Muira Puama and Testosterone: Review of the Benefits for Men
Muira Puama and Testosterone
This article intends to show you the link between Muira Puama and testosterone, help you understand the current status of scientific research on the subject, and empower you to construct a calculated opinion regarding its efficacy and relevance to your needs.
Known in many parts of the world as “Amazon’s Natural Viagra”, Muira Puama has quite a remarkable history as an herbal aphrodisiac that has stood the test of time.
But when it comes to its effects on testosterone, has it stood the test of scientific inquiry? Let’s find out.
What is Muira Puama?
Muira Puama is native to the Amazon rainforest of Brazil. The name represents a genus, whose scientific name is ptychopetalum.
Muira Puama is the locally famous name for both the species found in this genus, and it literally translates to “potency wood”. The very name is synonymous with virility, which immediately generates a sense of credibility.
It has been used for a very long time in Brazil as a traditional herbal medicine to cure impotence in men, serves as an aphrodisiac for both sexes, reduces stress, and cures “nerve issues” among other things.
What sets Muira Puama apart from many herbs that have a local reputation, is its inclusion in both the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia and the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia – government-endorsed sources with global credibility when it comes to the efficacy of the medicines they list.
The active ingredients that are linked to its physiological effects are found in the roots and the bark of this flowering plant.
Among the number of compounds that naturally occur in this plant, most fall into one of the following categories:
Alkaloids
Ergogenic Compounds
Adaptogens
If you have gone through some of my previous posts, you are already aware of what adaptogens are.
Alkaloids are a class of organic compounds that occur naturally, have nitrogen-containing bases, and are important in many biological effects they have on humans and animals.
Finally, ergogenic compounds are a more general class of chemicals that have performance-enhancing effects in humans, when it comes to athletics.
Muira Puama, Sexual Function, and Testosterone
Owing to the presence of the type of compounds Muira Puama embodies, you can already get a sense of how it can potentially be important in boosting and maintaining a healthy amount of testosterone – especially due to its adaptogenic effect.
This is important to mention here for the following reason: while there is a lot of anecdotal evidence to support its history as a sexual function enhancer, there is not much clinical research to back it up, but you should be aware of its potential using your common sense and the information in this article.
Reducing stress has been achieved through the use of Muira Puama in traditional herbal medicine. This study on rats concluded that it indeed had anti-stress properties, along with adaptogenic properties.
We already know how stress plays a vital role in lowering T levels, and how adaptogens act to balance out the hormones and make way for more free testosterone in the body.
Thus, while this is not a direct result, and it’s not on humans either, it still is a promising harbinger of good things to come if human-centric research unfolds in the future.
Its use as an aphrodisiac is probably the most famous in the world. An article from a reputable website talks about a study with 362 men who were experiencing erectile dysfunction symptoms and were made to use Muira Puama for two weeks.
At the end of the study, 62% of the men reported improvement when it came to better sexual function, desire, and harder erections. The science on its libido-boosting ability is not restricted to men alone, as this study proves.
In it, 202 women who had complained about low sexual desire were treated with a supplement that had Muira Puama – 65% of the women reported improvement in sexual desire.
Its ability to boost testosterone was more or less advocated as a “potential” effect in this study which examined ergogenic effects of several herbs when it came to exercise and athletic performance.
Other than this, there is not much science out there to directly link increased T production with Muira Puama intake.
Bottom Line
While it is quite clear that no major “scientific breakthrough studies” exist which prove that Muira Puama supplementation can increase testosterone production or keep the existing testosterone free by inhibiting its binding with SHBG, there is definitely a huge volume of anecdotal evidence fortified with scientific research when it comes to its desirable effects on sexual function, libido, and erection hardness.
As all of these areas are closely tied to testosterone (and the results you would wish to achieve with high testosterone production anyway), it makes sense to have faith in Muira Puama.
The best way to take this herb would be as a super-concentrated organic tincture.
It can also be taken as tea. The recommended dosage of the basic extract is around 5 grams, but it is just a ballpark figure.
It is regarded safe with minimal side effects, so you can see what works for you.
