Free Your Testosterone

There’s no need to boost testosterone with illegal steroids or chemicals. Testosterone levels can be increased naturally.

Would you like an improved ability to deal with stressful situations? Could you benefit from increased energy levels, an improved immune system or increased physical strength? How about deeper, more restorative sleep?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, you might need a testosterone boost.

We’re not all built the same. Only some of us (men and women) benefit from having strong levels of testosterone in our bodies. And once we hit 40, we all lose one per cent of our active testosterone per year. Twenty percent of men aged 60 to 80 have below-normal levels.

Breakthrough research demonstrates that certain herbs have the effect of naturally boosting and sustaining testosterone levels in both men and women. The benefits of this include increased strength, endurance and stamina, increased lean muscle mass, decreased body fat and extra energy and vitality.

One testosterone-boosting herb (and quite likely the most recognized and marketed in Canada) is puncture vine (tribulus terrestris). Used for years by numerous European Olympic athletes, this herb has demonstrated its effectiveness in extensive clinical research. One particular study has shown that free-form testosterone (responsible for increased muscle and strength) levels in healthy men could be increased by 30 per cent or more, within just five days.

Puncture vine seems to enhance testosterone levels by stimulating hormones that help "turn on" natural testosterone production. Recent scientific research shows that hawthorn berry extract can dramatically increase the effects of puncture vine.

More Testosterone Helpers

Chrysin, also known as flavone X, keeps testosterone from changing to estrogen, a process that occurs naturally in our bodies and accelerates as testosterone levels go up. Chrysin also prevents the pituitary gland from stopping the body’s natural production of testosterone. Scientific studies demonstrate that with chrysin, estrogen production decreased by as much as 92 percent. Others show increased testosterone concentrations in excess of 30 percent.

New research demonstrates that chrysin may also inhibit the production of excessive cortisol, a hormone responsible for muscle tissue breakdown. Combining generous doses of chrysin with other testosterone-boosting ingredients enhances the effectiveness and reduces the risk of any potential side effects. Chrysin works to keep estrogen levels static, even while testosterone increases.

Saw palmetto extract has active constituents which helps prevent the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT is the ineffective compound that is responsible for hair loss, acne and other undesirable side-effects of steroid use. In a nutshell, less DHT testosterone in the body means available testosterone can have more beneficial effects without side effects. In addition, saw palmetto actually has anti-estrogenic effect.

European research reveals that an extract of nettle root (Urtica dioica) increases the availability of free-form testosterone. A study which combined nettle root with oat straw extract (Avena sativa) showed that testosterone levels of men and women participating in the experiment increased by an average of 105 percent. Numerous studies confirm that this combination also leads to an increase of aerobic power and muscle strength.

Pumpkin seed extract (Cucurbita pepo) is another resource to prevent testosterone from becoming "deactivated." As a natural source of zinc, pumpkin seed extract also helps to optimize the production of testosterone.

It is quite important to steady the timing of the ingredient release into your system. This is to keep the elevated levels of testosterone within your system steady and continuous. If you jolt the system with numerous large testosterone spikes, the receptor sites in your body quickly become desensitized, making the supplement useless. Therefore, if you cannot find a supplement that has a timed-release action, take the supplements with meals. This will not be as good as timed supplements, but it may steady the timing of the ingredients’ release into your system somewhat.

Health food stores and nutrition centres Canada-wide should stock most of the ingredients listed above. Although there are some good multi-complex testosterone-boosting formulas available, the best will include all of the ingredients mentioned and will possess a timed release action in order to ensure steady, continuous states of elevated testosterone.