Update 3/17/22. Massularia acuminate is an herb that’s reputed to raise testosterone levels and is one of the principal ingredients in a testosterone supplement called Pink Magic as well as other products. Here is my original review of Pink Magic if you care to read it. I am writing this review specifically about Massularia acuminate and supplements that contain Massularia because of all the emails I have gotten recently. Does Massularia acuminate work – raise testosterone or improve sex drive? Let's see what the clinical research says.
Does Massularia acuminate Raise Testosterone Levels?
The fervor over Massularia supplements and testosterone can likely be traced to a study that was published in 2008 in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology.
In this study 60 male rats were divided into 4 groups. Each group received a different amount of Massularia acuminate for 21 days.
Group A –control group. No Massularia supplement
Groups B, C and D received Massularia in the following amounts:
- Group B. 1 ml 250 milligrams per kilogram of body weight
- Group C. 1 ml 500 milligrams per kilogram of body weight
- Group D. 1000 milligrams per kilogram of body weight
On days 1, 7 and 21 of the study, the rats were analyzed to see if Massularia acuminate had any effects. The study seemed to show that there was some effects such as an increase in testes to body weight ratio, testosterone and luteinizing hormone to name a few.
But does this mean that supplements like Pink Magic will raise YOUR testosterone levels? Well, let’s consider this:
- You are not a rat.
- This is just one study (I couldn’t find any human studies).
- How much Massularia acuminate did they use?
This study used 250 – 1000 milligrams PER KILOGRAM OF BODY WEIGHT in rats. Since we are not a rat, we need to convert this to people's dosages.
The human dosage was between 40 – 160 mg/kg body weight.
Since everybody weighs differently, convert your body weight to kilograms and multiply by these amounts to find a dosage that might be right for you.
Remember, this is just an extrapolation based on a lab rat study. Whether or not these dosages are correct for people can't really be known until clinical studies on people are published.
See the Tribulus review for the research on that testosterone booster.
How Much Massularia Acuminate Is in Pink Magic?
They don’t say. Instead, you get a “proprietary blend” of 1600 milligrams that’s made up of
- Massularia acuminate
- Neiumbo Nucifera
- Rhamnus Nakaharai
Massularia acuminate is the first ingredient in the blend so it likely makes up most of the 1600 mg. That is good.
That plus the lack of human studies makes me skeptical as to whether Massularia acuminate supplements like Pink Magic that contain Massularia acuminate would raise testosterone levels or make people bigger or stronger.
Update. It appears Pink Magic has been discontinued. I'm not surprised.
Does Massularia Acuminate Help Sex?
Is Massularia acuminate an aphrodisiac? The same lead researchers who did the rat study summarized above published another rat study in 2011. This study, titled, Effect of Aqueous Extract of Massularia acuminata Stem on Sexual Behaviour of Male Wistar Rats, noted that dosages of between 500 mg/ kg body weight and 1000 mg/kg body weight improved testosterone and amorous behavior in the male rats.
Again, in human dosages, this would be: 80 – 160 mg/ kg body weight.
It is noteworthy that the researchers stated that a massularia dosage of 250 mg/kg body weight (human dose, 40 mg/kg body weight) did not raise testosterone. Yet, in the 2008 rat study summarized above, it did. Why did that dosage work in one study but not in another study?
While I do view this as a possible weakness of one or both of these rat investigations, it might also mean that men looking to raise testosterone or improve bedroom performance may need more than 40 mg/ kilogram of body weight. That is of course, assuming that these rat studies are replicated in humans. When human studies are published, I'll update this review.
Massularia Side Effects
Until human research is published, it is difficult to know what the Massularia acuminate are. That said, here are some general thoughts to consider. This list is not complete
- Speak to your doctor if you take ANY medications.
- Don't take if you are pregnant/breastfeeding.
- Stop taking Massularia acuminate at least 2 weeks before having surgery.
- One rat study noted liver problems might be related to this herb.
For more personalized advice, speak go your pharmacist and doctor especially if you have any health issues or take any medications.
