1.

Quality Multivitamin

Perhaps one of the easiest ways to

significantly increase your natural
testosterone production, is by correcting
all of your underlying micronutrient
deficiencies.

In fact I would go as far as saying that the

best natural T-booster supplement is in
fact just a basic high-quality wide-spectrum
multivitamin. Allow me to explain why

Even though many guys think theyre all topped up on all the necessary vitamins and
minerals, they usually arent.

One study conducted by The Washington Council of Responsible Nutrition says:

Large portions of the population had total usual intakes below the
estimated average requirement for vitamins A (35%), C (31%), D
(74%), and E (67%) as well as calcium (39%) and magnesium (46%).
Only 0%, 8%, and 33% of the population had total usual intakes of
potassium, choline, and vitamin K

When you start looking at how vitamin and mineral deficiencies affect your
testosterone production, youll realize why its important to keep your body
topped up on essential micronutrients;
Vitamin A is stored in testicles (and few other glands of the body).
Studies have shown that when theres no active vitamin A in the testes,
T levels start dropping rapidly, and estrogen synthesis shoots up. Also
in a study of 155 male twins, a clear correlation was found between
vitamin A levels and serum testosterone. In prepubertal teens, vitamin
A + iron supplementation is as effective in starting puberty as hormone
replacement therapy.
Vitamin B complex (which consists of 8 different water-soluble
vitamins), plays an important role in testosterone production and
overall bodily energy levels, deficiency in many B vitamins results in
increased estrogen levels, increased prolactin levels, and lowered
testosterone levels (study, study, study, study).
Vitamin C has a protective effect on testosterone molecules, and this is
because its a potent antioxidant and able to block some cortisol
secretion and oxidative damage (study, study, study, study, study)
Vitamin D supplementation with a dose of 3332 IUs for one full year
leads to 25% higher testosterone levels in healthy male subjects. The
positive correlation with vitamin D levels and serum testosterone have
been noted in various other human studies too (study, study, study).
Vitamin E deficient human and rodent subjects both experience a
significant drop in LH, FSH, and testosterone levels, conversely,
vitamin E supplemented humans and rodents notice significant
increases in pituiary LH and FSH, and also in serum testosterone.
Magnesium intake has had a direct effect on serum testosterone levels
in various studies. In this one, 10 mg/kg of magnesium was able to
increase free testosterone levels by 24%. Here magnesium intake was
positively correlated with high serum T levels, and in this large review
study the researchers conclude: there is evidence that magnesium
exerts a positive influence on anabolic hormonal status, including
testosterone, in men.
Calcium has its role in controlling neurotransmitter release and the
signaling between cells and hormones. Not much is known about its
effects on testosterone, but in 1976 a group of researchers found out
that calcium stimulates testosterone synthesis in isolated leydig cells.
33 years later another study saw that calcium supplementation didnt
alter T levels at rest, but did significantly increase (18%) T levels post-
exercise.
Selenium, mostly due to its gluthatione stimulating effects, has been
linked to increased testosterone production and improved sperm
parameters in few studies (study, study)
Zinc has a significant positive effect on testosterone production and a
deficiency will hammer the endocrine system. In fact, zinc might be one
of the most important micronutrients for healthy testosterone
production. It has increased testosterone levels in athletes and
exercising normal men (study, study), in men with zinc deficiency, in
infertile men, in animals Its also noted in one rodent study that zinc
deficiency can upregulate the estrogen receptors by 57%, probably due
to the fact that zinc has its role in controlling the aromatase enzyme.
Boron, although not very common mineral to supplement with, has
few interesting studies backing up its testosterone boosting effects. In
this human study 6 mgs of boron for 60 days increased free
testosterone levels by 29%. In another human study, 10 mgs of boron
for 7 days increased free testosterone by 28%.
Manganese appears to have a direct GnRH stimulating effect in the
brain, and logic says that it should therefore also increase testosterone
levels. However, mega-dosing with manganese should not be an option,
since it accumulates in the body and can become neurotoxic at high
levels. When taken at too high doses, manganese can actually reduce T
levels.
 2. Phosphatidylserine

Not much has been talked about

phosphatidylserine (PS) as a
testosterone booster, even though
theres some evidence that at least in
exercising individuals, PS can reliably
increase testosterone levels and
suppress the exercise induced cortisol
secretion.

