Comment · Wed, December 16, 2020 · ND Owner
Tongkat Ali bloodwork (LH and FSH)
Original post in this thread
RonaldomcDonaldo1 · 27 points
Could anyone share bloodwork on tongkat ali, in specific LH and FSH. I know it increases testosterone but im curious about its MOA.
I want to determine if it suppresses endogenous production, which would mean when you stop taking it your testosterone and estrogen would drop significantly and you would end up worse than if you never took it. u/misteryouaresodumb
What they were answering
RonaldomcDonaldo1 · 2 points
thanks for the detailed response! could you just simplify this for myself and probably everyone else?
Is it suppressive? does it decrease estrogen? and would it be safe for 18-25 year olds to take?
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · ND Owner
It's complex. I can simplify it a bit, but remember I am simplifying a complex thing. Just be aware of that.
It is not suppressive. It is safe for 18-25 year olds to take. Older people will likely notice a stronger acute effect, but there are benefits to younger people as well. I can decrease estrogen, but only 10% or so. Not enough for it to be a problem. However, you kind of want that. By increasing total and free testosterone, if you did not have some inhibition of aromatase, you could have issues with high estrogen. Since it is increasing testosterone and slightly inhibiting aromatase, it balances itself out. Again, it's complex. Some people might react one way, while other person reacts slightly different. I have seen blood tests from some people where estrogen was unchanged. Some people have even used tongkat while on TRT and showed strong benefits, likely from the increase in free testosterone and its other direct mechanisms. For you to really get hard data on how it affects you, I would suggest a full blood panel before you start taking it. Then I would do another blood panel after a few weeks. Compare the data and see exactly how you respond to it.