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Eurycoma
(Sci-Fit)
Eurycoma (a.k.a Tongkat Ali) is a herb that is purported to raise testosterone levels, but exactly how it does so is not known. Some believe it does so in a manner similar to Tribulus, by increasing the body's levels of luteinizing hormone (LH). The LH then induces the body to produce more testosterone. Others believe it acts similar to Avena Sativa, having an anti-estrogenization effect, preventing the conversion of hormone precursors to estrogen thus freeing up more to be converted to testosterone. Others believe it reduces the activity of Sex Hormone Binding Globulin (SHBG). This would then free up bound testosterone. In this case, it would increase free testosterone levels but not total testosterone levels.
But whatever the mechanism, increased testosterone (or free testosterone) would have various benefits, such as the following:
Increased sex drive
Increased sexual performance
Improved sleep
Increase in lean body mass
Decrease in body fat
Increase in metabolism
Increased energy
It was mostly the last item that was most interesting to me, as I have been struggling with fatigue from fibromyalgia since the spring of 2001. I have also been having problems with insomnia, and my sex drive has been running lower than would be considered normal for a 40-something male. Therefore, I have been experiencing several of the symptoms of low testosterone levels. And as a powerlifter, the increase in lean body mass and decrease in body fat would be nice as well. As such, I've experimented with various products purported to enhance testosterone levels to see if they would help.
One such product I tried was Eurycoma. However, it is hard to find by itself as it is generally only found in testosterone enhancing products that contain a variety of ingredients. But I found one company that makes Eurycoma only products: Sci-Fit. I decided to try the Sci-Fit product. I took the recommended two capsules a day for a few weeks, but I didn't notice any effect from it, so I stopped taking it. That means, my experience with Eurycoma was not good at all. Given that this product is no longer available, my experience was probably not unique.
Meanwhile, I began researching other natural methods for raising testosterone levels. And I found that diet and exercise can have a dramatic effect. Consequently, I altered my eating plan and workout program so as to optimize hormones. And by doing so, I tripled my testosterone levels, from being clinically low to being in the middle of the normal range. With this new program, my sex drive is much better than it was, and my powerlifting training has been going very well. I present in detail the eating and exercise plan I have been following in my books God-given Foods Eating Plan and Creationist Diet: Second Edition. As such, I will stick with this more natural program rather than wasting any more money on supplements.
Eurycoma- Supplement Descriptions. Copyright © 2005, 2008, 2014, 2017 By Gary F. Zeolla.
The above article was posted on this site June 23, 2005.
It was updated June 15, 2017.
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