These Two Supplements May Give Your T Levels a Boost
In a recent episode of the Huberman Lab podcast, neuroscientist Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. sat down with family and obesity medicine physician, Kyle Gillett, M.D., to talk about optimizing men’s hormones, including testosterone.
Gillett shared that he frequently recommends two T-boosting supplements to his patients: Tongkat ali and Fadogia agrestis.
Tongkat Ali and Testosterone
“[Tongkat ali] upregulates several different enzymes in the steroidogenesis cascade,” Gillett says, which is where cholesterol is converted to hormones, like testosterone.
“Tongkat helps with the conversion of multiple key steps where you synthesize testosterone,” Gillett said.
Tongkat ali also increases the body’s response of insulin and IGF-1—a muscle stimulating hormone. “A good rule of thumb is if you are not expecting as much insulin, growth hormone, and IGF-1, for example [because of] lower carb diets [or] caloric deficits, [or] you’re trying to cut body fat or bodyweight, then Tongkat is going to be, theoretically, especially powerful,” Gillett said.
His dosage advice: Anywhere between 300 mg to 1,200 mg a day.
Be careful with the standardization—the consistency of a supplement for quality control—because if there’s a high content of Eurycomanone, the main plant compound in Tongkat ali, you’ll have the same effect at a lower dose, Gillett said.
Fadogia Agrestis and Testosterone
As for Fadogia agrestis, “it will increase the release of luteinizing hormone from the pituitary [gland],” said Gillett. Luteinizing hormone (LH) binds to Leydig cells in the testes to increase the release of testosterone.
Based on a rat study—but you can equate the dose of toxicity in rats and humans, Gillett said—a safe dose of Fadogia is 300 mg per day.
“To be safe, another regimen I have people take is 600 mg every other day, or 600 mg three times a week,” said Gillett.
LOW T?
Huberman’s Picks
On a 2021 episode of The Tim Ferriss Show, Huberman said that six years prior to the interview, his total testosterone was around 600 ng/dL. After he started taking Tongkat ali and Fadogia agrestis, it went up around 200 points.
He now takes 400 mg of Tongkat ali early in the day (it can be a mild stimulant). He also takes 600 mg of Fadogia agrestis per day, although he cycles with Fadogia eight to 12 weeks at a time since one animal study found that high doses of the supplement disrupted kidney and liver enzymes. Huberman monitors his blood regularly, and hasn’t seen any negative impact on his blood markers.
Supplements not enough? Hone delivers treatments for low T to your doorstep, if prescribed.
The first step: Order an at-home hormone assessment, which comes with a free telehealth consultation.
