Herbal Testosterone Boosting Thread

[Don Quixote]

Well, as mentioned, getting erections are pretty rare, certianly beyond just the morning I do not get spontanous ones at all. I bet something might be stress related as our life is a mess right now and only getting slowly better.

Physically, I am gaining muscle at what seems like an ok speed, but chronically tired. Along with the low sex drive and low ability to stay hard or get off what might this be? Clean of porn btw.

I would bet it is stress related, as all your dopamine will go into adrenaline or cortisol, two stress hormones that effectively kill sex drive by antagonizing testosterone and dopamine. You could test your t-levels though. Simple things like keeping diet and sleep shouldn't be overlooked as well.

 

[Don Quixote]

Nothing herbal, but has anybody experimented with organ meat? Started regularly eating liver, bone marrow and others, all raw. Really want to try testicles for boosting testosterone but couldn't find any yet. Unfortunately organs are very difficult to get, even though I am living in a large, european city.

Back in my stupid young days of following paleo and then Ray Peat, I thought organ meats were the answer to optimal health. But be very careful. I wouldn't eat chicken liver more than once a month and wouldn't eat beef liver more than once every six months or even longer. That stuff nearly killed me. I was confused about why I was getting vitamin A deficiency symptoms the more I consumed something high in vitamin A. The reason is vitamin A toxicity has the exact same symptoms as vitamin A deficiency.

Another thing to realize is no matter how much copper/vitamin A you eat, if you don't have sufficient thyroid hormones or other minerals (specifically magnesium and zinc), you're going to store the copper in your liver and other organs, and you won't be able to convert retinol to its active form. So that's why older people die with tons of copper and vitamin A stored in their body, both of which are toxic, which is why the body tends to trap them in storage rather than use them. The problem is eventually it will leak out and might poison you to some extent if you don't have enough proteins to bind them, like ceruloplasmin or albumin.

All of this depends on your metabolic state. I have a slow oxidation type metabolism, so I lose zinc quick and tend to be hypothyroid. Thus I can't use A or copper well, and organ meats are actually dangerous for me. Some people (less often) have fast oxidation type and they can handle copper and vitamin A much better. Most people should avoid organ meats though and eat them sparingly, in my opinion.

 

[Tedd]

Back in my stupid young days of following paleo and then Ray Peat, I thought organ meats were the answer to optimal health. But be very careful. I wouldn't eat chicken liver more than once a month and wouldn't eat beef liver more than once every six months or even longer. That stuff nearly killed me. I was confused about why I was getting vitamin A deficiency symptoms the more I consumed something high in vitamin A. The reason is vitamin A toxicity has the exact same symptoms as vitamin A deficiency.

Another thing to realize is no matter how much copper/vitamin A you eat, if you don't have sufficient thyroid hormones or other minerals (specifically magnesium and zinc), you're going to store the copper in your liver and other organs, and you won't be able to convert retinol to its active form. So that's why older people die with tons of copper and vitamin A stored in their body, both of which are toxic, which is why the body tends to trap them in storage rather than use them. The problem is eventually it will leak out and might poison you to some extent if you don't have enough proteins to bind them, like ceruloplasmin or albumin.

All of this depends on your metabolic state. I have a slow oxidation type metabolism, so I lose zinc quick and tend to be hypothyroid. Thus I can't use A or copper well, and organ meats are actually dangerous for me. Some people (less often) have fast oxidation type and they can handle copper and vitamin A much better. Most people should avoid organ meats though and eat them sparingly, in my opinion.

I appreciate the warning. The right balance of vitamins and minerals is definitely important, as you say.
I take care in doing so, to get enough vitamin D, E and K along with it, etc.

Still, I find it hard to believe that vitamin A in and of itself is toxic and easy to overdose when - according to Weston Price's measurements - people used to eat 5-10 times as much of the stuff as we do today. Combined with much higher amounts of other fat-soluble vitamins and minerals, of course, but nevertheless. Currently most people's diets are so deficient in nutrients that I think a blanket recommendation to avoid organ meats would do more harm than good.

 

[Don Quixote]

I appreciate the warning. The right balance of vitamins and minerals is definitely important, as you say.
I take care in doing so, to get enough vitamin D, E and K along with it, etc.

Still, I find it hard to believe that vitamin A in and of itself is toxic and easy to overdose when - according to Weston Price's measurements - people used to eat 5-10 times as much of the stuff as we do today. Combined with much higher amounts of other fat-soluble vitamins and minerals, of course, but nevertheless. Currently most people's diets are so deficient in nutrients that I think a blanket recommendation to avoid organ meats would do more harm than good.

It might be that we are consuming wrong proportions of vitamins and minerals. Synthetic forms of vitamin A and D are included in almost everything, from milk to orange juice. But check the labels on the foods you get. Retinol is often included. So, I'm not sure what Weston Price's claim is per se, but it might be much more complicated than straightforward vitamin A is good or bad. I bet it has a lot to do with other factors.