Does Massularia Acuminate Work?
Whether or not Massularia Acuminate raises testosterone or improves sexual dysfunction needs more research. The research to date is limited to lab animal research. I'd like to see some human research on Massularia Acuminate and supplements that contain it as their main ingredient. For the moment, I remain skeptical, but if it worked for you, let me know.
Here is Massularia acuminate on Amazon.
What do you think?
I couldn’t agree more Joe, if you think of the car analogy, if someone was same the sold make , year and model of a car but it always performed differently for everyone, a LOT of people would be PISSED off it being so hit and miss.
To be honest I think supplements are selling on a lot of hype (some that is not all, or even MOST sold on it) and or placebo effects, until you get the test done at the Dr’s you can’t be 100% sure, even if you “FEEL” it and “NOTICE” it you have NO idea how much a placebo supplement can do if you believe so much in it (it can do a LOT and studies have proven this)
I see there are many posts about the study being done on rats rather than humans. The truth is the internal organs of a rat are very similar to that of a human other than the size.
I personally have tried pink magic and I was very pleased with my results, but what users need to understand is that everyone’s body will react to a supplement different. For example some people may try pink magic and their testosterone levels increase very slightly, not enough to notice, then for others their levels increase significantly and there is a noticeable difference.
I do agree with your posts on creatine, it is delivers more than any supplement on the market. Like ScottM said the best way to get results is to diet right, train right, and get enough rest to recover.
Scott, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I cant speak to a rats organs being similar to a humans, but they are still rats and thats a lot different than we are. I hear a lot of of people say that “everybody is different” when it comes to supplements but I wonder what the outcry from the public would be if that same claim was made for medications. when we take antibiotics we expect that most people will get the same result. the same is true fore most meds.
People give supplements a pass when it comes to this variation in effects and i dont know why considering the grandiose claims we are expected to see from their ads and websites.
I’m glad you say it worked for you. I just wish there was more uniformity in the results.
Besides my wife nearly confussing it with her suppliments because the pills are pink and it really does look like a womans suppliment packaging. The stuff is junk and a waste of money and GNC loves pushing it. Took the recommended doses for 30 days. Couldn’t run further or faster, bench more, and no difference sexually. Changed my diet (although it was never bad), worked out harder and made sure I got more sleep and went to bed earlier. Made a world of difference.
Joe, I have one or two publications from peer reviewed scientific journals on nettle root and free testosterone. I’ll find them and post them here.
Sounds good Hugh, Ill look forward to reading them.
Joe I posted the link because it is a fairly good discussion of nettle root extract, the only herbal supplement I am aware of that does actually help increase free testosterone. LEF claims: “The Foundation supports a full time research facility that has broken all world records in protecting against ischemia-induced free radical damage.” Presumably they mean monetary support.
Hugh thanks I was not aware of Nettle root and testosterone. I will see if I can find the research on this. Thanks for the heads up!
Awesome will do, just wondering is it possible to do it the other way, get them done now (then stop taking Powerfull then get tested again and see if they are lower?)
Vaughan, you could test your T levels now and then after a month of using the other supplement but if you get your T levels tested now you wont know if the T level you see is really your natural level or if the powerful supplement is helping. So to get the best results from the blood test you could either:
1. get off the supplements for a month, measure T and then measure it again after using a supplement for a month
or
2. measure T now while taking powerfull, then measure T levels again after a month of not taking it and then measure T again after using the other supplement for a month. This would tell how both supplements altered T levels.
Either way will give you good information
Yeah I would have loved to get my T levels tested, reluctantly, the only way to do this would be stop going to the Gym, and stop taking Powerfull and do it from there, although I could just cycle off Powerfull at the end of this bottle for 4 weeks then take another T test (whilst still going to the Gym) and begin taking it again and take another T test, if that would work?
Vaughn, don’t stop working out – just get off the powerfull for a month and then get it tested. I want you to keep working out becuase if you only change one thing – like adding a supplement – then that will tell you if its working. If you really want to test both supplements, get your T levels tested now and after a month of being off powerfull – and then again after a month of using the other stuff. that will let you know if either had any effect on your T levels. The key is t only vary one thing at a time and keep working out. Keep doing everything else usual.
