Testosterone supplements - my 3 year journey
I started looking into natural aphrodisiacs for men after realizing how anabolic testosterone is.
I was someone who probably had very low testosterone
The context is important; 3 years ago I was a full on junkie. I used drugs from my 13th til 27th, every day… I was highly functional so I didn’t have to quit; people didn’t notice. Addicted to smoking research chemical crystal drugs like N-ethyl pentedrone. I also took many benzodiazepines every day, for 7 years long.
My life was shit, my hormonal balance was even worse.
Right now i’ve been clean since October 2024. I started working out that month, 5 days per week. No days off. I’m still training; my body posture and entire look changed. I recently did bloodwork and am planning on doing it again in 5 months. Simply to prove the difference i already am. I will post again then, and refer to this post.
Here’s a list of supplements that seem to really work for me. Also I’ll mention the reason why I take it and what I believe it does for me.
Tongkat ali (Eurycoma Longifolia): lowers SHBG which in turn raises free testosterone.
Boron glycinate (only taking it 7 days, then abstaining for 2 weeks): lowers SHBG and raises free testosterone significantly.
Zinc citrate (25mg every 2 days):
- aromatase and alpha 5 reductase inhibition (positively impacts testosterone to estrogen conversion & testosterone to DHT conversion)
- also impacts SHBG positively possibly raising free testosterone
Magnesium citrate (400mg every day):
- lowers SHBG
- supports leydig cells
- it also raises general growth hormone levels like IGF-1
Pine pollen from Pinus Sylvestris and Pinus Massonia
- phyto androgens
- not well researched but feels incredibly powerful and accute/direct. I take 6grams of broken cell wall pollen in the morning.
I’m also taking stema tuberosa and polyalthia bullata but like the pine pollen this feels more like an experiment and i haven’t found extremely reliable data.
Now these supplements really helped me with erections and motivation in simple chores etc. But it also made my nipples puffy as hell, they itched and shit like that. So i researched why it happened; and it’s due to sudden raises in testosterone, your body converts it into estrogen and DHT. Through processes called aromatase and alpha 5 reductase.
So i started looking for supplements that downregulate this process and found 2 winners.
Indole 3 Carbinol:
- positively regulates aromatase and therefore the estrogen:testosterone ratio. It is really noticeable and around 30mg is enough to GREATLY amplify the effects of all the supplements named above.
- - stimulates conversion to 2-hydroxyestrone, a weaker/safer form of estrogen
- inhibits conversion to 16-alpha-hydroxyestrone; a strong estrogen linked to growth of cells and tissue etc.
Resveratrol:
- works as a “SERM” (Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator) basically makes your body block negative effects estrogen whilst emulating the positive effects of estrogen.
- positively regulates aromatase
- inhibits alpha 5 reductase
- raises SHBG so probably best to take before taking the other SHBG lowering supplements