Fadogia agrestis
Black aphrodisiac
Forms: Stem extracts in capsules, often paired with tongkat ali in 'test booster' stacks.
A West African shrub used in Nigerian folk medicine as an aphrodisiac and promoted online as a testosterone booster. All evidence comes from rat studies; there are no human trials.
Legal status: Sold as a supplement without any human safety assessment; regulatory status varies by country.
What it gives
What people use it for and what the sources report. Strength is a general category from the literature: mild, clear or strong.
Purpose
Used to raise testosterone and libido, based on rat studies showing higher testosterone and mating activity. The same group reported testicular, liver and kidney changes in rats; effects and safety in humans are unknown.
What people seek and what studies show
All evidence on its effects comes from rats, mostly from one Nigerian research group. A water extract of the stem raised blood testosterone and mating activity within days, and in rats with drug-induced erectile problems it restored penile nitric-oxide markers. Given for four weeks, it changed testicular enzymes in ways the authors judged harmful, with only partial recovery after stopping. No human studies exist.
Effects
No clear training effect in the sources.
Evidence: Animal data only — effects in people are unproven
Possible side effects
Possible does not mean certain: whether they appear depends on dose, duration, individual response and monitoring. Below — what to watch for and how to notice it early.
2 possible side effects
level · how often it is reportedWhat the levels mean
Level: general category from the literature, not your personal risk
How often
- common
- reported often
- possible
- reported in some people
- rare
- reported occasionally
How to lower the risks
General ways to lower the chance of each side effect. No measure removes a risk completely.
What is unknown cannot be lowered, only avoided; tell your doctor what you have taken.
Products obtained without a prescription are often fake, mislabeled or non-sterile, and there is no way to check at home. For legal supplements, look for third-party testing (Informed Sport, NSF).
Check-ups and blood tests
Which tests and check-ups to do and when. This is a guide — agree the exact schedule with your doctor.
Which doctors can help
Myth & fact
“Is fadogia a proven natural testosterone booster?”
No. The claim rests on rat studies, which also showed signs of testicular toxicity. Without human trials, neither benefit nor safety is known.
Combinations
No specific combination notes for this substance yet. The stack check still adds up side effects that several substances share.
Sources
Possible side effects by body system, combinations, how to lower the risks and which tests to do — free.
Open the stack check