Neuroscientist: Supplement That Makes Your TESTICLES Grow | Andrew Huberman

Summary

This script delves into the intricacies of testosterone's role in human performance and behavior, emphasizing the importance of natural methods to boost levels. It discusses the impact of substances like Tongkat Ali and Fadogia agrestis on testosterone, which can elevate levels by 100-400 points without the need for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). The conversation also touches on the interplay between testosterone and prolactin, highlighting how these hormones influence sexual desire, aggression, and body composition. Furthermore, it explores testosterone's mental effects, such as reducing anxiety and promoting a positive response to effort and challenge.

Takeaways

• 💪 The fundamental layer for optimal performance in sleep, learning, and sports is behavior, followed by nutrition, supplementation, prescription drugs, and off-label substances.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Testosterone plays a significant role in sports performance, and while anabolic steroids are often discussed, there are legal supplements that can naturally increase testosterone levels.
• 🌿 Tongkat Ali, a natural supplement, can raise free testosterone and overall testosterone levels by about 100 to 200 points when taken at a dosage of 400 milligrams per day.
• 💧 The typical dose for testosterone replacement therapy is 200 milligrams, administered once every week to two weeks, which is equivalent to one cc of cypionate.
• 🚫 Many men in their 20s and 30s may not need testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and can maintain healthy testosterone levels through proper behaviors and nutrition.
• 🔄 Prolactin, a hormone associated with milk let-down in women, can also affect men, potentially increasing body fat and reducing sexual desire and aggression.
• 🌱 Fedogia agrestis, a Nigerian shrub, mimics luteinizing hormone and can stimulate the testes to produce more testosterone when combined with Tongkat Ali.
• 📈 The combination of herbal supplements like Tongkat Ali and Fedogia agrestis can lead to a significant boost in free testosterone, with some individuals experiencing an increase of 300 to 400 points.
• 🧠 Testosterone has mental effects, particularly reducing anxiety by binding to androgen receptors in the amygdala, the brain's fear and anxiety center.
• 🏃‍♂️ Testosterone encourages engagement in effort and challenge by making the body feel good, which is a natural drive similar to other basic human needs.

Q & A

What are the fundamental layers that affect human performance and behavior?

The fundamental layers affecting human performance and behavior include sleep, learning, sports performance, nutrition, supplementation, prescription drugs, and off-label substances.

How does anabolics impact brain development and body function?

Anabolics, such as testosterone and its derivatives, impact brain development and body function by influencing fear, aggression, and mental state.

What is Tongkat Ali and how does it affect testosterone levels?

Tongkat Ali is a substance that can raise free testosterone and overall testosterone levels by about 100 to 200 points when taken at a dose of about 400 milligrams per day.

What is the typical dose for testosterone replacement therapy?

The typical dose for testosterone replacement therapy is 200 milligrams, given once every week to two weeks.

How does the size of a syringe relate to the dosage of testosterone?

The size of a syringe correlates to the dosage of testosterone, with a full syringe of one cc containing 200 milligrams of testosterone cypionate.

What is the role of prolactin in sexual desire and aggression?

Prolactin is a molecule involved in milk let-down in lactating women but also plays a role in sexual desire and aggression in men, as it can shut down sexual desire.

How does the presence of a pregnant woman affect a man's prolactin levels?

The presence of a pregnant woman, possibly through pheromones or odors, can increase a man's prolactin levels, leading to weight gain and preparation for co-parenting.

What is the Nigerian shrub Fedogia agrestis and how does it mimic luteinizing hormone?

Fedogia agrestis is a Nigerian shrub that mimics luteinizing hormone, which stimulates the testes to produce more testosterone.

What is the typical increase in testosterone levels when using Fedogia agrestis?

The typical increase in testosterone levels when using Fedogia agrestis, taken at about 600 milligrams, is a three to four hundred point increase.

How does testosterone affect the brain and effort?