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2000/jan00-cover2.html
Hugh. yes the article is from the Life Extension Foundation. I am familiar with with them. Biological gerontology has been a very big interest of mine for many years. On the Life Extension Foundation website they say “The Life Extension Foundation is the largest organization dedicated to investigating every method of extending the healthy human life span.”. But here is my question: with a name that has the word “foundation” in it, you’d think that they would do research on the aging process. But, as far as I can tell, the life extension foundation does no research themselves although it does seem they offer grants to people who do.
its been a while since I looked at them but to me it seems that the life extension foundation seems to be a fancy name for a company that basically sells dietary supplements and magazines. While there may be some science in the articles they publish, I don’t know if they give both sides of the story. Has anybody seen anything in their articles about side effects to the supplements they promote? I’m not sure if they do or don’t. Since they sell supplements I have to wonder how impartial they are. If they do mention side effects of supplements in their magazine articles, then I am ok with this, since I believe people should know both sides of the story.
I am an employee of the Life Extension Foundation, which I state as both a disclaimer and as a credential of expertise on the subject of LEF. Actually, there are two companies, LEF, which funds research grants, and the Buyer’s Club, which sells supplements. LEF licenses the name “LIfe Extension” to the Buyer’s Club.
Actually, the Buyer’s Club has a clinical research department that supervises clinical trials. But you are correct, that LEF gives grants to other researchers rather than does research itself. I don’t know why it should matter that LEF does not do research itself, when it is funding great research. For some documentation on this research, see: http://www.lef.org/about/lef-funding-scientific-research and http://www.lef.org/Magazine/2014/1/Funding-Research-to-Help-Fill-the-Government-Void/Page-01
As for two sides of the story, LEF attempts to achieve high quality products because the founders themselves are life extensionists who want to benefit from supplements. Alpha tocopherol is the only form of tocopherol that the FDA allows to be labeled as “VItamin E”, but alpha tocopherol drives down gamma tocopherol which is the main tocopherol found in the diet, and which has anti-inflammatory effects that alpha does not. So all the research on negative effects of “Vitamin E” are really about alpha tocopherol.
http://www.lef.org/magazine/2005/1/awsi/Page-01 Although LEF tries to avoid having products with side effects, I myself wrote an article for LEF about selenium which, while stating the benefits, also warned of the hazards of taking too much. (Some is beneficial, but “more is not better”).
I myself am a life extensionist. I work for LEF because I am a life extensionists who takes many supplements. I do not defend supplements simply because I work at LEF. I have been writing about supplements many years before I began working at LEF. Most of the vast amounts of material on the subject on my personal website was written before became an LEF employee or contemplated becoming an LEF employee: http://www.benbest.com/nutrceut/nutrceut.html
Ben, thanks for writing and sharing your thoughts and for more info on LEF.
Hey Joe, I noticed you said above that boosting testosterone levels with supplements/drugs means your body shuts down its natural production. I know this is the case with Steroids, but normal Herbal supplements also that would raise Testosterone back to normal at best also? And I thought it was only in the case you got huge gains (like the ones with steroids) it does this, only reason I ask is I’ve been looking at pink magic to try (as the moment I use USP Labs Powerfull and seems to be working, you haven’t done a review on this by chance have you?) and was looking for a bit more of a increase is all.
Vaughan, I have not yet looked at Powerfull by USP labs yet. I can add it to the list 😉
While I can be wrong, I think any herbal testosterone booster would also likely cause the body to cut back on its natural T production. The body tightly controls this so I dont think an herbal supplement would act any different. That said I dont remember seeing any study that showed this – but I am also hard pressed to think of any study that showed an herbal supplement bosteed T levels in humans either.
Here is what I would do, get your T levels tested now before you try pink magic and then a month later. This really is the only way to know if its really working or not. I wish I had a better way than this but knowing how powerful the placebo effect is (and it really is powerful!), I think this really is the best way to know for sure.
