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]

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]

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.

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]