Testosterone makes effort feel good by interacting with the amygdala, the fear and anxiety center in the brain, thus reducing fear and promoting engagement in challenges.

What are the effects of testosterone on the body and its recovery?

Testosterone increases protein synthesis, leading to muscle growth, recovery, and a lean physique, as it is crucial during puberty for growth and development.

Outlines

00:00

💪 Testosterone and Its Impact on Behavior and Performance

The paragraph discusses the importance of testosterone in various aspects of life, including sleep, learning, and sports performance. It introduces the concept of supplementation and prescription drugs, highlighting the difference between anabolic steroids and natural supplements. The speaker mentions their past work on androgens and their effects on brain development and body function. Two natural supplements, Tongkat Ali and Fadogia agrestis, are introduced as ways to increase testosterone levels without the need for testosterone replacement therapy (TRT). The paragraph also touches on the role of prolactin, a hormone that can affect sexual desire and aggression, and its relationship with testosterone. The speaker suggests that many issues attributed to low testosterone are actually related to prolactin imbalances.

05:00

🐐 Testosterone's Role in Overcoming Fear and the Mating Drive

This paragraph delves into the psychological effects of testosterone, particularly its role in reducing fear and anxiety. It uses the example of male animals, such as Rams, to illustrate how testosterone surges can lead to aggressive behavior in the context of mating. The speaker explains that testosterone helps males overcome the fear of pain and punishment, which is crucial for engaging in battles for mating rights. The paragraph also discusses how testosterone can make effort and challenge feel rewarding, which is linked to the hypothalamus and the body's natural drives. The speaker notes that while testosterone depletion can lead to depression, a surge in testosterone can provide relief and reduce anxiety, provided it is within a healthy range.

Keywords

💡Testosterone

Testosterone is a hormone that plays a crucial role in the development of male reproductive tissues and secondary sexual characteristics. In the video, it is discussed as a key factor in sports performance and overall health, with supplementation being considered to increase levels naturally. The script mentions how increasing testosterone can lead to benefits such as improved muscle growth, recovery, and a positive mental state.

💡Supplementation

Supplementation refers to the act of adding nutrients to one's diet through pills, powders, or other forms to enhance health or performance. The video discusses supplementation in the context of increasing testosterone levels, with natural substances like Tongkat Ali and Fadogia Agrestis being highlighted as alternatives to synthetic hormones.

💡Tongkat Ali

Tongkat Ali is a herbal supplement derived from a plant native to Southeast Asia, known for its potential to increase testosterone levels. The video script mentions that a daily dose of 400 milligrams can raise free testosterone, making it a popular natural choice for those seeking to boost their hormone levels without resorting to prescription medications.

💡Fadogia Agrestis

Fadogia Agrestis is a Nigerian shrub that mimics the effects of luteinizing hormone, which stimulates the testes to produce testosterone. The script describes its use in herbal supplements and how it can significantly boost testosterone levels when combined with Tongkat Ali, potentially leading to noticeable physical changes.

💡Prolactin

Prolactin is a hormone that, in humans, is associated with lactation in women and can affect sexual desire and aggression. The video discusses how an increase in prolactin levels in men can lead to weight gain and a decrease in testosterone, which contrasts with the effects of testosterone on motivation and challenge-seeking behavior.

💡TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy)

Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) is a medical treatment for men who have low testosterone levels. The video script addresses the common misconception that many younger men require TRT, suggesting that lifestyle changes and natural supplements can often maintain healthy testosterone levels without medical intervention.

💡Anabolics

Anabolics refer to anabolic steroids, synthetic substances that mimic the effects of testosterone and are sometimes used illegally in sports to enhance performance. The video touches on the topic of anabolics in the context of banned substances, highlighting the conversation around hormones in sports and the ethical considerations involved.

💡Estrogen

Estrogen is the primary female sex hormone, but it is also present in men, where it plays a role in secondary sexual characteristics and can influence mood and behavior. The video script discusses how problems attributed to estrogen in men are often actually related to prolactin, which can suppress sexual desire and aggression.

