What Natural Supplements Increase Testosterone?
This article pertains to ingredients found in natural testosterone boosting supplements.What ingredients are backed by research? Well, in the sometimes shady world of sports supplements, often times there is very little research or evidence proving the worth of an ingredient that touts boastful claims. One such claim boasted by numerous supplement companies with often a promised magical, but non-steroid based product is that of being the latest Natural Testosterone Booster. Often times, manufacturers will make up fancy names for ingredients that are of little worth and include them in the advertised supplement. Because people don’t know what some ingredients are or there is only little research behind the ingredients used in the supplement, people often just assume that the supplement will contain only ingredients that will increase testosterone production in the body.
Fact is, supplements are just too expensive for consumers to be making uneducated purchases on products that may or may not deliver the intended results. With natural testosterone boosting supplements, this is an ongoing issue. So the best option is to educate yourself on the ingredients that are in natural test boosting supplements by reviewing known research and data, and to learn what to look for in a product.
Also known as the Puncture vine, Tribulus terrestris is a herb that has been used in traditional medicine in Asia for centuries. The key compounds in Tribulus are called steroidal saponins. Two types, called furostanol glycosides and spirostanol glycosides, appear to be involved with the effects of tribulus. These saponins are found primarily in the leaf. Although there has been no premier definitive research on Tribulus’ testosterone enhancing properties, it supposedly increases luteinizing hormone in the body which can have an effect on circulating testosterone. Tribulus is known to be somewhat of an aphrodisiac.
Two critical factors that must be taken into account when taking a Tribulus product in order for it to be effective or noticeable is purity and dosage .
1. Purity
As a supplement, Tribulus comes in varying degrees of product purity. Examining the steroidial saponins content will indicate how pure the product is. Products often range as low as 20% purity to 80% with the most common purity level being 40-45% in the majority of Tribulus products.
2. Dosage
As stated in many studies, Tribulus administered in the low doses (under 1 gram) that is often seen in recommended serving amounts in a majority of products, is just ineffective. Of course, product purity will also factor into what constitutes an effective dose. A more appropriate recommendation is an average of 3-5 grams per serving, three or four times a day. Similar to oral anabolic/androgenic steroids that must be taken several times throughout the day, so should Tribulus as well. So when taking Tribulus, consuming the product approximately every 4 hours should provide a constant effect. Now what one must consider when supplementing with Tribulus, is product cost efficiency. Since rather large doses are needed regularly throughout the day, this could prove to be an expensive supplement.
The following information was referenced from MuscleForce Fitness Research. The validity of the content is assumed but not established as 100% factual information.
Here is a list of supplements/ingredients that have no proven clinical results:
Avena Sativa, Maca Root, Flavanoids, Chrysin, Apigenin and Hydroxflavones,Ipriflavone and Methoxyisoflavone, Muira Puama, Catuba Bark, Prickly Pear, Dear Antler, Fenugreek, Forskolin, Passion Flower, Schisandra Chinesis, Horny Goat Weed / Epimedium, Pygeum Bark:
Supplements/ingredients that have weak or conflicting evidence of increasing testosterone in the body:
Acetyl L Carnitine, D-Aspartate, Cordyceps Sinesis
Supplements/Ingredients that have positive results as oral supplements and some association with increasing testosterone or other anabolic hormones:
ZMA, Eurycoma Longfolia (Longjack) / Tongkat Ali, Urtica dioica (Stinging Nettle), Grape Seed Extract, Androstenetrione, Methylated, Flavanoids: 7-hydroxflavone and 7,4- dihydroxyflavone, (7-methoxyflavone and7-4 dimethoxyflavone), Resveratrol, Indole-3-Carbinol and di-indoly l-methane, Methanol Extracts of Red Clover, Calcium Glucarate, Saw Palmetto, Stinging Nettle, Creatine Monohydrate, Acetyl-L-Carnitine, Colostrum.
Information pertaining to supplement ingredients referenced form MUSCLE FORCE Fitness Research (TM)