Phosphatidylserine is actually a naturally

occurring phospholipid complex present in all of the bodily cells. Its mainly a signaling
molecule between cells and hormones, but may also have other functions, such as
reducing the oxidative damage at the interior of cells.

Due to over 50% of the bodily PS being in neural tissue of the brain, many claims of
phosphatidylserines nootropic or brain boosting benefits have been made. Surprisingly
enough, theres a good amount of evidence which suggests that PS supplementation can
improve cognitive functions (study, study, study). In fact PS has an FDA granted qualified
health claim for prevention of cognitive decline in humans.

When it comes to testosterone, PS can improve athletic performance by reducing the

exercise induced rise of oxidative stress (study, study, study). Furthermore,
phosphatidylserine supplementation has a dose-dependent cortisol reducing and
testosterone promoting effect in exercising subjects (study, study). In the latter study PS
was able to improve the testosterone to cortisol ratio by 180% more in favor of increased
T, aka. anabolism.
 3. Bromelain

Bromelain is a pineapple extracted

blend of proteolytic enzymes. More
specifically, its a supplement
containing bunch of enzymes that can
break down the peptide chains between
amino-acids (proteins), improving
digestion and absorption.

You can get some by eating pineapples, since

the stem part is loaded with protelytic
enzymes, but if youre not a big fan of eating
pineapple stems, supplemental bromelain is also available.

Why bromelain for testosterone you ask? This is actually more for the guys who want
to do endurance training, since bromelain can preserve T-levels during strenuous
endurance training, but allow me to quote one of my older articles;

A study from the University of Tasmania by Shing et al. had fifteen young elite
cyclists as their test subjects. The subjects were racing in a competitive cycle
race for 6 consecutive days, and the researchers divided the participants into
two groups. First one consisted of 7 cyclists who received 1,000 mgs of daily
bromelain. The second group consisted of 8 cyclists who received a visually
similar placebo pill. During the six days of the cycle race, the researchers took
blood samples from the cyclists at days 1, 3, and 6, and they examined these
samples for various exercise markers, including testosterone. What they
found out was very interesting. As to be expected, the high amount of
endurance exercise significantly reduced blood testosterone levels however
only in the placebo group. The group receiving 1,000 mgs of bromelain, noted
relatively stable levels of testosterone throughout the 6 days of cycle racing!
Yup, thats not a typo. 6 consecutive days of elite level cycling with no
significant reductions in T levels. The researchers conclude: Consecutive
days of competitive cycling were associated with increased markers of muscle
damage and a reduction in circulating testosterone across the race period.
Bromelain supplementation reduced subjective feelings of fatigue and was
associated with a trend to maintain testosterone concentration. Mind you,
this study is peer-reviewed, randomized, double-blind, and placebo-
controlled. Not bad results from a gram of meat tenderizer per day I might
say

4. Ashwagandha Roots
 Ashwagandha (Withania Somnifera) is
an Indian Herb, heavily used in their
herbal medicine; Ayurveda.

When searching the internet, you can

stumble upon some ridiculous claims about
herbs, and ashwagandha is not an exception.
Did you know that the name actually
translates to the smell of a horse, and its
claimed by some sort of shaman weirdos to
actually give its user the power and virility of
a horse. I call bullshit on that.

Even though there are those herbal healers who slowly smear the name of every single
herbal compound, we cant forget the fact that ashwagandha actually has A LOT of
interesting Western medicine studies on its belt

Take a look at these for instance (copied from my older Ashwagandha article):

