in one study took the average testosterone from 630 to 726 ng/dL.
- Carnitine, which has been proven by muscle-biopsies to increase androgen receptor density.
- Or the estrogen blockers that inhibit aromatase (grape seed extract, IC3, resveratrol...)
* Clinical evidence for the claims above can be found in the post under the next paragraph
In the articles below, you can find all of the info we have written about various supplements, be it for androgens, thyroid, erection quality, or estrogen suppression.
FEATURED ARTICLES
Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD NOTE: For a limited time only, get our best-selling TestShock program for 25% off – Click Here for More Details. The questions I get asked most often are all related to supplementation. Most of the time these are new readers of AM, who have recently started taking interest in…
With five years of writing this website and over 15,000,000 pageviews later, the most common question I get asked about still remains as; Hey Ali, what’s your supplementation routine? And even though there are nearly 100 articles about specific supplements and their effects on Anabolic Men, I haven’t written in detail about my personal nutraceutical…
Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Cistanche is a parasitic desert plant commonly used in Chinese herbal medicine to support male health. It’s also one of the herbs I’m most often asked to write about, as there are many claims online of it possibly boosting testosterone and DHT levels naturally, as well as improving circulation…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Mon 24 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a common herb that originates from the Indian herbal medicine; Ayurveda. Its claimed use is to enhance masculinity and libido. The seed powder and seed extracts of the fenugreek plant are commonly used in various…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Mon 24 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD The testosterone supplement industry has been booming for the past years, frequently coming up with new possible herbals to raise natural test production. Bulbine natalensis is one of them that was briefly hailed as the best of them all…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Mon 24 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Holy basil, also known as tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) is a plant generously used in Indian herbal medicine of Ayurveda. Tulsi is commonly praised for its testosterone boosting effect. However, it’s also used as an anti-fertility agent. Human data of holy basil limited, although…
Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD The Ganoderma Lucidum – commonly known as Reishi or Lingzhi – is a fungus that grows out of Eastern Hemlock trees that cultivate primarily in Northern America. It has been used as a supreme medicinal mushroom in Chinese medicine for over 2,000 years, and even Western medicine has taken…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Mon 24 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Cordyceps has gained quite some popularity in the past few years, largely thanks to few fellow Finnish guys (Four Sigmatic) who are being very innovative with instantized medicinal mushroom drinks. There are some cool benefits – mostly around immune…
Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Moringa Oleifera (also called miracle tree, the tree of life, and drumstick tree) grows in Asia and some African countries. It’s highly nutritious and resistant to environmental factors, which has made it an important food crop in its areas of cultivation. Due to Moringas high amount of antioxidants and…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Mon 24 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD One of the common ingredients in many popular multi-ingredient testosterone supplements is a herb by the name of Fadogia Agrestis. It’s among the primary ingredients in some of the Amazon.com’s most popular test boosters like HCGenerate and Sheer Testosterone (don’t…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Mon 24 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Yohimbine is an alkaloid found in the Yohimbe tree bark. It’s used generally as a fat loss aid, testosterone booster, and even as a pro-erectile agent, but does it work as well as claimed? Let’s take a look. How Effective…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Mon 24 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Avena sativa or “the common oat” is the grain most people should be already quite familiar with. There seems to be this general consensus among the bodybuilding world that oats and avena sativa supplements (which are basically glorified oat…
Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Stinging nettle root (Urtica dioica) is a common plant most should already be familiar with. It’s added into many testosterone booster supplements, and generally, stinging nettle is labeled by some as a testosterone raising herbal supplement that works by inhibiting SHBG (Sex Hormone Binding Globulin), and thus makes testosterone more…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Mon 24 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD D-Aspartic acid – or DAA – which is a non-essential amino acid naturally found in various bodily tissues, hit the bodybuilding World like a storm few years ago. All it took for the supplement companies to make millions of…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Mon 24 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Thryoid is a ~30 gram butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, just below the Adam’s apple. Its main function is to secrete the thyroid hormones; triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) in response to signals sent from the hypothalamus via thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) which…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Mon 24 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD When you read articles about increasing testosterone levels naturally from the internet, a lot of them state that one should eat “healthy fats”. Then they follow with a nice little list, somewhat like this; “Eat more nuts, more fish,…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Mon 24 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD All of the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) have important actions in the body. Some so much that we would die without them in our system. Supplements, herbs, amino acids and whatnot, can also be important, but they are not…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Mon 24 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD Gynecomastia, gyno, or as they’re commonly known; man boobs, are an embarrassing problem that more and more men seem to be struggling with. Due to shame and anxiety caused by the issue, many men refuse to seek medical…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD If you search online, people seem to be praising probiotics for being the next best thing right after sliced bread. And even though quality probiotic supplements and fermented foods are actually pretty great for the majority of people… …There…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD Produced by the pancreas, insulin helps to turn your ingested carbohydrates into the simplest form of sugar; glucose. Your body then uses glucose as direct energy for the cells to fuel the metabolic processes of the human body.…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Fermented foods like kefir, lassi, sauerkraut, kombucha, yogurt, and many others, are rich in naturally occurring probiotics. Probiotic strains can also be found in some supplements (but it’s important to look for only the high-quality kind). The common benefits of…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) is a glycoprotein produced by the liver to regulate steroid hormones like testosterone (T) and dihydrotestosterone (DHT). SHBG works by binding into the active free-testosterone molecules, rendering them inactive and unable to bind the…
Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD DHT is a male hormone, androgen, similarly to testosterone. They are similar, yet different. Dihydrotestosterone, which is actually made from testosterone via the conversion caused by the enzyme 5-alpha reductase, has 2-3 times higher affinity towards the androgen receptors of the body and is bound for roughly five times longer…
You can get your bottle of Redwood from this link Before we dive into the review of Truth Nutraceutical’s Redwood supplement, know that there are many compounds that can dramatically increase erection quality and relieve erectile dysfunction (ED) naturally. However, supplement manufacturers today rarely do justice to these great compounds in their formulations, which leads…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Cortisol is a naturally occurring steroid hormone in the human body. Its release from the adrenal cortex is stimulated by a brain hormone called ACTH, and the release of ACTH, on the other hand, is stimulated by physical or…
Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Sleep is crucially important for overall health and testosterone production. After all, the majority of your T is being produced while you’re sleeping, and several studies show how reduced sleep can significantly lower testosterone levels. Not to mention the fact that you’ll just feel like shit if you sleep…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Creatine is a natural substance that is present in almost all vertebrates. It’s a key component in skeletal muscle metabolism, and it’s also the most researched and respected bodybuilding supplement out there. Creatine works simply by increasing the amount of ATP…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Carnitine is a compound that our bodies naturally synthesize from the amino acids lysine and methionine. It’s often used as a brain booster, due to the facts that it protects neurons, and may increase alertness. Carnitine is also used as a fat…
Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Resveratrol is a naturally occurring polyphenol found in the skin of red grapes, mulberries, and blueberries. Its popularity has been soaring these past years due to research theorizing the compound of having an anti-aging, blood flow promoting effects. Resveratrol is the compound also claimed to cause the health benefits…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Probably one of the simplest ways to increase natural testosterone production is just to correct all of your underlying vitamin and mineral deficiencies. That is, since you can often do it effortlessly with a proper diet and a multivitamin…
Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD In this article, I break down the 5 estrogen supplements that are proven to help lower high estrogen levels. Now, there are many reasons why high estrogen levels are no good news for men. Sure you need some for bone & joint health, and brain function, but most men…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Grapes are one of the most beneficial foods for men’s health. That’s because they’re rich in antioxidants and polyphenols, such as the testosterone boosting and estrogen blocking resveratrol. This post is about grape seed extract and testosterone. Not to…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Mucuna Pruriens (velvet bean) is an indian bean-like climbing herb that can reach 15 meters in length. Mucuna is widely used in Ayurveda (Indian herbal medicine) and its usage as a Parkinson’s relief and sexual tonic date back thousands…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Shilajit is a dark tar-like rocky substance collected from the deep rocks of Himalaya. It’s considered to be one of the cornerstones of Ayurveda (Indian medicine) and its use dates back thousands of years. Even in the western medicine (where…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD Do test boosters work? What do testosterone boosters do? Are they worth buying? These are questions I get all the time… So let’s dive in and uncover the truth behind the testosterone supplement claims on the market today. …
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Pre-workout supplements or “boosters” are all the rage right now. Just look around the bodybuilding supplement industry, and you can see all the new pre-workout buzzwords tied around the ever so clever marketing tactics… “skin tearing pump”… “laser-sharp focus”……
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Forskolin is a labdane diterpene found in an Indian plant called Coleus Forskohlii. Dozens of studies have proven it to be a potent cAMP activator, while one human study found that forskolin increases testosterone. One study even found that…
Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD DIM (3,3′-diindolylmethane) is a naturally occurring byproduct of indole-3-carbinol (IC3), and IC3 itself is a byproduct of glucosinolate glucobrassicin, which is a compound found in all cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, and the like. There has been much discussion about DIM and its effects…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) is a herbal supplement (commonly root powder or extract) widely used in the Indian herbal medicine, aka. Ayurveda. It’s considered to be an “adaptogen“, which is a term coined by the Russian scientists to describe a…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD DHEA (dehydroepitestosterone) is the most abundant steroid hormone in human circulation. It’s made when the CYP11A1 enzyme converts cholesterol into pregnenolone, which is then converted into DHEA by another enzyme called CYP17. The synthesis of DHEA mainly occurs…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Akarkara root (Anacyclus pyrethrum) is an aphrodisiac herb from the Indian herbal medicine, Ayurveda. It grows pretty much all over the Mediterranean region, and in Northern India, the Himalayas, and some Arabian countries. As a plant, it’s quite similar…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Butea Superba (Red Kwao Krua) is an androgenic herb widely used among the males of Thailand as an aphrodisiac and to improve erectile quality. There’s only a limited amount of studies available to prove its aphrodisiac effects, but what…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Royal jelly is an anabolic porridge-like goo secreted from the hypopharynx glands of the worker bees. When the hive decides to change the queen bee, they select few small larvae and start feeding them with royal jelly. This anabolic…
Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Black seed oil (BSO) is the oil extracted from the seeds of black cumin (nigella sativa, black seed). Black cumin products are native to southern Asia, and they’re most commonly used as a spice in Indian and Middle Eastern cultures. Their “medicinal use” has now spread across the globe…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Bromelain extract is a combination of proteolytic (protein breaking) enzymes, which are most commonly extracted from either the stem or fruit part of pineapples. It’s mainly used as a meat tenderizer, and this is simply because the catalytic enzymes…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Fat burners are a huge market all around the world, and why wouldn’t they be? Most of the people on this planet at some point of their lives want to lose some weight. For those people, there’s a market…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Taurine is a semi-essential organic amino acid that’s synthesized in the body from methionine and cysteine, comprising roughly 0,1% of the weight of the human body. What makes taurine interesting is the fact that it’s the most prominent free…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD ZMA (Zinc Magnesium Asparate) is a somewhat simple supplement that contains 15-30 mg’s zinc (monomethionine and aspartate), 350-500 mg’s magnesium (aspartate), and 10-20 mg’s vitamin B6 (pyridioxine hydrochloride). It was invented by the ex-bassist of the band Tower of…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, NaHCO3) is definitely not the first thing that comes to mind when somebody mentions testosterone boosters or performance enhancing supplements. I mean come on, it’s just a white powder that your grandma uses when she…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD 6-OXO, better known as androstenedione (4-Androstene-3,6,17-trione), is a popular testosterone booster and estrogen blocker. It’s most commonly used among bodybuilders as a post-cycle treatment after exogenous steroid use in order to “jump-start” the body’s natural production of testosterone. It…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Phosphatidylserine (PS) is a naturally occurring phospholipid that exists in the cell membranes of all species. In simple words, it’s a type of fat that can be found in every cell membrane of the human body that also contains…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Eurycoma Longifolia (Tongkat Ali, Pasak Bumi). The name gets thrown around when people start talking about testosterone boosters or aphrodisiac herbs… However, in my opinion, Tongkat Ali is not exactly the best testosterone booster out there. …It might be…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Today I’ll share with you a trick that’ll significantly decrease your blood pressure, and literally skyrockets your nitric oxide production. The info that I’m about to present has actually been studied with humans, and what’s even better is that…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD Velvet antler is a supplement that’s made by crushing the antler of an animal that has one (usually deer) to a powder form, which is then consumed orally or made into tinctures. In most cases, it’s crushed deer…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD BCAAs (Branched-chain amino acids) are leucine, isoleucine, and valine, and the name is simply derived from their branch chained looking chemical structure. Those three amino’s all belong to the category of essential amino acids for human survival. And research…
Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Suma (Pfaffia Paniculata, Brazilian Ginseng, Russian Secret) is a strong adaptogenic herb with ergogenic activity. It’s a large ground vine that cultivates mostly in the Amazonian rainforest, generously used by the native tribes. The locals call it “para tudo” which literally means “for everything”… …And for everything, it seems…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD Saw palmetto is an extract made out of the fruit of a plant called serenoa repens. It was a big-time hit on the bodybuilding world some years ago, and sometimes it’s even claimed as the best testosterone booster…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Rhodiola Rosea (rose root, arctic root) is a herb that cultivates in the harsh conditions of Siberia and northern Asia. Many herbalists and doctors claim that it’s the most beneficial herb for human health that we’ve discovered so far……
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD & Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD When most people talk about testosterone boosters, they start with Tribulus Terrestris and Maca. And that’s not cool because Maca and Tribulus are both great aphrodisiacs, but they don’t really do that much for your…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Horny Goat Weed (Epimedium) is a flowering herb that grows in the Mediterranean region of Asia. It’s used as an aphrodisiac in the Chinese medicine dates back thousands of years, and most recently even the western medicine has noted…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Pine Pollen is one of my favorite testosterone supplements out there. Even though it’s not even proven in human science yet. It might sound weird that I, as a guy who likes to state everything with scientific evidence, would be…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD & Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD Tribulus Terrestris (puncture vine) is a herb that grows pretty much all around the World but is typically found in dry and cold climates. It’s the most well known “testosterone booster” in the bodybuilding community.…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Chrysin is probably one of the most well known estrogen blockers out there. Yet I have never talked about it on this site. After a flood of emails about the supplement, I’m finally addressing chrysin in this blog, but…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Cortisol is the main stress hormone in the body, and chronically elevated cortisol for sure is one of the worst things a man could have, as cortisol can actually destroy your testosterone molecules before they even leave your testicles.…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Dr. Stefano Pizzo, MD You might of have heard the fact that bacteria and probiotics are the essences of life, and that without them you’d most likely die. But I bet that you didn’t know how effectively these ‘alien entities’ living inside…
By Ali Kuoppala | Last reviewed Tue 25 September 2018 Medical Review by Gerardo Sison, PharmD Ginseng is one of the most well-known herbs in the world and many men swear by its effectiveness. respectively, there seems to be a lot of truth behind those statements as years of research has provided us with quite…