 

[Tedd]

It might be that we are consuming wrong proportions of vitamins and minerals. Synthetic forms of vitamin A and D are included in almost everything, from milk to orange juice. But check the labels on the foods you get. Retinol is often included. So, I'm not sure what Weston Price's claim is per se, but it might be much more complicated than straightforward vitamin A is good or bad. I bet it has a lot to do with other factors.

Good point, the synthetic forms of vitamins are definitely much more likely to cause problems than the natural forms. There's quite a few of them where the synthetic form of a vitamin can actually interfere with absorption and metabolism of the natural one, so a high intake of synthetic vitamins can indeed lead to deficiencies.
I live in a European country though, and fortification is rarely done here, especially not in the less processed foods I tend to consume. To my knowledge, my intake of synthetic vitamins is zero.

 

[Sword]

I would bet it is stress related, as all your dopamine will go into adrenaline or cortisol, two stress hormones that effectively kill sex drive by antagonizing testosterone and dopamine. You could test your t-levels though. Simple things like keeping diet and sleep shouldn't be overlooked as well.

Might be. Got my blood tested so will know soon.
What is best to knock down stress? There might be a LOT of that, as my own relationship with wife borders on antipathy and deadbed, sadly.

 

[OhHeyCindy]

High cortisol and high prolactin will be the reason psychologically for not having libido I think. Obviously, prolactin and cortisol destroy testosterone levels, and also dopamine levels. So low dopamine is probably what leads to low psychological libido. If you can still get erection, then that means DHT is likely working since you have nitric oxide working. But obviously, even if your nitric oxide works, you might just have zero dopamine. Even if physically you're all good, neurologically speaking you might be screwed. Also might be all your dopamine is going into adrenaline instead of staying in dopamine form.

Ashwagandha reduces cortisol so thus indirectly may help T. Not sure about ginger root, I never had androgenic effects from it, but its useful in limiting serotonin and helps me with headaches.

im pretty sure my cortisol levels are always jacked up and this is killing my libido. i'm looking up dosing but do you have any recommendations for brands and dosing if my main goal is anxiety/cortisol reduction (with the hope that this will improve sexual function)?

 

[Nordwand]

Regarding vitamin A, this article comes from the locals, so to speak:

The perils of eating polar bear

Very few of us can eat polar bear — and even among those who can or have in the past, there's a wide range of opinion on how palatable or delectable it is. Its liver can contain lethal amounts of vitamin A.

www.adn.com

 

[Don Quixote]

Might be. Got my blood tested so will know soon.
What is best to knock down stress? There might be a LOT of that, as my own relationship with wife borders on antipathy and deadbed, sadly.

Magnesium and P5P (active form of b6) are really important. B-vitamins in general are really good. There are a lot of herbs that either blunt cortisol or help GABA transmission (ashwagandha, taurine, Chinese skullcap, and magnolia bark, etc.); but in my opinion, more importantly is lifestyle factors like getting enough sleep, getting direct sunlight, exercising, and good nutrition.

Fixing your relationship is obviously the #1 thing.

 

[Don Quixote]

im pretty sure my cortisol levels are always jacked up and this is killing my libido. i'm looking up dosing but do you have any recommendations for brands and dosing if my main goal is anxiety/cortisol reduction (with the hope that this will improve sexual function)?

For lowering cortisol, this guy's website is pretty good and has decent recommendations: https://men-elite.com/2021/01/22/hi...rmal-cortisol-levels-and-what-to-do-about-it/. He has a bunch of other articles on lowering cortisol that might be worth checking out.

 

[Durden347]

Fenugreek isn't a bad option. Same with Pine Pollen. They are better than synthetic steroids because they don't have the negative side effects.

 

[Don Quixote]

Fenugreek isn't a bad option. Same with Pine Pollen. They are better than synthetic steroids because they don't have the negative side effects.

One potential issue with fenugreek is it might raise prolactin. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK501779/

 

[Durden347]

Ultimately the way to raise T is to either replace it (not what we are talking about here)

Or:

8 hours sleep (11-7am)
Low body fat
High cholesterol diet (steroid comes from cholesterol)
Low stress
No soy/no weed/ limit alcohol
Heavy Weight lifting multiple times a week.

Heavy weights does not work well for some body types. Other people work well with lighter weights and/or calisthenics especially if they are beginners. As long as your muscles are being stimulated enough for growth then it doesn't matter how heavy you are lifting. I agree with multiple times a week though.

 

[get2choppaaa]

Heavy weights does not work well for some body types. Other people work well with lighter weights and/or calisthenics especially if they are beginners. As long as your muscles are being stimulated enough for growth then it doesn't matter how heavy you are lifting. I agree with multiple times a week though.

