The effect of Eurycoma Longifolia on the regulation of reproductive hormones in young males.
Level 2 - randomized trial
Individual randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
PubMed 33559971 · doi:10.1111/and.14001
What was done
Thirty-two healthy young males (mean age 24.4 ± 4.7 years) completed a double-blind, matched-paired, placebo-controlled trial receiving either 600 mg/day of Eurycoma longifolia or placebo for two weeks. Blood samples were evaluated for total testosterone, free testosterone, estradiol, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) using repeated measures analysis of variance.
What was found
Supplementation with Eurycoma longifolia resulted in statistically significant interaction and time effects favoring the treatment group for total testosterone (F 1,30 = 9.04, p = .005), free testosterone (F 1,30 = 7.13, p = .012), and estradiol (F 1,30 = 8.07, p = .008). No significant changes occurred in luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, or sex hormone-binding globulin. Absolute baseline and post-intervention hormone concentrations were not reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
Shows that short-term Eurycoma longifolia supplementation can elevate circulating sex steroids in healthy young males, potentially mediated via adrenal steroidogenesis rather than hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis activation.
Limits
The sample size is very small (n = 32) and the study duration was limited to two weeks. The abstract omits absolute baseline and post-treatment hormone values, and functional outcomes like muscle mass or strength were not measured.
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