How Cistanche Boosts Testosterone
Article by Stefan Burns - Updated August 2022. Join the Wild Free Organic email newsletter!
When it comes to natural testosterone boosting supplements, there are generally two schools of thought.
There are the people that don’t think it’s possible to boost androgenic hormones like testosterone naturally using herbs. These people almost always have never tried using the natural testosterone boosters that exist and do work.
Then there are the people who have used natural testosterone boosters like cistanche and saw the benefits from it such as increased confidence, more muscle, a strength boost, and an increase in other androgenic traits.
Interestingly the people in group 1 have no trouble believing that estrogenic hormones like estradiol can be increased using certain herbs and by eating foods like soy. Increasing testosterone naturally using herbs may not be as well studied scientifically as is the opposite of how to boost female hormone levels (in an effort to help with menopause and post-menopause symptoms), but just as it’s possible to increase circulating levels of female hormones in the body, it is possible to increase circulating levels of male hormones too.
I speak from personal experience here because I’ve successfully used cistanche to increase free testosterone by 53% in the span of one month before, and every time I’ve used cistanche since the effect was similar physiologically.
Cistanche growing in the desert
In this article we discuss how to boost testosterone naturally using a special little-known herb known as cistanche, and some other herbs, foods, and supplements that can be used simultaneously to increase the overall androgenic effect while also reducing any side-effects that may occur.
How to Boost Testosterone
To understand how total and free testosterone levels can be increased naturally, a general understanding of the endocrine (hormone) system is required.
All hormones are synthesized from cholesterol. Cholesterol is a very valuable biologic compound, produced by the body and also available via dietary sources like eggs. For men testosterone and other androgenic hormones are synthesized from cholesterol by leydig cells in the testes. In the diagram here I’ve outlined cholesterol and testosterone in red.
For any testosterone booster to work, it needs to make the steroidogenesis process more efficient, fill in some critical nutrient deficiency that is limiting steroidogenesis, or it has to trigger a greater increase in steroidogenesis.
Common nutrients that are well-known to raise testosterone levels if deficient in them are vitamin D, vitamin C, magnesium, zinc, and boron, and making sure you intake enough of these nutrients is also simply good for overall health and wellness.
Then there is cholesterol. By increasing cholesterol levels in the body more hormones can be produced. Depending on your size and sex the amount of cholesterol produced naturally by the body varies, but it’s on average about ~1000 mg a day. If you want to increase the amount of cholesterol your body has access to, then the easiest way I can recommend is to eat eggs. One large egg contains ~200 mg of cholesterol, and eating 3-5 eggs a day will by itself have a notable positive impact on your hormone system.
With these base optimizations done, if you’re still interested in raising your testosterone levels beyond normal physiological levels, then supplementing with the safe & natural herb cistanche is highly effective.
Is Cistanche the Best Natural Testosterone Booster?
Cistanche is a genus of perennial herbs consisting of 22 known species that grows well in extremely arid desert climates. One of the reasons that cistanche is still a relatively obscure herb is because it’s an endangered wild species and only found in select parts of central and east Asia. Cistanche supplement is made from the ground up stem of the plant, which contains it’s main active compounds: the plant glycosides echinacoside and acteoside.
Cistanche is popular in Chinese Traditional Medicine for its wide-ranging beneficial health effects such as:
Enhanced cognitive function
Improved metabolism
Strengthens the immune system
Is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
Supports the renal system (kidneys)
Cistanche Male Benefits
For men specifically cistanche is a useful herb because of its androgenic effects. Male hormone levels and sperm counts have been declining for decades, and cistanche can be used to reverse that trend. Whether you’re interested in boosting your testosterone, to improving your fertility, or you want to upgrade your performance in the bedroom, cistanche is a safe and natural herb than can help.
For a more detailed look at the health and androgenic benefits of cistanche check out the cistanche herb page.
How does Cistanche Work?
No human studies exist yet for cistanche, but the androgenic effects of cistanche have been studied in mice/rats and in other more isolated ways. The principal beneficial constituents of cistanche are echinacoside and acteoside, and it’s these compounds that are primarily responsible for the testosterone boosting effects of cistanche. It’s not a single pathway that cistanche activates that increase testosterone production by Leydig cells, but rather a selective activation of a few different genes and pathways that combined together to have a dramatic androgenic effect. There are also a few lifestyle factors that if done alongside cistanche supplementation greatly boost the overall effect.