Intensity (percent of a 1 RM) is a concept not conveyed well by your comment. If a beginner "light weight" for most people may be "heavy weight" for them. The statement that "heavy weights dont work well for bodytypes" is not physiologically grounded and violates the principles of the stress-recovery-adaptation principle of growth response. Its like saying "caloric restriction doesnt work for weightloss" Welll... when someone is 500 lbs, reducing calories by a couple bites a day will work vs when someone is 160 lbs, its a different matter. The same works in reverse for building muscle. None the less hormonally, it requires an intense exertion for endogenous test to respond to stress.

I get your point... but rather you'll have to clarify what you mean if you're going to state that heavy weight training is problematic for endogenous testosterone production.

 

[El Draque]

im pretty sure my cortisol levels are always jacked up and this is killing my libido. i'm looking up dosing but do you have any recommendations for brands and dosing if my main goal is anxiety/cortisol reduction (with the hope that this will improve sexual function)?

Isnt ashwagandla good for that?

I take maca sometimes for training and energy boosts, one side effect of that is libido increases, perhaps that has cortisol reducing effects.

 

[IM3000]

Update: I felt a pretty strong effect from pine pollen. Really good. High energy in the gym, more masculine feeling. Since it's the only change––and I was even supposed to rest today–– I would say it is probably the pine pollen that did it.

How do you take it? Power or solution?

 

[Jive Turkey]

Does anyone know how to regularly but affordably measure testosterone levels? Maybe at home?

I actually doubled my free test by doing 30 days NNN and taking ZMA. I started adding ashwanganda. I am interested to know if I can break 1000ng/Dl natty, because I am pretty close.

 

[rainy]

Just a few things I've had success with over the years and looking back to my personal training days.

Weights of course but legs give the most value to boost T. Squats, deadlifts, lunges, Bulgarian split squats, etc. At one point I'd pair legs with upper body almost every day, but do a different leg exercise each time. Leg exercises 4X per week is much better than leg day once a week.

Stretching and using a foam roller. Highly underrated. When tight blood flow is heavily restricted in the glute, pelvic and lower back region.

Jogging in the sun. Run if you like. But moderate jogs in the sun are great. Hiking too. Great vit D and jogging really helps your heart and blood flow. There has always been something about getting a good sweat and doing moderate cardio in the sun which had my libido shoot thru the roof the next day.

L-Arginine- blood flow. Zinc/Mag as others have mentioned.

Berries mixed with my smoothie/protein shakes. I'd included powder maca root.

Red meat every day.

Pistachios for snacking.

No porn whatsoever. That is a big one. That stuff will drain even the best of men of their vitality.

I started taking Ubiquinol. Co-Q10 is great for the heart/brain, blood circulation, mood stability.

I think testosterone is highly correlated with a healthy lifestyle. Have a decent amount of muscle, stay fit, move/exercise, get sun, eat meat, eat fruit, and stretch and improve blood circulation. Blood circulation is underrated. Chronically. It ties directly to the health and well being of your entire body, helps you feel younger and fresher, improves your mood and mental state. And I do think all of that ties into testosterone, libido and vitality.

 

[get2choppaaa]

I think testosterone is highly correlated with a healthy lifestyle. Have a decent amount of muscle, stay fit, move/exercise, get sun, eat meat, eat fruit, and stretch and improve blood circulation. Blood circulation is underrated. Chronically. It ties directly to the health and well being of your entire body, helps you feel younger and fresher, improves your mood and mental state. And I do think all of that ties into testosterone, libido and vitality.

Yes.

Diet.
Sleep.
Low body fat
Weights and strength training
Avoiding estrogenic compounds plastics and foods wherever possible

At a certain point you can replace with exogenous drugs... But even if you do... If you treat yourself like garbage your body will reflect.

Having a total T of 4000 and still eating like junk, not work out, not sleep... You'll still look like junk.

 

[Optimus Princeps]

Yes.

Diet.
Sleep.
Low body fat
Weights and strength training
Avoiding estrogenic compounds plastics and foods wherever possible

At a certain point you can replace with exogenous drugs... But even if you do... If you treat yourself like garbage your body will reflect.

Having a total T of 4000 and still eating like junk, not work out, not sleep... You'll still look like junk.

Do you have any knowledge about fertility issues associated with long term TRT use? That's the main reason I'd be hesitant to do it permanently. I had done a few cycles a while back and with the last one I cruised for a few months after and even with cruising the difference in well-being, mood, energy, strength, fat loss was night and day. My levels naturally at 20 were around 700 and now at 26 they were around 550-600 for reference. But these were both tested with pretty optimized exercise, food, sleep, supplementation etc.. so I've got nowhere to go but down as the years go by.