Dr. Andrew Huberman’s Recommended Testosterone Supplements

Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and tenured professor, has shared information about hormonal health and supplementation options on his Huberman Lab podcast.

What are Estrogen and Testosterone

What are estrogen and testosterone? They are sex steroids (this does not mean anabolic steroid, it means natural steroids our body produces!)

Even though people often think of testosterone as a ‘male hormone’ and estrogen as a ‘female hormone’, testosterone and estrogen are present and necessary in both males and females.

They are both important hormones for libido, muscle growth etc. Anything that lowers estrogen too much will lower libido, there is a level you want hormones to be for optimal function.

Andrew Huberman Testosterone Supplementation

Dr. Huberman feels that our body’s hormone levels should be balanced for optimal functionality. Low testosterone levels may cause a decline in libido, fatigue, reduced muscle mass, irritability, a loss of confidence or depression.

However, as always, before you think of supplementation for any reason you need to make sure the foundations of good health are taken care of.

This means getting proper sleep, being physically active, eating nutrition foods, reducing stress and having good relationships.

But if you do feel that supplementing to raise your testosterone levels is right for you here are some thoughts he has shared. But any adjustment of hormone levels should be done under the supervision of your physician.

The supplements Dr. Huberman discusses to boost testosterone can have very powerful effects. Another issue is that you really want to make sure you are using reputable and high quality supplements when you are dealing with testosterone supplementation.

Dr. Huberman has partnered with Momentous Supplements to provide the highest quality products possible and they have developed Huberman Lab Supplement bundles, including:

Consult your Physician or Registered Dietitian before starting nutrition supplements. 

Andrew Huberman Testosterone Supplements

One supplement that comes up again and again is Creatine. Very well known for helping with increasing muscle mass, creatine is also helpful for brain fog because the brain can actually use Creatine as an energy source.

It turns out that creatine can also increase total testosterone and convert testosterone to DHT.

Momentous Creatine and Collagen combo

Zinc supplementation may be helpful as well if you are deficient. Zinc deficiency is very common and moderate to severe deficiency of zinc is linked with hypogonadism in men. Zinc picolinate is included in Momentous’s Huberman Lab Hormone Support Bundle.

But the two main supplements that Dr. Huberman feels are safe and effective as a boosting ‘testosterone cocktail’ are Fadogia Agrestis and Tongkat Ali.

Andrew Huberman on Fadogia Agrestis

Fadogia agrestis is an herb derived from a Nigerian shrub. Fadogia Agrestis has potent effects but needs to taken carefully and with respect as it has a narrow therapeutic window (this means you need to be very careful to not take too high a dose).

Fadogia Agrestis can increase testosterone and other hormones that impact strength, libido, and recovery from exercise.

Many people will report elevated levels of libido, elevated sperm production, elevated testosterone, and sometimes elevated estrogen.

Fadogia Agrestis increases luteinizing hormone and thereby increasing both testosterone and estrogen. So this is not the way to try to increase testosterone or estrogen separately.

Also some people are ‘non responders’ to Fadogia Agrestis, meaning it will not have this effect on them. There is no way to know if you will respond to Fadogia Agrestis until you try it.

The best way to know if Fadogia Agrestis is working is to do blood tests. Dr. Huberman recommends getting a blood test prior to starting supplementation with Fadogia Agrestis and then 4-8 weeks after taking the supplement. A blood testing service like Inside Tracker is one option.

Fadogia Agrestis Dosage and Cycling

Dr. Huberman says that the usual dose of Fadogia Agrestis is 600mg per day.

He warns that you need to take the correct dose of Fadogia Agrestis, because taking more than the recommended dose, very high doses, can be toxic to testicular cells. So clearly you want to obtain Fadogia Agrestis from a reputable source like Momentous.

Some people need to cycle Fadogia Agrestis. He says common cycling regimens are 8 weeks on and 2 weeks off, other people do 12 weeks on and 4 weeks off.

He knows some people take it continuously with no issues, but he thinks it is wise to cycle it on and off.

He also says that for some people taking 300mg per day of Fadogia Agrestis (playing the long game) would be more appropriate for them.

Here is the link to Momentous Fadogia Agrestis

Consult your Physician or Registered Dietitian before starting nutrition supplements. 

Andrew Huberman on Tongkat Ali

Tongkat Ali is a plant from Southeast Asia. As a supplement, Tongkat Ali is also known to increase libido, either by augmenting dopamine related pathways or testosterone pathways.

Dr. Huberman says Tongkat Ali does increase free testosterone by reducing sex hormone binding globulin. Tongkat Ali can take more time to effect, so you should wait about 12 weeks before doing bloodwork to see if it has had an effect on your hormone levels.

It also seems that Tongkat Ali has cumulative effects on libido, which suggests that Tongkat Ali may have effects on neural pathways.

Tongkat Ali Dosage and Cycling

Tongkat Ali can be helpful for both men and women in dosages ranging from 200mg -600mg per day.

Dr. Huberman suggests you scale the dose of Tongkat Ali based on body weight and on lab results. How you feel of course is important as well, and he says it tends to work better by the second and third month of use.

Tongkat Ali does not need to be cycled.

Tongkat Ali should be taken in the morning as it has a bit of a stimulant effect.

Here is the link for Momentous Tongkat Ali.

Consult your Physician or Registered Dietitian before starting nutrition supplements. 

Andrew Huberman: Testosterone Cocktail

You can take both Fadogia Agrestis and Tongkat Ali together as a ‘testosterone cocktail’. Some people experience dramatic effects from taking both Fadogia Agrestis and Tongkat Ali, which Momentous offers together in this 60 day supply.

Dr. Hubeman says that people who have very low levels of testosterone, tend to experience greater effects when taking these supplements.

If someone already has high testosterone and they take a supplement, they might not see as much as an effect as someone with a mid range or low level of testosterone.

One of Dr. Huberman’s friends who had low testosterone took the cocktail and found a dramatic, almost a triple increase in his testosterone levels.

Andrew Huberman Testosterone Supplements List

The supplements that can increase testosterone are:

Momentous Bundles for Testosterone Support:

The Huberman Lab Complete Product Bundle

Consult your Physician or Registered Dietitian before starting nutrition supplements. 

Andrew Huberman’s View on Testosterone Supplement Stacks

Dr Huberman does discuss the benefits of taking certain supplements together (his famous ‘Huberman Sleep Cocktail’ is one example) but he also emphasizes doing this with single ingredient supplement formulations rather than multiple supplements mixed together in one capsule.

This means that you may have to take more capsules, but it lets you adjust the different ingredients to figure out which ones work best for you.

With regards to hormone supplementation, this may be of particular importance for women. With single ingredients a woman can titrate and adjust their supplements based on the different stages of their menstrual cycle.

Supplements to Potentially Avoid

Turmeric is a DHT inhibiter, so excess turmeric may be a concern.

Dr. Huberman has discussed many times his concern with melatonin supplementation as the doses are so much higher than our natural levels. He remembers that melatonin supplemented mice in his lab had atrophy of their testicles (shrunken testicles!). So clearly melatonin is one to avoid.

Dr. Huberman has pointed out that apigenin, found in chamomile tea and a component of his ‘Sleep Cocktail’ is a minor estrogen suppressor so women should be more cautious with this supplement.

More Huberman Lab posts:

References