💡Amygdala

The amygdala is an almond-shaped part of the brain involved in emotional processing, particularly related to fear and anxiety. The video explains how testosterone's interaction with the amygdala can make effort and challenge feel rewarding, which is an important aspect of motivation and behavior in both animals and humans.

💡Protein Synthesis

Protein synthesis is the process by which cells build proteins, which is essential for growth and repair. The video script mentions that testosterone increases protein synthesis, which is why it is associated with muscle growth and recovery, especially during puberty when the body undergoes significant changes.

💡Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus is a region of the brain that links the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. It plays a key role in regulating body temperature, hunger, thirst, sleep, and other physiological processes. The video script refers to the hypothalamus as the area where drives like sex, hunger, and the desire for challenge are anchored, influenced by hormonal signals like testosterone.

Highlights

Behaviors are fundamental for sleep, learning, and sports performance.

Nutrition, supplementation, prescription drugs, and off-label substances are discussed in the context of sports performance.

Hormones in sports often refer to anabolics and banned substances, but there are legal ways to augment testosterone.

Tonga Ali, a natural substance, can increase testosterone levels by 100 to 200 points when taken at 400 milligrams per day.

Testosterone replacement therapy typically involves a dose of 200 milligrams every week to two weeks.

Many men in their 20s and 30s may not need testosterone replacement therapy and can maintain healthy levels through proper behaviors and nutrition.

Prolactin, a hormone involved in milk let-down, can affect sexual desire and aggression, and is linked to 'dad bod' in men during their partner's pregnancy.

Fedogia agrestis, a Nigerian shrub, mimics luteinizing hormone and can boost testosterone levels.

Combining Tonga Ali and Fedogia agrestis can lead to a significant increase in free testosterone.

Fedogia agrestis can cause a noticeable increase in testosterone, with one case raising levels from the low twos to the 700 range.

Testosterone is known for its effects on voice, facial hair, muscle growth, and recovery, due to increased protein synthesis.

Testosterone makes effort feel good by interacting with the amygdala, the fear and anxiety center in the brain.

In animals and humans, testosterone surges are linked to the willingness to engage in battle or challenge.

Testosterone depletion can lead to feelings of depression, while a surge can provide relief and reduce anxiety.

Transcripts

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look their behaviors are the fundamental