The Liver and Cholesterol
To start, cistanche has been shown to significantly reduce serum cholesterol levels in mice which were fed a high-cholesterol diet. Cistanche does this by enhancing cholesterol transport from the digestive system to the liver. The liver is the primary chemical factory for the body, and it’s at the liver that cholesterol is encapsulated into lipoproteins made of lipids (fats) and proteins. Lipoproteins travel in the bloodstream to deliver cholesterol and triglycerides to the cells of the body. In addition to hormones, cholesterol is a major component of cell membranes, and cells throughout the body require cholesterol for their regular upkeep and biologic functions.
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the main lipoprotein responsible for transporting cholesterol throughout the body. As LDL cholesterol reaches tissues in need of cholesterol it binds to the tissue’s LDL receptor and the cholesterol is released from the lipoprotein. The now depleted LDL compound is processed by the liver or taken up by macrophages.
Leydig Cells and Cholesterol
Leydig cells where hormones like testosterone are produced require an efficient and constant supply of cholesterol for their biologic functions. Under normal conditions testicular Leydig cells produce a lot of the cholesterol they need endogenously (themselves) for testosterone production, with any additional demand for cholesterol being mostly supplied by serum LDL cholesterol floating about.
The key in how cistanche works in raising testosterone levels is if Leydig cells have an additional demand for cholesterol. If you’re living a sedentary lifestyle with little physical activity and you’re not engaging in testosterone-stimulating social behaviors, cistanche will still boost your testosterone levels to some degree, but the effect is made much more significant when “alpha-male” lifestyles factors are in place like working out and engaging in varied social interactions. When those lifestyle factors are in place and there is a demand for testosterone in order to increase chances of success, whether that’s lifting a heavy deadlift, closing a sales deal, being in a leadership position, or attracting the cute girl, then Leydig cells respond to the increased need for testosterone and look abroad for the extra cholesterol they need. If cistanche is being supplemented alongside an increased consumption of dietary cholesterol from a source like eggs (say 4 a day), then the extra dietary cholesterol is being efficiently packaged into lipoproteins and circulated to Leydig cells which take up the cholesterol and create extra testosterone from it.
Acteoside, one of the main active constituents of cistanche seems to play a major role in enhancing cholesterol metabolism and transport, and acteoside also has an antiestrogenic effect. All that’s required for testosterone to be converted into estradiol, the strongest estrogen hormone, is for it to be converted by the aromatase enzyme (see steroidogenesis graphic above). The exact anti-estrogenic mechanisms of how acteoside are still not fully known, but it seems to stop the conversion of excess testosterone into estrogen. That’s one problem with a lot of testosterone boosters, they increase testosterone but do nothing to stop aromatase enzyme so the body ends up having high levels of testosterone and estrogen, which isn’t a good thing.
The exact mechanisms of how cistanche boosts testosterone isn’t 100% clear, but the overall biologic process is known and can be confirmed for yourself by supplementing with cistanche and experiencing the testosterone boosting effects yourself. And by knowing the above biology it’s possible to improve the effect further with the addition of some other natural compounds like dandelion, zinc, and vitamin D.
Cistanche Testosterone-Boosting Supplement Stack
To make supplementing with cistanche as effective as possible in boosting testosterone, the following is required:
A high-quality cistanche supplement with sufficient acetoside concentrations, like Nootropics Depot Cistanche supplement
Testosterone-boosting lifestyle factors like lifting weights, engaging in sports, being a leader, or social interactions
Increased consumption of dietary cholesterol
Dandelion for its high levels of flavonoids which function as aromatase inhibitors
Zinc, magnesium, vitamin D, and vitamin C
I’ll cover the dosing requirements for each and provide you my recommended supplements, and then at the end put it all together for you so you can try your own 1-2 month cistanche testosterone-boosting protocol.
Cistanche Dosing
If using the Cistanche tubolsa powder (recommended) sold by Nootropics Depot, then start with the recommended dose of 200 mg and increase up to a maximum of 600 mg if desired.
In my experience the higher the dose of cistanche the greater the testosterone boosting effect, but the side-effects like more acne can also manifest, which is why I recommend dandelion root is also used alongside cistanche.
Dandelion Dosing
The entire dandelion plant is edible and incredibly safe, and supplementing with dandelion root, usually by brewing it into a tea, reduces some of the unwanted side-effects that can occur when supplementing with cistanche. Dandelion is a blood purifier and will keep inflammation and acne under control, and the flavonoids that dandelion contains are aromatase inhibitors, which means less of the testosterone that is being produced thanks to the cistanche is being converted into estrogen. You can harvest and dry your own dandelion root or organic dandelion root can be purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs.
