How to Read a PubMed Citation Without a Science Degree
Four things tell you most of what you need: how many people were in the study, how long it ran, what dose was used, and what was actual
29 July 2026Read →
Tongkat Ali, icariin, boron, saw palmetto, nettle, wild yam and sarsaparilla: what the research used, and what the labels advertise.
Four things tell you most of what you need: how many people were in the study, how long it ran, what dose was used, and what was actual
Research on an individual ingredient tells you what that compound did at a specific dose, in a specific population, for a specific endp
Sarsaparilla is a vine root containing plant sterols including sarsasapogenin, historically used as a tonic and a root beer flavouring.
Wild yam contains diosgenin, a plant sterol that laboratories can convert into steroid hormones through an industrial process. Human me
Nettle root and nettle leaf are different plant parts with different compositions. The prostate and hormone-binding research concerns t
Saw palmetto is studied for urinary symptoms at 320 mg daily of a standardised liposterolic extract, and the largest trials found it no
Boron is a trace mineral studied at 10 mg elemental daily, with a small trial reporting reduced sex hormone binding globulin and increa
Icariin, the active compound in Epimedium, inhibits PDE5 — the same enzyme targeted by prescription erectile dysfunction drugs — though
Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia) is a Southeast Asian root studied for male hormonal endpoints, most often as a standardised water-sol