If you do get your testosterone levels checked, please do let me know how things turn out. I am VERY interested to know what happens.
Joe,I think in Nigeria,this plant also called Massularia acuminata.I check the Massularia acuminata name in Swahili is also called: Massularia acuminata.As for the phytology ,The unified latin name will help us to clear different name in different language.
Alaux, ok thanks. What is the name of the Nigeria study you mentioned that found Massularia worked?
Recently, Massularia acuminata has been touted as a testosterone booster, based on a study conducted on rodents in Nigeria.
The study revealed a boost in testicular testosterone of roughly 60%, with a corresponding increase in luteinizing hormone levels of approximately 66% relative to control animals. While that increase is substantial, it is likely too low to provide much of an ergogenic (performance enhancing) effect.
Certificate of Analysis
To see http://www.pharmaceutical-intermediate.com/html_products/Massularia-acuminata-67.html
Alaux, can you tell me the name of the Massularia study done in Nigeria? Id like to take a look at it. if you can give me the name of the study or the authors I can try to locate it. Thanks
Just total T, not free. Doses were the same as in the study you quoted 250, 500 and 1,000 mg/kg/day. But they saw immediate responses. 1-5 days. Seems possible that lower doses might possibly be effective over a longer time frame. But as you said, no human studies plus very high doses so we don’t really know. I’ve seen one safety study on one of the ingredients in Pink Magic but not the others.
Hugh, thanks for letting me know about that massularia acuminata study. Do you know how much they used and how it compares to the recommended amount in Pink Magic? Did they measure both free and bound testosterone?
I am aware of one other study, also in rats, using the same high doses. It was published in the Journal Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2011; 2011: 738103. Published online 2011 January 2.
“Effect of Aqueous Extract of Massularia acuminata Stem on Sexual Behaviour of Male Wistar Rats” authors M. T. Yakubu* and M. A. Akanji.
They documented statistically significant increases in serum testosterone over untreated controls at all dose levels by day 5 and in one day for the two higher doses. Assuming the effect is similar in humans and further assuming a linear dose-response relationship with no threshold dose, one would anticipate some effect even from smaller doses. Anectdotal evidence from Africa would suggest some reasonable basis for those assumptions.
Hi Larry. Creatine is king of the mountain when it comes to something pretty much everybody agrees on. there are hundreds of studies on creatine conducted over the last 40 or more years.
I have only used Muscle Milk in the past, and I think I have had good results. but there have been negative articles on it. I am getting ready to start a regiment of Pink Magic after reading about it and several other supplements, I really would like to know if it actually works, or is it just another item used for sales to line someones pocket. I often read articles on supplements, and find there are as many negative articles about items as there are positives. Is there a supplement on the market that every agrees on?
Jerome I appreciate the feedback. I likewise tried to locate human studies but couldn’t find any. I agree that the study I mentioned does seem to be the only one of its kind so far and that’s a problem. I’m glad Pink Magic is working for you. While I try to base my conclusions on research, often its experiences of people like you that spark research. Hopefully researchers read your words and get to work.
Thank you for posting this. With all due respect I would like to add that this study has been repeated online over and over. I have tried to find some honest reviews of Pink Magic and the only negative things I can find is the above article.
I only am writing this because I have taken Pink Magic and know from experience that it works, but a lot of critiques point to this study as evidence.
Hi Johnny, Its funny you should ask. There is some research on an herb called Eurycoma longifolia which has me curious. it appears to be mostly studied (in rats) for helping erections (its found in some male enhancement products because of this) but I hear some bodybuilders wondering if it might improve testosterone. Ill likely be reviewing this in the near future. Remember boosting testosterone levels with supplements/drugs means your body shuts down its natural production.
Hi Joe,
okay, so far you have shot down every supplement out there that is supposed to increase testosterone production. Are there any that supplements out there that actually does increase testosterone or causes the body to produce more testosterone? Im in my late 40’s and starting to see some real decline in testosterone related bodily functions.