Impact of an Herbal Dietary Supplement Containing Spilanthes acmella and Orchis latifolia on Testosterone in Young Men

Abstract

Attention has been given recently to herbal dietary supplements proposed to elevate testosterone and nitric oxide. This study evaluated the impact of a supplement containing Spilanthes acmella extract and Orchis latifolia extract on total blood testosterone, cortisol, and nitrate/nitrite in healthy men. Methods: Thirteen men (25.0±1.0 years) were randomly assigned (double-blind, cross-over design) to ingest a supplement (containing Spilanthes acmella extract and Orchis latifolia extract) and a placebo daily for 14 days, with a 14-day washout period between assignments. Fasting blood samples were collected on the mornings of days 1, 4, 8, and 15 and analyzed for testosterone, cortisol, and nitrate/nitrite. On day 15, subjects ingested an acute dose of the supplement or placebo and blood was collected every 30 minutes for three hours, and analyzed for testosterone. Results: No increase of significance was noted for any biochemical variable (p>0.05). However, a mean increase in testosterone from day 1 to day 15 of 29% was observed for the 13 subjects when ingesting the supplement, with a mean increase of 56% noted when only considering the 8 subjects who “responded” to treatment. Cortisol was increased approximately 19% when subjects ingested the supplement, compared to only 9% with the placebo. Conclusion: Two weeks of supplementation with an herbal preparation containing Spilanthes acmella extract and Orchis latifolia extract can increase testosterone in selected young men. The supplement also results in a moderate increase in cortisol. Larger scale studies are needed to further evaluate the impact of this herbal combination on testosterone in men.