Does Ginseng Increase Testosterone levels? Know Science

Many health supplements comprise Panax Ginseng, especially fat burners, and testosterone enhancers. Its sales constitute 1-2% of the herbal formulation market. Due to the skyrocketing demand for plant-based all-natural dietary products, the Ginseng market alone is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.3% and touch a valuation of $1.1B by 2033.

Ginseng provides numerous benefits, such as decreasing inflammation and fatigue, enhancing erectile function, and boosting energy and testosterone levels. In this article, we analysed whether or not Ginseng is a scientifically proven medicinal herb for elevating Testosterone levels. Read what we found below.

What Should You Know?

The origination of the Asian Ginseng – Chinese, Korean, and Japanese – can be traced back to the 1st century BC. The curative herb belongs to the Araliaceae clan with the genus Panax, and its American variety is called Panax quinquefolius.
Ginseng is an adaptogen and a natural libido booster; it alleviates male impotence and sexual dysfunction.
Most health benefits derived from Ginseng, including Testosterone synthesis, can be attributed to an active compound typically found in its roots – ginsenoside – also called saponins or triterpene glycosides.
Numerous studies have evidenced that Ginseng helps maintain optimum Testosterone concentrations in the human body; it neither allows testosterone levels to spiral out of control nor fall below the required minimum.

Testosterone And Ginseng – What Research Says

One of the best studies examining the relationship between Ginseng consumption and testosterone dates back to 1982. For this study, the researchers administered 1% and 5% Panax Ginseng supplementation to adult male rats for 60 days.

At the end of the evaluation period, the ginseng-treated rats showed zero change in their body weights despite a marked improvement in daily food intake. The prostrate volumes of these rats had shrunk, implying that Ginseng boosted their testosterone production and cured benign prostatic hyperplasia – prostate enlargement due to ageing and dwindling testosterone. Besides, the test rats that ingested 5% Ginseng had higher quantities of the male sex hormone.

Another research on 66 men suffering from oligo-asthenospermia – low semen quality and spermatozoon production – supports the above findings. A daily dosage of Ginseng extract augmented their sperm count.

Ginseng, the therapeutic herb, also boosts the secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone(FSH), luteinizing hormone(LH), dihydrotestosterone, and free testosterone. An unexpected outcome was the fall in prolactin – a hormone that regulates homeostasis and breast development.

Conclusion?!! While Ginseng raises testosterone generation, it also regulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) – interaction and feedback mechanism between your hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal gland.

Ginseng’s ginsenoside profile mitigates the risks of developing man boobs and erectile dysfunction (ED) by triggering the secretion of dopamine and acetylcholine – neurotransmitters modulating arousals and desires – and pumps up nitric oxide generation to allow more blood to flow through the penis for better erections.

Other Scientific Studies On Ginseng

A few studies established that Ginseng intake does not affect Testosterone formation. In 2012, a group of South Korean researchers conducted a randomized controlled trial on 119 males with ED. The test subjects were given four capsules of Ginseng berry extract or a matching placebo daily for eight weeks.

At the end of the 4th & 8th weeks, the researchers found that erectile function increased while premature ejaculations decreased in Ginseng-treated men. Their blood lipids and hormones, including testosterone, remained unaltered.

Another outlier research deduced that athletic bodybuilders subjected to intense resistance training experienced a drop in testosterone quantities due to Ginseng ingestion. Besides, there were zero changes in other physiological markers like cortisol production, body mass, muscle power, anabolic index, and waistline size.

However, the former analysis wasn’t carried out to exclusively discern the impact of Ginseng on testosterone. Conversely, the latter experiment’s test participants were bodybuilders. They will likely have higher testosterone levels as they exercise intensely and may even take formulas or medications to pump up their muscles. Ginseng might have brought testosterone quantities to optimal levels by stimulating the androgen receptors to signal a reduction in testosterone synthesis.

Thus, the above inferences are inconclusive. More research is required to confirm Ginseng’s neutral or adverse effects on the anabolic steroid hormone.

Inspecting Ginseng And Testosterone Through A Scientific Lens!

According to a 2017 article, ginseng helps maintain sufficient levels of androgen receptors (AR) – transcription factors cum nuclear receptors that aid in prostrate development, pubertal maturation, spermatogenesis, and gonadotrophin modulation in men. Abnormal mutations in AR genes cause male infertility, low sperm generation, and under-masculinization.

The polysaccharides in ginseng accelerate AR mRNA expressions to release adequate testosterone. It strengthens steroid hormone receptors and ensures the androgens function correctly. Hence, if your testosterone levels are low, ginseng enables your body to secrete more, and vice-versa.

Another study conducted on androgen-deficient rats substantiated the above discoveries. The rats gavage-fed with 10ml Ginseng decoction exhibited a rise in their total and free testosterone. The male castrated rodents also had lower fat accumulation. Simply put, Ginseng alleviates the harmful effects of low Testosterone, like obesity. It also modified intestinal microflora to cure androgen shortfall in the rats.

Also read: Do Bananas Boost Testosterone Levels – Scientific Evidence

More Clinical Analyses On Ginseng!

As per an August ‘2023 study, supplementing the freezing extender with Ginseng acts as a powerful antioxidant and significantly improves the quality of cryopreserved rooster semen. Sperm motility, fertility, and membrane integrity soar due to Ginseng supplementation.

Research has also validated that red ginseng extract dampens the effects of ethanol – the prime component of alcohol that causes intoxication and weakens the reproductive system. An experiment on mice revealed that those treated with ethanol had strikingly lower spermatozoon motility, LH, FSH, and serum testosterone than those treated with ginseng.

Ginseng also does wonders for the androgen receptors in females, even if they don’t have testes. A study conducted on 24 healthy women between 20 and 50 years stated that daily ingestion of 75 grams of Korean ginseng boosted their salivary androgen levels – testosterone plus dehydroepiandrosterone – within a week.

Final Thoughts!

Ginseng is a holistic health supplement with anti-ageing, anti-carcinogenic, anti-diabetic, anti-stress, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hypersensitive properties. It also strengthens brain, cardiovascular, prostrate, reproductive, and bone health. Thanks to its ginsenoside content!

Overall, consuming Testosterone boosters containing Ginseng promotes your androgen receptor’s sensitivity to testosterone deficiency and enables the body to take corrective action.