When it comes to increasing your testosterone levels through supplementation, not surprisingly the best testosterone boosters are the ones with the best and most effective ingredients. The problem is it can be difficult to figure out which ingredients are actually any good and which ones are just marketing claims by the manufacturer to make their product sound good.
That is why we decided to make this list of the best testosterone-boosting ingredients. In this article, we will give you the best ingredients to look for when it comes to selecting a testosterone booster as well a few that have been proven ineffective.
Natural Ingredients vs Synthetic
For this article, we will only be covering natural testosterone boosting ingredients rather than the synthetic kind you can get from your doctor. Natural is the best way to go anyway, synthetic testosterone from your doctor can leave you stuck getting shots your whole life and if you stop getting the shots you can end up with no testosterone because your body will stop making it.
Using natural ingredients that work with your body’s testosterone production is definitely the preferred method to boost your test levels. And the nice part is if you stop taking a natural testosterone booster, your test levels will go back to the level they were at before you took it. No harm, no foul.
One thing to watch out for when it comes to testosterone boosters and other kinds of supplements is proprietary blends. A proprietary blend is where the manufacturer mixes a group of ingredients together in what it calls a “blend”. The problem is they only tell you the size of the blend and they do not tell you how much of each ingredient is in the blend and you have no way of knowing. They could have some ingredients in the blend in a minuscule amount but you will never know because they only say the overall size of the blend.
Proprietary blends are very common in the industry, too common, unfortunately. Some of them are actually good supplements but some of them are not and it is impossible to tell just by looking at the label. That is why it is best just to stay away from supplements with proprietary blends if possible or you could get burned by a supplement that looks good but isn’t.
Benefits of More Testosterone
Many of the benefits of testosterone you may already know about but there are likely some you don’t. You probably already know that more testosterone running through your veins will lead to more muscle mass, more strength and that it increases libido and leads to better erections.
But it does more than just that, this study found that keeping your testosterone levels up may help fight depression and this study shows how having higher test levels actually decrease body fat. On top of that, there is research that shows that testosterone may also help strengthen your heart and bones and may even help prevent Alzheimer’s. Needless to say having higher testosterone levels can be good for your health and overall well being.
Best Testosterone Boosting Ingredients
Zinc – Zinc is probably the most common ingredient in testosterone boosters. This is because taking a zinc supplement has been shown to increase testosterone levels significantly and that restricting zinc intake lowered testosterone levels. As your zinc intake goes, so goes your testosterone levels.
Magnesium – Another mineral that helps with testosterone levels is Magnesium. Magnesium helps with many functions and the body including helping with test levels. This study by the Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis found that males with low testosterone could benefit from treatment with magnesium supplementation.
Vitamin D – This is a vitamin that most of us get from the sun, the problem is many of us don’t get enough of it. The benefit of Vitamin D, as was shown in this study, has been shown to aid in the release of testosterone
Oyster Extract – This is an underused ingredient in our opinion. The reason why oyster extract is such a great ingredient is that oysters are loaded with both zinc and magnesium, both of which we have already discussed play an important role in the production of testosterone in the body. This is also the reason why oysters are widely regarded as a natural aphrodisiac.
Fenugreek – This is a herb that is often found in curries in southeast Asia. In this study, free testosterone levels were improved by up to 46% in 90% of the study population. It was also effective at enhancing sperm count and improving libido.
D-Aspartic Acid – This ingredient is an essential amino acid. In the brain, D-Aspartic Acid aids in the release of many hormones including luteinizing hormone which regulates the testes along with follicle stimulating hormones and perhaps most importantly of all, growth hormone which helps build muscle. Studies have also shown it to do well at removing rate limits of testosterone production.
Ginseng – Ginseng is an herb that has many benefits in the body. One thing it does is increase nitric oxide in the body which helps deliver increased muscle pumps. More importantly, it has been shown to increase testosterone levels and stimulate cell growth.
Vitamin B6 – This vitamin is helpful with many bodily functions including the production of testosterone. It helps with testosterone production by stimulating androgen which is a hormone that acts as a precursor to testosterone. It also may be helpful when it comes to the suppression of estrogen.
Vitamin K2 – Vitamin K2 helps maintain plasma and testes levels of testosterone. It also has shown that it may inhibit inflammation signal transduction and maintain steady levels of testosterone.
Bioperine – This ingredient doesn’t actually boost testosterone levels itself but what it does is important. What Bioperine does is it aids the body in absorbing the nutrients of the supplement. Many people don’t know this but often times our bodies don’t always absorb all the ingredients from food or supplements we consume. And as we get older we absorb less and less. Bioperine helps your body absorb the ingredients so you can get the most out of a supplement rather than just having it travel through your system with no benefit.
Boron – Boron is another mineral that has been shown to increase test levels. It does this by decreasing the amount of globulin in the blood. If there is less globulin for testosterone to bind to then you end up with more of the desired free testosterone. In a study by Miljkovic, men taking 6 mg boron daily for 2 months increased free testosterone levels on average by an average of 29.5%, not too shabby.
Luteolin – This is an aromatase that is found in leaves, rinds, and blossoms. This ingredient has been shown to lower estrogen levels by binding with estrogen receptors.
Mucuna Pruriens – This seed has been shown to reduce prolactin levels in men, which prevents the depletion of free testosterone. These seeds are also a good source of amino acids which also increase testosterone and HGH production.
Nettle Root – This plant root helps to boost test levels by binding to globulin in the blood in place of testosterone, thus leaving more of the all important free testosterone in your blood as has been shown by studies.
Ashwagandha – This testosterone-boosting ingredient is an herb that reduces the effects of stress on the body and lowers cortisol levels. This is important because cortisol can be a real testosterone killer. Keeping cortisol levels down is essential for boosting test levels.
Tongkat Ali – This ingredient is an herb from Indonesia, it has been shown to increase testosterone by 37% and also reduce cortisol levels by 16%.
Shilajit Extract – This is a dark tar substance from the Himalayas that was shown in this study to increase free testosterone by 19% and in this study, it was shown to increase sperm count and quality and also raise testosterone serum levels.
Diindolylmethane – This is a compound found in broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Diindolylmethane is a newer ingredient that has shown some good promise so we are including it on the list because it has been shown to enhance the metabolism of estrogen which in turn will help boost test levels.
Tribulus Terrestris – This one is a very common testosterone booster ingredient that many manufacturers claim works well, they are wrong. I think the manufacturers know it too they just don’t want to change their formula and all the marketing they have already done with Tribulus Terrestris as their magic test-boosting ingredient. Or they just happen to miss study 1, study 2 and study 3 which all say it does not raise test levels. If you come across a supplement with Tribulus Terrestris as the main ingredient be skeptical.
Maca – This ingredient is a bit less common but there are still some test boosters out there that feature it. The problem is that this study found that while it does improve libido, it does not improve testosterone levels. This study also found that both low and high doses of Maca had no effect on testosterone levels.
Saw Palmetto – This one has been thought to raise testosterone levels for a long time, and it does. The problem is there are many studies like this one that show while it does boost test levels it lowers DHT levels and DHT is 3-10 times as strong as testosterone. This study found a 32% decrease in DHT with Saw Palmetto supplementation. Long story short we advise you avoid supplements that use Saw Palmetto.
Make sure to follow the directions on your supplements for the best results, also think about adding some testosterone boosting lifestyle changes to your daily life and you are sure to have your testosterone levels up in no time.
