The Best Supplements for Boosting Testosterone

Man in a white long-armed t-shirt beaming with vitality, surrounded by his two kids in a street in Italy.


Testosterone, the primary male sex hormone, plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health and well-being. It influences various bodily functions, including sexual development, muscle mass and strength, bone density, fat distribution, mood, energy levels, and cognitive function.

Studies suggest that on average men experience a decline in testosterone levels of 1-2% per year after age 40. However, this varies significantly between individuals. Testosterone levels naturally begin to decline slowly after puberty, even in healthy men, while there a significant drop typically starts around age 40.

Ensuring adequate testosterone levels is essential for men to maintain healthy reproductive systems, robust physical health, and mental well-being. Maintaining optimal testosterone levels promotes a balance between physical and psychological aspects (it allows “leaning into difficulty“, without leading to stress), contributing to a man’s overall well-being and quality of life.

First focus on optimizing your sleep, stress management, and exercise, for optimal testosterone levels. Then, focus on establishing a balanced diet that you can sustain long-term, before considering supplementation.

It should go without saying, but always consult with your doctor before starting any new supplement regimen or implementing specific protocols. Your doctor can advise you on the appropriate dosage and potential risks or interactions based on your individual health and needs.

With this in mind, here are the best supplements for boosting testosterone that are supported by science, and their protocols.

Table of Content


Tongkat Ali

Wooden table with Tongkat Ali roots, sliced roots and a glass bowl of it in the form of grinded powder
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Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Tongkat Ali or Indonesian ginseng, do not take the Malaysian version if you are looking to attain the below described benefits) has been traditionally used for management of male sexual dysfunction and infertility. It also positively impacts athletic performance and muscular bulk, reducing adiposity, stimulating appetite, and treating fatigue, malaria, diabetes, anxiety, osteoporosis, cancer, constipation, and peptic ulcers.

At 400 mg pr day, Tongkat Ali studies suggest that it reduces sex hormone binding globulin, or have direct effects on increasing androgen release, which it will increase your testosterone levels. It tends to cause an increase in free testosterone and an increase in luteinizing hormone. Tongkat Ali should be taken early in the day because it can have a (little) bit of a stimulant effect and make you more alert (to avoid sleep disruption). It can be taken chronically (no reason to cycle it), and tends to work better as you get into the 2nd and 3rd month of use.


Fadogia Agrestis

Green and leafy Fadogia Agrestis shrub in the nature.
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Fadogia Agrestis is a plant/shrub found natively in Nigeria, for which the stem is used as a herbal medicine to treat a range of issues. Fadogia Agrestis acts as a luteinizing hormone mimetic, and stimulates the testicles to produce more testosterone (but does not affect estrogen).

There is a fairly extensive literature on the fact that Fadogia Agrestis can be toxic to testicular cells, and perhaps other cells, when taken at very high dosages. Obey the particular dosages of Fadogia Agrestis that are recommended on various product labels and cycling Fadogia Agrestis can be important. Some people need to cycle it 8 weeks on, 2 weeks off, while other people opt for 12 weeks on, a month off.


Ashwagandha

Roots of Ashwagandha in a bowl and on a wooden table, next to a bowl of it in the form of grinded powder along with a few capsules of it
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Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) is a plant that grows natively on the Indian sub-continent. It is also known as Indian ginseng, and is an herb used for more than 3 000 years in Ayurvedic medicine (the traditional medicine of India) for a variety of ailments including stress, anxiety, and fatigue. However, its use as part of the Ayurvedic system usually involves more than just the herb alone. Its root has a horsey smell and is said to match the strength and virility of a horse. In Sanskrit, ashva means “horse” and gandha means “smell.” Various parts of the plant are used, but the most common supplemental form is an extract of its roots.

