HerbHorny goat weed extract
Epimedium sagittatum, leaf
- Leaf of Epimedium sagittatum, used in traditional Chinese medicine.
- Its best-known compound is icariin; this label does not say how much icariin is inside.
- Human evidence for sexual function, energy or muscle is limited.
- Usually the largest share here, because it is listed first.
Watch for: Memorial Sloan Kettering lists dizziness, dry mouth and rapid heartbeat, and says to avoid it with heart disease. Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, “Epimedium / Horny Goat Weed (About Herbs)”.
HerbTongkat ali powder
Eurycoma longifolia Jack, root
- Root of Eurycoma longifolia, from Southeast Asia, also called longjack.
- Small trials have looked at male hormones, stress and exercise, with mixed results.
- Studies typically use 200–400 mg a day of a standardized extract.
- This label gives powder, not a standardized extract, and no amount.
Watch for: Quality varies widely between products; some imported products have been found contaminated with heavy metals. Ask a doctor if you take medication. Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, “Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance”.
HerbSaw palmetto extract
Serenoa repens, fruit
- Fruit of Serenoa repens, the most-studied herb in this blend.
- Used for urinary symptoms of an enlarged prostate, not for muscle.
- Trials generally use about 320 mg a day of a fat-soluble extract.
- Large, careful trials have mostly not found it better than placebo.
Watch for: Mild stomach upset and headache. May add to the effect of blood thinners; tell your doctor before prostate tests or surgery. Source: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, “Saw Palmetto: Usefulness and Safety”.
HerbNettle extract
Urtica dioica L., root
- Root of Urtica dioica, often paired with saw palmetto for prostate symptoms.
- Root and leaf are different: the leaf is used for hay fever and joint pain.
- Evidence for men’s hormones is limited.
- No amount is published here.
Watch for: Mild stomach upset is possible, and nettle’s tannins can make iron supplements work less well, so space them apart and tell your doctor. Source: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, “Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Complementary and Integrative Approaches”.
HerbWild yam extract
Dioscorea opposita, root
- Root of Dioscorea opposita.
- Sold on the idea that its diosgenin becomes hormones in the body.
- That conversion happens in a laboratory, not in people.
- Marketing often implies more than the evidence shows.
Watch for: Not a hormone, despite the sales copy you may see, and the body is not known to turn it into one. Ask a doctor first if you have a hormone-sensitive condition. Source: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, “Wild Yam (About Herbs)”.
HerbSarsaparilla
Smilax glabra Roxb., root
- Root of Smilax glabra, a traditional tonic and a flavor in old-fashioned sodas.
- Contains plant sterols, which are not human hormones.
- We could not open a reviewed government or cancer-center summary, so we make no claim about it.
- Listed sixth, so a smaller share than the herbs above it.
Watch for: Stomach upset in large amounts. Ask a doctor if you take medication.
Animal tissueOrchic substance
Bovine testicle tissue
- Dried tissue from bull testicles, a traditional “glandular” ingredient.
- The idea behind glandulars is that eating an organ supports the same organ. Evidence does not support that.
- It is why this product is not vegetarian, along with the gelatin capsule.
- No reviewed summary exists that we could check.
Watch for: Animal-tissue ingredients carry a theoretical contamination risk and are not suitable for vegetarians, vegans, or some religious diets.
MineralBoron amino acid chelate
Boron bound to amino acids
- Boron bound to amino acids for absorption.
- Food gives most adults about 1 to 1.5 mg a day.
- The adult upper limit is 20 mg a day.
- Small studies have looked at boron and hormone markers; the NIH calls the human evidence limited.
Watch for: Very high doses cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. The amount here is unknown, which is the problem. Source: NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, “Boron: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals”.
