Fadogia agrestis

Last Updated: October 19, 2022

Fadogia agrestis, also known as black aphrodisiac, is traditionally used for its aphrodisiac, pro-erectile, and anti-fever properties. To date, research on this plant is sparse, with no human studies.

dosageDosage

Fadogia agrestis is most often used for

What is Fadogia agrestis?

Fadogia agrestis is a short bush plant native to Nigeria, but it can also be found as far west as Ghana and as far east as Sudan.[1] It is traditionally used as an aphrodisiac herb and to treat erectile dysfunction.[2]

What are Fadogia agretis’ main benefits?

Fadogia agrestis is best known for its aphrodisiac effects. One rodent study suggests that it boosts testosterone and acts as a libido enhancer.[2] Based on its magnitude of benefit, it appears to be one of the more potent herbs for increasing libido. It seems to be slightly more effective than Spilanthes acmella, based on metrics from rodent studies.[3][2]

Limited animal evidence supports the pro-erectile properties of this herb, but an associated increase in ejaculation latency has also been noted. This is a fairly rare property among aphrodisiacs, as they usually reduce ejaculation latency.[2]

A single in vitro study isolated glycosides of Fadogia agrestis roots and found that components of its roots possessed inhibitory effects on certain parasites and bacteria, and displayed mild antimalarial activity.[4]

What are Fadogia agrestis’ main drawbacks?

A single animal study noted fairly remarkable increases in testosterone over the course of five days.[2] More prolonged studies in rodents are required to investigate this effect, as there is also possible toxicity that manifests after about a month, which may interact with the testosterone boosting properties of the plant.

Researchers have observed increases in testicular size associated with this plant as well as changes in biomarkers that suggest the plant could be damaging cell membranes.[5] This may not be a testicle-specific phenomena, and more studies are required to determine what exactly is occurring.

How does Fadogia agrestis work?

The components of this plant are currently not well characterized. The currently suspected bioactives seem to be alkylamide glycosides. This class of molecules is not very common in testosterone boosters, but has been previously identified in Anacyclus pyrethrum.[1]

What else is Fadogia agrestis known as?
Note that Fadogia agrestis is also known as:
  • bakin gagai
  • black aphrodisiac
Dosage information

It is unclear whether or not it is safe, let alone which dose, in particular, is safe, so a dose can't be stated.

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References
  1. ^Anero R, Díaz-Lanza A, Ollivier E, Baghdikian B, Balansard G, Bernabé MMonoterpene glycosides isolated from Fadogia agrestis.Phytochemistry.(2008-Feb)
  2. ^Yakubu MT, Akanji MA, Oladiji ATAphrodisiac potentials of the aqueous extract of Fadogia agrestis (Schweinf. Ex Hiern) stem in male albino rats.Asian J Androl.(2005-Dec)
  3. ^Vikas Sharma, Jente Boonen, Nagendra S Chauhan, Mayank Thakur, Bart De Spiegeleer, V K DixitSpilanthes acmella ethanolic flower extract: LC-MS alkylamide profiling and its effects on sexual behavior in male ratsPhytomedicine.(2011 Oct 15)
  4. ^Osman AG, Ali Z, Fantoukh O, Raman V, Kamdem RST, Khan IGlycosides of ursane-type triterpenoid, benzophenone, and iridoid from () and their anti-infective activities.Nat Prod Res.(2020-Mar)
  5. ^Yakubu MT, Akanji MA, Oladiji ATEffects of oral administration of aqueous extract of Fadogia agrestis (Schweinf. Ex Hiern) stem on some testicular function indices of male rats.J Ethnopharmacol.(2008-Jan-17)