Yes, testosterone is every bit as important for women as it is for men.
In a previous article, Ideal Testosterone for Women, I made the case for this.
While that wrapped up with some herbal suggestions I wanted to dive into more detail here, giving some specific dosing instructions and details on how to experiment for yourself.
Before I dive in, I want to make an ask. If you experiment with these specifically seeking higher testosterone, please let us know! We want to collect data on this subject which includes customer experiences whether successful or not.
Start with Testing of Some Form
If you can, get a blood test for total and free testosterone. You may need to pay out of pocket or convince your doctor of such a thing because this subject is not well know.
As reported in the previous article, the semi-established normal reference range is considered:
- Total Testosterone: 15-46 ng/dL
- Free testosterone: 1.2-6.4 pg/mL
Dr. Kathy Maupin, a doctor who treats women by giving testosterone pellets says her ideal numbers for women regardless of age are:
- Total Testosterone: 30-60 ng/dL
- Free Testosterone: 10+ pg/mL
In my opinion, that free testosterone level may be a bit high based on the other numbers. But again, there isn’t enough data to tell. That’s her professional opinion.
If you can’t do a blood test, then do the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). Note that you can do this whether or not you are pre-, peri- or post-menopausal.
Scoring is as follows:
- No or Little (0–4)
- Mild (5–8)
- Moderate (9–16)
- Severe (17+)
If you are mild than you can try the herbs below. If you are moderate or severe then I would definitely encourage working with some of the herbs below.
Take the test again after using one or more of the following for a month and see how your score has changes. Again, please let us know any results or lack thereof.
Look for these Benefits
As listed previously, here are 15 potential benefits of testosterone and other androgens for women:
1. Bone Health
2. Muscle Mass
3. Fat Distribution
4. Libido
5. Mood and Well-being
6. Cognitive Health
7. Vaginal Health
8. Breast Health
9. Skin Health
10. Hair Growth
11. Pain Management
12. Cardiovascular Health
13. Blood Sugar Regulation
14. Red Blood Cell Production
15. Improved Sleep
When aiming to raise testosterone you can look to each one of these areas for any improvements. Note that although you may have one area of focus that you’d like to improve, it is best to pay attention to anything that might get better.
Pine Pollen Powder
If you do not have a blood test showing low (or low end of “normal”) ranges of testosterone, to be on the safe side we recommend working with Pine Pollen Powder or Capsules and not the Tincture.
If your MRS was mild or moderate than powder or capsules may be a good choice.
I would recommend working with the regular dose of ½ to 1 teaspoon per day which is roughly equivalent to three capsules twice per day.
“I love this product! My husband doesn’t really need it, but it’s helping me tons! After “The Change”, my hormones are severely depleted, so I supplement progesterone. I never considered the testosterone aspect. There are also all kinds of important nutrients in the pine pollen. I trust Lost Empire Herbs with processing/testing of their product as well. I highly recommend!” – Holly Dribelbis
Low Dose Pine Pollen Tincture
While we see Pine Pollen powder as supporting hormones, Pine Pollen Tincture seems to be more directly boosting testosterone.
So it is best if you have low testosterone blood test or rate moderate or severe on the MRS before proceeding.
Take one drop a day in the morning and see how you do.
Do you see improvements in any of the 15 benefits listed above?
Do you see any of the negative effects listed in the too high section?
Steadily increase up to ten drops once per day and continue to compare. If you see positive effects, and many will, then chances are you were low testosterone in the first place.
Play around and find the right dose for you. It is recommended to cycle Pine Pollen Tincture so taking some time off of using it. Our default recommendation here is 5 days on, 2 days off.
And remember there is a point of too much. One time my wife started taking Pine Pollen Tincture on my advice. However, she did not hear my dosing instructions and was taking a full squirt each day! She stopped doing that when she got shoulder acne.
Athena Formula
One of the seven ingredients in Athena is Pine Pollen. It’s a small amount but think that this is delivering some of the magic that is in that formula.
This formula contains phytoestrogens from Shatavari. So it is a combination of phytoandrogens and phytoestrogens that can support even more areas. The aim is sort of a shotgun approach to hormone health as well as other areas, and according to the customer reviews it works quite well.
This may be best if you are low in both testosterone and estrogen. See more on the latter in this article.
The recommended dosage is one teaspoon up to one tablespoon taken once or twice a day. Most of the women using it get by on the lower end of that dosage range and thus a bag lasts longer.
Tongkat Ali
Our Tongkat Ali page is nearly fully pointed towards men. There are a few sentences near the end that state…
Tongkat Ali extract works for women, too, though the recommended dose should be cut in half.
Just 50 mg twice per day to deliver similar effects.
Note that some women find the action a little too “hot” for them.
The problem is that the capsules only come in 100mg doses. You can try to measure half a dose on the spoon but that may be tricky.
Our upcoming Tongkat Ali Spagyric Tincture may be a better bet. It appears to be weaker than the powder and that can be a good thing. It’s not just women, I feel like Tongkat Ali powder is too hot for me too. I get some side effects like a headache. However, with the tincture I can take 5-10 drops and seem to get the benefits without any negative side effects.
Thus, women can try dosing similarly to what was mentioned for Pine Pollen Tincture.
“I am a woman 48 years of age. I took 1 capsule a day. Definitely helped with my energy level. I noticed a mood swing towards aggression on the 5th day so cut back to 4 days on 2 days off with success. I only purchased the capsules because the powder was out of stock but will switch to powder and will cut the dosage back to 50 mg once a day, 5 days on 2 days off, to work towards finding my ideal dosage. I use this with Athena Formula, lion’s mane and bacopa.” – Michelle E.
Take 1-10 drops per day and see how that may change up how your feel and any symptoms. We recommend cycling with anything this hormonally powerful, with a default schedule of 5 days on, 2 days off.
Ashwagandha
As it lowers cortisol, which has an inverse relationship with testosterone, it is likely to support testosterone but in a roundabout way.
Studies in men saw increases in FSH and LH which are hormones that trigger other sex hormone production including testosterone, so it likely helps women here too.
Studies in women have shown positive effects in sub-clinical hypothyroidism as well as sexual function.
Ashwagandha is very popular with women for its stress relieving and sleep supporting capabilities. But the fact is it may very well be supporting healthy testosterone levels in women too!
Recommended dose is 1mL (30 drops) twice per day. Modify up or down as you best see fit.
Stag Swag
As it contains Pine Pollen in tincture form as well as the powerful Elk Antler and Cistanche, this formula is geared towards men. But as I’ve stated no herbs are exclusively for one sex or the other.
Besides those two herbs mentioned, you’ll find some that are commonly used for women like Wild Yam and Pearl.
Recommended starting dose here is 1 – 5 drops daily. Again you may modify as you best see fit. And this is another tincture we recommend cycling 5 days on, 2 days off.
Conclusions
Since this is NOT a well research area, and myths and misconceptions stop women from thinking about boosting testosterone, in this area more so than others we want to hear from you!
Share your before and after results when working with these herbs, whether you get results or not. This will help us to help more women in the future. That’s because anecdotal evidence is still a form of evidence.
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