Apigenin is flavonoid that has strong aromatase inhibiting properties, and the liposomal apigenin powder sold by Nootropics Depot could also be used in the place of or alongside the dandelion tea if desired.
Cholesterol Dosing
Alongside 200-600 mg of cistanche you should also increase your cholesterol by 600-1000 mg. To increase your dietary cholesterol you can simply begin eating more eggs, I recommend 3-5 a day. For the best nutrition purchase pasture-raised eggs.
Micronutrient Dosing
Vitamin D is another very useful chemical for hormone health and overall health and wellness, and if you’re unable to get some safe sun exposure daily, then you can take a 5000 IU vitamin D supplement.
Vitamin C is important for the health of your adrenal glands and necessary for the production of cortisol, and in order to avoid placing any undue stress on the adrenals from the cistanche supplementation I recommend you increase your vitamin C intake by consuming more citrus, like one lemon a day. Skip the vitamin C supplements, they’re junk and not readily bioavailable.
Zinc is a key part of the androgenic pathway, and if you’re deficient in zinc then you’re limiting your bodies ability to produce testosterone and recover from workouts. Zinc is found in high concentrations in oysters, nuts and seeds, and some other foods, or you can supplement with a safe level of zinc by taking a 15 mg zinc balance supplement. Taking too much zinc (>35 mg) can be dangerous and lead to toxicity and also severe nausea if taken on an empty stomach.
Magnesium is another mineral important for testosterone production as well as being needed throughout the body. Magnesium is the second most common nutrient deficiency and can be consumed in greater amounts by eating more nuts and seeds, dark leafy greens like spinach, dark chocolate, by drinking spring water than contains dissolved magnesium, or by taking a 500 mg magnesium supplement.
Note - An easy way to increase your consumption of zinc, magnesium, and other valuable minerals like manganese is to eat pumpkin seeds. Five health benefits of pumpkin seeds
Boost your Testosterone Fast
So here’s how I recommend you supplement with cistanche. Split your daily dose into two and consume half in the morning and half at night. If you’re taking 400 mg of cistanche that means 200 mg before breakfast and 200 mg before dinner. Every morning brew a couple cups (16 oz) of dandelion tea by steeping a couple grams of dandelion root in boiling water for 15 minutes, and once the tea is ready you can stir the cistanche directly into the tea. Take the zinc, magnesium, and vitamin supplements at the same time and then 30-60 minutes later eat breakfast. If you’re intermittent fasting then this can be done before lunch. Save the second cup of dandelion tea in the fridge for later that night, again stirring the cistanche directly into it.
Use this testosterone boosting supplement stack consistently for thirty days while also having a strength training routine in place, good sleep, and a healthy diet and you’ll be blown away by the androgenic changes you experience! If you really want to be scientific and qualitatively see how your body adapted to the supplements and changes implemented, get a total and free testosterone test before and after the 30-60 day supplement period.
60 days is the upper limit I’d recommend for supplementing with cistanche, and then make sure to not use cistanche or any other testosterone booster again until you wait the same amount of time you used it for. This is the 1:1 rule and its highly recommended to follow in order to keep your endocrine system healthy and functioning normally.
I notice that much of the increased androgenic expression that’ll be experienced from supplementing with cistanche “sticks”, so in my experience it seems to help upregulate natural testosterone production permanently to some degree, likely through the activation and increased expression of certain genes.
If you follow this natural testosterone boosting protocol please share your experiences in the comments below.
References:
(2014). "Diagram of the pathways of human steroidogenesis". WikiJournal of Medicine 1 (1). DOI:10.15347/wjm/2014.005. ISSN 20018762. - Häggström M, Richfield D
Shimoda H, Tanaka J, Takahara Y, Takemoto K, Shan SJ, Su MH. The hypocholesterolemic effects of cistanche tubulosa extract, a chinese traditional crude medicine, in mice. Am J Chin Med. 2009;37(06):1125-1138.
Papoutsi Z, Kassi E, Mitakou S, et al. Acteoside and martynoside exhibit estrogenic/antiestrogenic properties. The Journal of Steroid Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. 2006;98(1):63-71.
Azhar S, Reaven E. Regulation of leydig cell cholesterol metabolism. In: Payne AH, Hardy MP, eds. The Leydig Cell in Health and Disease. Humana Press; 2007:135-148.
Jeong HJ, Shin YG, Kim IH, Pezzuto JM. Inhibition of aromatase activity by flavonoids. Arch Pharm Res. 1999;22(3):309-312.
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