Stress is a state of mental and or emotional strain/tension, which can lead to underperformance and adverse clinical conditions. Adaptogens are herbs that help in combating stress. Ashwagandha is classified as an adaptogen that may help reduce the body’s response to stress by modulating the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, a complex set of interactions between the brain and the adrenal glands that regulate the body’s stress response, and reducing cortisol. There has been significant research confirming the effect on stress, such as a randomized controlled trial that found that taking two doses of 300 mg of ashwagandha per day a resulted in a 20% reduction in measured cortisol levels, and a 40% reduction in perceived stress (subjective stress), compared to the placebo group. The study concludes that a high-concentration full-spectrum Ashwagandha root extract safely and effectively improves an individual’s resistance towards stress and thereby improves self-assessed quality of life.

In addition, ashwagandha may also improve reproductive health, have neuroprotective effects, as well as potential benefits for cognition by significantly improving recall memory and sleep as it reduces stress.

Furthermore, ashwagandha may also modestly enhance various aspects of physical performance, by reducing the body’s response to stress and improving endurance. It may also increase testosterone levels and lean mass. This study reports that ashwagandha supplementation is associated with significant increases in muscle mass and strength, and suggests that ashwagandha supplementation may be useful in conjunction with a resistance training program. Ashwagandha can also have anti-inflammatory effects, which could help with post-workout recovery and reduce the risk of injury.

Ashwagandha has also been shown to reduce cholesterol by about 10%. This can be both good and bad thing depending on the person. Since cortisol, testosterone and estrogen is synthesized from cholesterol, you do not want too low levels of cholesterol.


Zinc

First focus on a balanced diet rich in zinc-rich foods like oysters, red meat, poultry, nuts, and legumes, before considering supplementation.

Zinc’s Role in Testosterone Production
Zinc is essential for the production of testosterone. It is a crucial co-factor for several enzymes involved in testosterone synthesis, including luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone. Luteinizing Hormone in males stimulates the testes to produce testosterone. Thus, deficiencies in zinc can lead to lower testosterone levels, potentially impacting muscle mass and strength. This is backed up by a paper from 2020 showed that testosterone levels are negatively impacted by deficiencies in zinc, magnesium and vitamin D. Whilst the mechanism is slightly different in women, insufficient zinc will also negatively affect women’s testosterone levels.

Fun fact, whilst women have less testosterone than men, if you normalize their hormone values to the same units of measurement, they have more testosterone than all other hormones, including estrogen. Testosterone is the precursor to making estrogen (estradiol).

Note: if you have adequate zinc levels, adding more zinc will not boost your testosterone. Not getting enough, however, is likely to decrease testosterone levels.

Zinc’s Role in Muscle Building
Zinc plays a role in muscle protein synthesis, the process by which muscle tissue is built and repaired. It is also involved in glycogen storage, a readily available fuel source for muscle contraction during exercise. Adequate zinc levels contribute to optimal muscle growth and recovery, especially when combined with proper training and nutrition.

Zinc picolinate has been shown to be one of the most bioavailable forms of zinc.


Boron

Boron’s most salient effects on human health is on:

  • the production and metabolism of estrogen, testosterone and vitamin D.
  • bone development and regeneration.
  • greatly improves wound healing.
  • the absorption and use of calcium and magnesium.
  • anti-inflammatory effects that can help alleviate arthritis.
  • has demonstrated such significant anti-cancer effects that boronated compounds are now being used in the treatment of several types of cancer such as prostate, cervical, and lung cancers and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
  • may help ameliorate the adverse effects of traditional chemotherapeutic agents.
  • improves brain electrical activity, cognitive performance, and short-term memory in elders.
  • influences the formation and activity of key biomolecules, such as SAM-e and NAD+.

Boron is a trace mineral found in small quantities in many of the foods we eat such as raisins, almonds, dried apricots, avocado, prunes, cashew nuts, peach and grapes (red). Dr. Kyle Gillett suggests that boron may help lower sex hormone binding globulin, and thus increase the amount of free testosterone available.