a) Since ashwagandha is an adaptogen, it should reduce stress, anxiety, and

balance stress hormones (mainly cortisol). To my surprise, ashwagandha is
actually well-proven to do all of those, while also improving subjective well-
being. Take this well-done double-blind placebo study for example, where
300mgs of KSM-66 ashwagandha given to human subjects for 60 days, was
able to slash cortisol levels by 27%, while also greatly reducing anxiety and
mental-stress in the test subjects. Another study with KSM-66 noted 14%
reductions in cortisol, while in one study which used 5g of the root powder, up
to 32% reductions in cortisol were noted in subject males who suffered from
stress-related infertility. Multiple animal studies have come to same
conclusions: ashwagandha supplementation consistently reduces cortisol
levels and improves many stress-related symptoms.
b) When it comes to general-health benefits, there are many. For instance,
ashwagandha can greatly improve cardiovascular health by reducing
inflammation, reducing the amount of serum triglycerides, increasing the
good HDL-cholesterol (~17%), and reducing the bad LDL-cholesterol
(~9%). In one human study, ashwagandha was able to increase serum T-cell
count, and killer-cell count, suggesting that it can boost immunity. At 250-
500mg/day KSM-66 extract has also been shown to increase hemoglobin
levels, which might be one of the reasons why ashwagandha constantly
outperforms placebo-pills in studies examining power-output and anaerobic
exercise capacity. One of the more recent studies published this year (non-
sponsored, double-blind, placebo, peer-reviewed, aka. highly reliable kind)
found out that 600mg/day of KSM-66 ashwagandga significantly increased
muscle strength and recovery in 57 young male subjects.

c) So ashwagandha is in fact a pretty solid adaptogen, with a wide variety of

benefits that have been proven in human studies, what could be better? Maybe
the fact that theres also solid evidence of the herb also increasing
testosterone levels (actually thats not a surprise, considering the fact that
ashwagandha improves sleep quality, reduces cortisol, increases HDL-
cholesterol, and reduces inflammation, all of which promote healthy
testosterone production). Two human studies with infertile subjects (study,
study) both using 5g/day of the basic root powder for 90 days, noted
significant increases in testosterone (~40% and ~16% on infertile subjects and
15% in healthy subjects) with significantly improved sperm quality. One study
with infertile men as subjects (this time with 675mg/day of KSM-66 for three
months) showed a ~17% boost in T, with a ~36% increase in luteinizing
hormone (LH), suggesting that ashwagandha stimulates testosterone
production at brain level. Prior to 2015 there was no studies on healthy men
that would show increases in testosterone, however, the study with 57 young
and healthy male subjects as described in the paragraph above (using KSM-
66 extract), showed a significant ~15% increase in testosterone levels (average
rise from 630 ng/dL to 726 ng/dL, which is a lot from a single herb if you ask
 me).

5. Forskolin

Forskolin is a general term for

standardized extract of an Indian plant
Coleus Forskohlii. Youve probably
heard about it, since its a very popular
fat burner and often hyped up in the
ridiculous Dr. Oz show.

Aside from the facts that Oz is a clown who

only smears forskolins name and that its not
really anything super awesome as a fat burner, forskolin can actually increase
testosterone levels and can also upregulate androgen receptors.

Forskolin is well-known for increasing cAMP (cyclic adenosine monophoshpate) levels in

human tissue, and cAMP works as a secondary messenger in the body, transporting
biological signals between cells and hormones. cAMP stimulation is believed to be the
main reason why forskolin is able to increase T-levels.

The herbal extract so reliably boosts cAMP and testosterone levels in cell-culture studies
that scientists often use it as a positive control to stimulate testosterone production in
isolated testicular cells.

When forskolin was tested for its hormonal effects in humans, 12-weeks of forskolin at
250mg/day was able to increase testosterone levels by 33% when compared to placebo.
You could also call forskolin a testosterone utilizer, since it increased the amount of
active androgen receptors in this in-vitro study. The mechanism is as follows: Forskolin
stimulates cAMP -> cAMP stimulates an enzyme called protein kinase A (PKA) -> PKA
stimulates the upregulation of AR.

NOTE: When buying forskolin or coleus supplements, make sure its standardized to at least 20% active
ingredient. Also dont be bummed by the reviewers who say it doesnt help with weight-loss, no supplement

really does and the claims of forskolin doing that originate from the Dr. Oz show. We all know what kind of

people buy supplements recommended by that fool (the nutcrackers).

6. Creatine

Creatine is right after protein

supplements the most popular
supplement used by bodybuilders and
various athletes.

Its a naturally occurring amino-acid, which

has a monster amount of scientific studies
proving its positive effects in strength output
and lean mass gain.

Creatine works by increasing cellular ATP (adenosine triphosphate) levels. ATP is what
cells use as energy, so basically youre increasing the supply of energy for your cells when
you ingest creatine. Logically this helps you perform better.
 But did you know that creatine can also increase testosterone levels?
Not only the exercise-induced T-levels but also your resting baseline.

