A little known shrub called Fadogia Agrestis
In July 2021 Dr. Andrew Huberman appeared on the Joe Rogan podcast and mentioned two testosterone boosting natural supplements the first was Tongkat Ali and the second, a little-known central African shrub called Fadogia Agrestis. Since this mention by Dr. Huberman Fadogia Agrestis has become one our most popular selling supplement with great feedback from our customers. 

“Fadogia Agrestis acts as a luteinizing hormone mimetic, so it actually stimulates the testes to produce more testosterone … One 425 mg capsule, I believe, is more than sufficient. Anecdotally, for me, what this did is increase my total testosterone by about 200 points … I was hovering somewhere around 600. These two supplements consistently bring it up into the high 7s and low 8s.”

-Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., (Professor in the Department of Neurobiology at the Stanford University School of Medicine.)

What is Fadogia Agrestis?

Image: Fadogia Agrestis growing in natural habitat

Fadogia Agrestis is part of the flora of western tropical Africa. It is an erect undershrub with yellowish stems and leaves covered in dense short, matted hairs reaching heights of between one to three feet. Its flowers are yellow-green.

Image: Harvested Fadogia Agrestis stems 

For centuries in Central and western Africa it has been used a traditional medicine; as an aphrodisiac, a cure for malaria and improving physical performance.

Current scientific knowledges suggests that Fadogia Agrestis works by mimicking luteinizing hormone, this is the hormone that comes out of the hypothalamus that stimulates the testes in males and ovaries in females to make more testosterones or estrogen. Implying it benefits women as well as men for optimizing our key sex hormones.

In 2005 Prof Musa Toyin Yakubu (University of IIorin, Nigeria) published the first of several research papers on the aphrodisiac effects of Fadogia Agrestis on Rats. 

Conclusion: Aqueous extract of Fadogia agrestis stem increased the blood testosterone concentrations and this may be the mechanism responsible for its aphrodisiac effects and various masculine behaviours

Sourcing and processing Fadogia Agrestis roots

We currently ship freshly harvested Ghanaian Fadogia Agrestis roots to our Indian manufacturing partner where they are cleaned, steam sterilised and milled into a fine powder (or 10:1 extract*). 

*We have put a halt on Fadogia extracts, the increased energy prices do not make extracts a viable option. 

The key benefit of a Fadogia Agrestis extract over a powder is convenience– easier to take as capsule form compared to mixing a powder into water. All our Ghanaian roots are tested In-house Laboratory for Identification, quality and safety.

What tests do we do on our Fadogia Agrestis?

All our testing on Ghanian Fadogia Agrestis is carried out in-house. Our test fall into three groups: 

1) Impurities: Microbiological and Heavy Metals. 

Microbiological tests for disease causing and spoilage microorganisms. The sample must be absent of E. coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus 

Heavy metals are considered toxic and have adverse health effects in human metabolism. The key metals tested are Lead, Arsenic, Mercury and Cadmium and must not exceed safe specifications. 

2) Identification and chemical parameters

We identify Fadogia Agrestis by Thin layer chromatography (TLC), this is an analytical technique used to separate and identify compounds that constitute the material. 

Samples are compared against a standard (ASB-00030987-005 Fadogia agrestis Stem VBRM by Chromadex)

How do I take Fadoiga Agrestis?

There are no studies on recommended dosages but based off feedback from our partners in Africa we recommend starting with 2g daily and adjusting up or down weekly for 4-6 week cycle. Dosages are a confusing topic and some of our competitors (Doublewood & German Pharma) suggest taking between 0.6-1.2g (600mg to 1200mg) daily of Fadogia Agristis Stem powder. 

We suggest a higher dose of 2g (one 5ml scoop) per day for a 4-6 week cycle. With a maximum dosage of 4g per day. Powder should be mixed into a water, or you can experiment with other foods (juices, shakes, yogurts). If you find Fadogia Agrestis to be beneficial at the dose you are taking, stick with it or even consider lowering.

Fake Fadogia Agrestis Supplements

Image: Fake Fadogia Agrestis supplements

Searching the internet will return results for extracts for 10:1, 25:1 and 40:1 ratio extracts stating plant material has been sourced from Nigeria or Ghana. Majority are counterfeit Fadogia Agrestis extracts usually sourced very cheaply  from Alibaba.  

At the time of writing Dec-2022 there are only two commercially forms of Fadogia Agrestis 

1) Powder made from stems 

2) 10:1 Extract. 

Majority of genuine plant material is exported out of Ghana not Nigeria, Ghana has long established supply chain. It is Ironic, considering initial scientific research was conducted in Nigeria.

Fadogia Agrestis per Kilo for raw material is one of the most expensive botanicals on the market almost double the price of high quality Malaysian Tongkat Ali. If extract ratios of Fadogia Agrestis is greater than 10:1 or the price is too good to be true than the supplement is very likely fake and best avoided.

We (BioVerve) are more than willing to test Fadogia Agrestis of any of our competitors for free! In return, we will have the right to post the results on social media.