Fadogia agrestis to Improve Testosterone - Quick Reference Sheet
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Fadogia agrestis to Improve Testosterone

Created on 09/14/2026 – Quick Reference based on Evidence Review created using AI4L / Opus 5 – Audit

A West African shrub sold as a natural means of raising testosterone. The case rests entirely on animal work; no person has been studied in a published trial. The same rat doses that raised the hormone also shifted liver, kidney and testicular markers toward cellular strain. Retail capsule content varies widely. The benefit remains a hypothesis. (Full Review)

Protocol

Standard dose
300–600 mg daily
10:1 dried stem or root extract, the range sold at retail
Conservative dose anchored to the animal data
~200 mg
18 mg/kg, the lowest rodent dose that raised testosterone, scaled by body-surface conversion for a 70 kg adult
Time of day
Morning
Matches the natural early-morning peak in testosterone. No human data on dose timing exist.
Time to effect
Elevated serum testosterone
1–5 days
Rodent data only; no human timeline exists
Increased sexual motivation and performance
Day one
Rodent mating behaviour at every dose; no human sexual-function trial exists
Follow-up hormone panel
8 weeks
The earliest point at which any judgement can be made

Benefits

Contraindications
  • Active liver disease, or baseline ALT or AST above 1.5× the upper reference limit
  • Chronic kidney disease at an eGFR below 60 mL/min/1.73 m²
  • Men with a history of prostate cancer, or a PSA above 4 ng/mL
  • Men with a haematocrit above 52%
  • Men actively pursuing conception
  • Women who are pregnant or lactating
  • Anyone under 18
  • Anyone taking a medication that carries a documented hepatotoxicity warning
    •
Key Interactions
  • Hepatotoxic prescription medications (methotrexate, isoniazid, amiodarone)
  • Androgen therapies (testosterone cypionate, testosterone gel, enclomiphene)
  • Over-the-counter analgesics (acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen)
  • Other androgenic botanicals (Eurycoma longifolia, Withania somnifera, Lepidium meyenii)
  • Liver-burdening supplements (concentrated green tea catechin extract, kava, prohormones)
  • Estrogen-lowering agents (anastrozole, exemestane, diindolylmethane)
  • Alcohol
  • Erectile-dysfunction medications (sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil)
    •

Risk & Side Effects

  • High:
  • Medium:
  • Low:
  • Speculative: Hepatocellular and renal membrane injury, impaired testicular function, unlabelled and variable active content, cardiotoxicity from genus-level misidentification, estrogenic overshoot, erythrocytosis

Monitoring

Marker Target Why
Total testosterone 600–900 ng/dL The outcome the intervention targets
Free testosterone 15–25 ng/dL The fraction actually available to tissues; moves independently of total
Luteinizing hormone (LH) 4–8 IU/L Separates a pituitary-driven rise from a direct testicular one
Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) 1.5–8 IU/L Reads the other half of the pituitary–testis loop; falls if the axis is suppressed
Sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) 20–45 nmol/L Determines how much measured testosterone is free
Estradiol, sensitive assay 20–30 pg/mL Testosterone converts to estradiol; overshoot causes breast tenderness and fluid retention
Alanine and aspartate aminotransferase (ALT, AST) ALT 10–26 U/L; AST 10–26 U/L Detects the hepatocellular strain reported at every rodent dose
Gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) <20 U/L Bile-duct and oxidative-stress-sensitive liver enzyme; shifted in rodent dosing
Creatinine with eGFR eGFR >90 mL/min/1.73 m² Detects the renal membrane effect reported in rodents
Haematocrit 40–48% Androgen elevation thickens blood
Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) <1.5 ng/mL under age 60 Baseline safety anchor for anyone raising androgens
Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) No established target; track change from the individual's own baseline The oxidative-damage marker that rose in every rodent treatment group

Cadence: Baseline fasting, early morning, before the first dose; the same panel repeated at week 4 and at the end of each cycle, then at every subsequent cycle end; every three to six months beyond three cycles. Hormones are always redrawn at the same hour.

Qualitative Assessment

  • Libido and frequency of spontaneous morning erections
  • Morning energy and training drive
  • Mood stability and irritability
  • Sleep quality and number of night wakings
  • Early liver warning signs: right-upper-abdominal discomfort, dark urine, unusual fatigue, yellowing of the eyes
Not medical advice. Educational distillation of a single evidence review. Confirm any decision with a qualified clinician, especially in the presence of prescription drugs or chronic conditions.