Rhodiola Rosea

Spoon with dry root of Rhodiola rosea, and fresh flowers on a napkin from a sacking on a background of wooden boards
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Rhodiola rosea, often called “rhodiola” for short, is a plant in the Rhodiola genus (Crassulaceae family) that is used as an herbal supplement with adaptogenic properties that offers general resistance to stress. Rhodiola has been found to increases resilience to stress at both the cellular and systemic levels. Rhodiola supplements are generally taken in the form of root powder or standardized extracts with 1–5% salidrosides.

According to this paper, studies on isolated organs, tissues, cells and enzymes have revealed that rhodiola preparations exhibit adaptogenic effects including, neuroprotective, cardioprotective, anti-fatigue, antidepressive, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, nootropic, life-span increasing effects and central nervous system stimulating activity. A number of clinical trials demonstrate that repeated administration of rhodiola extract exerts an anti-fatigue effect that increases mental performance (particularly the ability to concentrate in healthy subjects), and reduces burnout in patients with fatigue syndrome. There are also encouraging results for the use of rhodiola in mild to moderate depression, and generalized anxiety.

In studies looking at strength training, rhodiola increased strength and power when taken just before training and improvements in terms of muscle repair post exercise. Supplementing with rhodiola also decreased the rate of perceived exertion (RPE) in study #1 and study #2 as well as decrease heart rate response to submaximal exercise. In endurance training, some studies have shown that rhodiola can improve endurance exercise capacity.

Some people use rhodiola rosea as pre-workout supplement to attain fatigue benefits. Dr. Andrew Huberman says that “I’ve started taking rhodiola before workouts, and found that I could push much harder much longer through the workout. …What I’ve noticed is I can complete the entire 60 minutes with minimal fatigue.”

During his 2nd appearance on The Tim Ferriss Show, Dr. Andrew Huberman also said that: “Rhodiola rosea is very interesting compound because it’s an adaptogen in that it greatly reduces perceived effort and allows for greater power output and endurance output, but it does not do that by suppressing cortisol. By taking 200 mg of rhodiola rosea prior to a resistance training workout, you will notice that you have more vigor. You can just go longer, and your perceived effort is much lower. Rhodiola rosea is probably the best addition to my physical performance stack that I’ve added in a long time, and it’s really striking. I think so much so that people could try it.”

According to a study from 2016, rhodiola does not seem to have a significant effect on testosterone levels specifically in healthy men.

Forskolin

Forskolin plant in a heap of powder from the root of the Coleus forskohlii plant, and in pill form. Displayed in a delicate way, on a dark brown wooden table, seen from above and the side in a dimly lit room.


Forskolin, derived from the root of the Coleus forskohlii plant, is known for its ability to increase levels of cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) within cells. This compound acts as a secondary messenger, playing a crucial role in various cellular processes, including hormone regulation. Specifically, forskolin stimulates the enzyme adenylate cyclase, which in turn elevates cAMP levels. This elevation has been shown to influence the Leydig cells in the testes, where testosterone is synthesized. By increasing cAMP, forskolin indirectly promotes the production and secretion of testosterone by enhancing the activity of luteinizing hormone (LH), which stimulates Leydig cells to produce testosterone.

From a nutritional and clinical perspective, the impact of forskolin on testosterone has been examined in several studies, particularly in overweight and obese individuals. One notable study involved men with a BMI greater than or equal to 26 kg/m², where supplementation with 250 mg of a 10% forskolin extract twice daily over 12 weeks led to an increase in serum free testosterone levels compared to a placebo group. This suggests that forskolin might not only help with fat reduction, but could also enhance testosterone levels, potentially through the pathways involving cAMP.

However, these findings are not universally consistent across all demographics, as some studies on women or men with normal weight ranges have shown less definitive results. Therefore, while forskolin shows promise in boosting testosterone in certain contexts, the broader applicability, optimal dosages, and long-term effects require further investigation to establish its role definitively in testosterone modulation.




📚 Sources and References

Tongkat Ali


Fadogia


Ashwagandha


Zinc


Boron

Rhodiola Rosea

Forskolin

Examine.com


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