As a side note for a study that tested creatines effect on cognitive abilities, the
researchers found out that it also increased salivary testosterone levels. In athletes
creatine has been noted to reliably increase T-levels, for instance; This 4-year study
noted that in athletes who reported using creatine, a trend towards increased testosterone
levels was noted

In swimmers testosterone levels and swim times can be improved with creatine
supplementation. In overtrained men who practice resistance training, creatine maintains
power output, free testosterone, and total testosterone levels. One study even found out
that creatine supplementation in resistance trained males led to 17% higher baseline
testosterone levels than what was seen in the placebo group which received sugar pills.

Creatine is also known for increasing DHT levels by up to 56% in young rugby players.

Bottom line: Creatine is a legit supplement for every athlete and gym-rat, since it
increases strength output, reduces fatigue, and offers a slight boost to anabolic hormones.
Its also really cheap.

7. Probiotics

The definition of probiotics is as follows:

live micro-organisms which, when
administered in adequate amounts, confer
 a health benet on the host. In other
words, probiotics are friendly bacteria
most commonly used to improve gut
health.

The idea of using probiotic bacteria for

health was first coined in 1907 by a Russian
researcher and Nobel laureate lie Metchnikoff who had a novel idea of replacing the
harmful gut microbes, with beneficial (probiotic) microbes, this essentially improving gut
flora and overall health.

These bacteria naturally occur naturally in many fermented foods, such as: yogurt, kefir,
kimichi, sauerkraut, kombucha, and sourdough, and can also be supplemented with,
currently it isnt known which one is the better delivery method supplements or food
but common sense would suggest its the naturally occurring kind from fermented foods.

What does all of this have to do with testosterone though?

Well for one, our gut health is strongly correlated with testosterone production. People
with poor gut flora are much more likely to suffer from micronutrient deficits and lower
T-levels

But it doesnt end there, some modern research has shown that some strains of
probiotics can directly increase testosterone levels. Take this 2014 rat study for example,
where a probiotic strain commonly found in yogurts (Lactobacillus reuterii) was able to
significantly increase multiple parameters related to reproductive health. In fact, the
addition of L. reuterii to male rodents feed resulted in;

increased testosterone levels

increased testicular size and weight
increased markers of social domination
prevention of age-related testicular shrinkage
 improved sperm quality, motility, and volume
increased luteinizing and follicle stimulating hormone levels

This isnt the only rat study with promising results, another one found similar results, the
more the rodents were exposed to probiotics, the higher their testosterone was. One study
also saw that a probiotic strain by the name of Clostridium scindens is able to directly
convert cortisol into androgens inside the gut.

8. Tongkat Ali

Tongkat Ali (Pasak Bumi, Eurycoma Longifolia) is

a Malaysian herb with a massive reputation as a
pro-erectile testosterone booster.

Some research suggests that it can lower SHBG levels,

increase testosterone, block estrogen, and act as a
powerful libido booster. Most of the studies are legit,
but theres also a bunch of studies and weird patents by
a guy named Dr. Tambi, which are often cited, but are
really hard to find online.

Taking a look at some of the research, we can see that

there are several animal studies where Tongkat Ali has increased libido, erection quality,
and even delayed ejaculations (study, study, study). In a test-tube study, Tongkat Ali has
been shown to block estrogen similarly to Tamoxifen (popular synthetic estrogen
blocker).
Looking at this patent application, theres a citation where its claimed that Tongkat Ali
works by stimulating the CYP17 enzyme in testicles. According to a rodent study, the
active ingredients from the herb do make their way to the testicles, so its plausible that
this mechanism could work.

The available human data is pretty interesting. In a study of 109 men, 300mgs of Tongkat
Ali for 12-weeks was able to improve semen mobility by 44% and volume by 18% when
compared to placebo. According to a questionnaire that the subjects had to fill during the
study, the Tongkat Ali group also noted significant improvements in libido and erection
quality, sadly hormones werent measured in this trial.

The only study that tested hormonal effects, was this human study where moderately
stressed subjects took 200mgs of Tongkat Ali for 4-weeks. When compared to placebo,
the TA group had 37% higher testosterone and 16% lower cortisol levels than the placebo
group.

Bottom line: Tongkat Ali has some good research behind its back, would have even more
so if that Dr. Tambi guy would publish his studies online. Also if youre going to get a
Tongkat Ali supplement, consider purchasing the original Malaysian 200:1 water extract.