layer you have to do the right things

for anything for sleep for learning for

sports performance but then there's

nutrition supplementation prescription

drugs and then off-label stuff right and

so we always think of it when you hear

hormones in sports you always think just

the raw conversation about anabolics all

the banned stuff we can talk about that

stuff and how it works years ago I used

to work on androgens testosterone and

its derivatives and how it impacts brain

development and body function fear and

and also mental state but there's a

category of supplements that are very

interesting

that for most people who aren't

exploring testosterone augmentation for

sport work very well to increase

testosterone by about 100 to 200 points

not you know 300 you know not a tripling

or anything like that and the main ones

are two substances one is called Tonga

Ali oh yeah which is that stuff's real

yeah oh yeah so Tonga Ali about 400

milligrams per day has the effect of

raising free testosterone and overall

testosterone by about 100 to 200 points

so the typical dose of of uh

testosterone replacement therapy is 200

milligrams given once every week to two

weeks but when you look at a full

syringe what is that so for one cc one

mil right that's 200 milligrams

typically of cypionate which is sold one

cc a full cc is only two one cc is it

not going to be that much it's a yeah so

it depends if you have a little narrow

syringe okay right right but if you have

a syringe that goes up to ten what is

that that's 10 CC's that's that's 10 CC

yeah that's a thousand oh kilograms that

makes sense right so so it would be two

on that and that's 200 milligrams that's

right so well okay so as long as we're

going now you're saying like two full

syringes yeah I mean I actually think

that a lot of people who think they need

trt when I hear about guys in their 20s

and 30s it

look I'm in my mid-40s and I can tell

you that you can get and maintain very

healthy testosterone levels without trt

if you do the right things the behaviors

the nutrition all the other stuff a lot

of problems that are that are layered

onto estrogen are actually problems with

prolactin which is a molecule that's

involved in milk let down and lactating

women but it actually shuts down the

sexual desire and aggression you know

when this is interesting about prolactin

so this happens in brooding birds and it

happens in humans they've done this a

study published in the journal Nature

which is our kind of Apex Journal showed

that when the husbands of pregnant women

because of something maybe a pheromone

maybe some odor of the pregnant woman

actually increases the man's prolactin

when they're pregnant puts body weight

on the guy he starts laying down body

fat presumably to prepare the father for

the long sleepless nights ahead because

humans have always co-parented wow I'm

mostly co-parented we all know women do

far more but who's out there who get fat

don't feel bad yeah so that's going on

the dad bodice is due to an increase in

prolactin and testosterone and prolactin

are kind of working in opposite fashion

so it's a very interesting thing but the

way you describe it is correct now for

people that aren't getting prescribed

trt but want the increase in

testosterone they're these plant

compounds like Tonga Ali and another one

which is very interesting it's a

Nigerian shrub called fedogia agrestis

and it mimics luteinizing hormone which

is the hormone that comes out of the

hypothalamus that stimulates the testes

if you got those in your ovaries if

you've got those to make more

testosterone for estrogen and so those

two herbal supplements together can give

a significant boost in free inactive

testosterone so you said Tongan Ali can

give you 100 to 200. how about that what

does the other one give you fedojia is

usually taken at about 600 milligrams

um and that can the most dramatic effect

I've ever seen was somebody who had his

testosterone down in the low twos or I

think it was like low twos and it he got

it up to the 700 range which but that's

it but that that's an outlier right most

people are going to see about a three to

four hundred Point increase and that's

what the two of them synergistically the

doji will actually make the testes grow

it's a it's a noticeable difference

testosterone has the effects we're all

aware of like deepening The Voice facial

hair muscle growth recovery Etc mostly

because testosterone increases protein

synthesis you look at a young male in

puberty to protein synthesis machine

yeah they eat theyad and they just grow

and grow and grow and they're putting on

muscles and they're lean and you know so

most often they're lean but in any case

testosterone has some very interesting

effects on the brain the the major

mental effect of testosterone is it

makes effort feel good

oh that makes sense and the reason it

does it is that the amygdala this fear

Center in the brain this anxiety Center

in the brain has Androgen receptors it

has testosterone receptors and so

the way this works in animals and in

humans as well is that for most species

the males of that species never get a

chance to mate

right so if you think about I'll

probably pick an example where you'll

you'll know the exception because I know

you know a lot about natural animals and

animals that are hunted but if you think

about animals with antlers like Rams

there's been a lot of research believe

it or not on Rams it'd be fun I'd love

to work on you know Rams have enormous

balls

and they have to fight for the right to

mate yes and the fighting is a choice

right and the decision to walk away is a

choice usually they usually don't kill

each other although I know some of the

injuries can lead to death so

testosterone these surges in

testosterone that happen seasonally in

certain species like Rams or even these

little hamsters the males will rip each

other's testicles off in order to fight

for the right to mate so males of a

given species have to actually overcome

the fear of pain and Punishment and the

surge in testosterone is what causes the

shift to the willingness to engage in

battle and so when humans are taking low

doses or reasonable doses of

testosterone or they're increasing their

testosterone or they're going through

puberty

effort and leaning into pain and

challenge actually has the effect of

making the body feel soothed and good

it's a drive just like sex is a drive or

drinking water when you're thirsty is a

drive this stuff is all anchored deep

within the hypothalamus when people are

testosterone depleted they feel

depressed and when people have a surge

of testosterone they feel relief and

anxiety provided it's in the appropriate

range