InnovaPharm TEST XL: Boost Testosterone with TWO New Extracts and Far More

Test XL by InnovaPharm is a dietary supplement formulated with a powerful blend of test-boosting ingredients, including PermaTEST Pedallium murex. This unique combination, along with the mysterious newcomer Paederia foetida, is designed to support natural testosterone production, enhance energy, stamina, and performance.

InnovaPharm is a supplement company that always lives up to its name. When they launch a product, you’d better pay attention, because it’s virtually guaranteed to offer one of two major value-adds:

1. Powerful ingredients that no other company has used for that specific application, or
2. Combinations of ingredients, even common ingredients, that nobody has ever seen before.

The best formulas in any product category provide both of the above value-adds – they use a handful of time-tested, mainstay ingredients as a springboard for doing something bold and daring.

InnovaPharm has won over serious athletes and supplement enthusiasts with its impressive dedication to transparency, quality, efficacy, and pioneering formula design. They recently demonstrated this with Poppa Pump, a stimulant-free pump pre-workout pill with some ingredients we’ve never seen before. And here we are, ready to do it again:

InnovaPharm TEST XL – A Much-Needed Update To This Product Category

The product we’re discussing today, InnovaPharm’s TEST XL, exemplifies this approach. It has mainstays like fadogia and tongkat ali, but with additions like SA3X Spilanthes acmella and, not one, but two ingredients that PricePlow’s never covered before: PermaTEST Pedallium murex and a mysterious newcomer named Paederia foetida.

It’s pretty rare that we cover a product with just one ingredient we’ve never seen, let alone two. So, while we’re sure that everybody who reads this article will absolutely love it, our regular readers are in for a very special treat!

Let’s get into how this awesome product works – but first, check PricePlow’s availability and deals on TEST XL, and sign up for our InnovaPharm news alerts:

• Fadogia Agrestis PE (stem) (Extracted to Contain a Full Spectrum of Alkaloids, Saponins, Anthraquinones) – 1,200 mg

  The shrub Fadogia agrestis, native to a vast region stretching from western Africa to South Sudan,^[1] is loaded with alkaloids, saponins, and flavonoids^[2] with powerful bioactive effects. As regular readers of the PricePlow Blog surely know, saponins are a common finding in analyses of testosterone boosters, so we’re already off to a good start.

  

  Fadogia basically went viral in 2023 when a popular health influencer named this ingredient on his podcast and cited a rat study from 2005 in his discussion. This study had the rats take intraperitoneal injections of Fadogia at various body-weight-based doses – one group got 18 mg per kg, another 50 mg, and the high-dose group got 100 mg/kg.^[2]

  To quickly convert rat doses to human equivalent doses (HEDs), all you have to do is divide by six.^[3] So, in this case, the doses used have HEDs of 3 mg, 8 mg, and 17 mg per kg body weight, respectively. Given that a 200 lb person is roughly 100 kg, this means that the 1,200 mg dose of Fadogia supplied by InnovaPharm TEST XL is definitely in the ballpark of those doses.

  For example, if you weigh 176 pounds (80 kilograms), 1,200 mg converts to 15 mg/kg – very close to the highest-dose HED from the rat study.

  This is noteworthy because animal studies often use doses that are way bigger than what’s feasible in human subjects. Thus, usually it’s rather difficult to assume that the results of an animal study will apply to humans. But in this case, we feel pretty confident that the findings of the 2005 rat study are clinically relevant.

  So, what were the results of this famous study?

  Technically, the study was not about testosterone, but rather, Fadogia’s impact on sexual function. The researchers found that Fadogia dose-dependently increased sexual function in rats, and the positive correlation was almost perfectly linear.

  

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  More importantly, the effect sizes were massive – no pun intended. In rats who got 100 mg/kg, their mount latency (defined as the time that passes between the introduction of a new female into a male’s cage and his initial copulation with her) plummeted by a whopping 60%, from roughly 800 seconds to 300 seconds. And this was only on the very first day of supplementation.^[2] As Fadogia treatment continued throughout the study period, the effect size kept getting bigger, with an almost 90% drop from 750 seconds to 100 seconds by day 5.^[2]

  Furthermore, the rats’ ejaculatory latency – basically, how long they lasted – went through the roof. By day 5 of the study, it had increased 325%, from 200 seconds to 650 seconds.^[2]

  We all know there’s a close link between testosterone and sexual function, so it’s easy to assume that these results imply a rise in testosterone production. Not so fast, though – there are quite a few ingredients that increase libido without boosting testosterone, the most famous probably being maca root.

  That’s why the researchers directly measured the rats’ testosterone blood levels – and they found that Fadogia administration was associated with a whopping 400% boost to testosterone on day one, and a 600% increase on day 5.^[2]

  Further studies are needed to fully understand the mechanism of action, but the researchers called out the saponins’ ability to upregulate luteinizing hormone (LH) as a probable explanation.^[2]

  In a 2007 study, the same doses of Fadogia – 18, 50, and 100 mg/kg – were administered to rats, whose testicles increased in mass by about 10-15% depending on the dose used.^[4] This study didn’t perform any direct testosterone measurements, but it did show a higher level of testicular cholesterol associated with Fadogia administration, which is important since cholesterol is a necessary precursor for testosterone synthesis.^[4]

• Shilajit Extract (std. min 50% Fulvic Acid) – 500 mg

  

  PrimaVie Shilajit is an ultra-high quality extract of the ayurvedic remedy shown to boost testosterone production and muscle repair.

  PrimaVie is a trademarked form of shilajit that has plenty of peer-reviewed studies behind it. Note, we mean these studies were carried out, not just on a generic shilajit, but specifically on PrimaVie. We love seeing brand-specific studies since inter-brand variation can affect product efficacy.

  So what do the PrimaVie studies say?

  Well, for starters, we should talk about the composition of PrimaVie. While shilajit is composed of many different bioactive constituents, almost too many to name, some of these constituents are known to be more efficacious than others, and PrimaVie is standardized for the ones that matter most. For example, it’s about 50% fulvic acid by weight,^[5] which is arguably what’s most important when it comes to shilajit.

  Research on PrimaVie has demonstrated that this brand of shilajit can significantly increase male androgen function. In one randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, middle-aged men who consumed 500 mg of PrimaVie daily exhibited a 20% increase in both free and total testosterone.^[6]

  

  Middle-aged men who took 500 mg of PrimaVie daily experienced a roughly 20% increase in free and total testosterone.^[6]

  The same study found that PrimaVie can boost dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), a neurosteroid and veritable fountain of youth molecule,^[7-10] by an impressive 30%. Elevated DHEA is linked to youthful characteristics like moist, smooth skin^[11] and stress resistance.^[12] Unfortunately, DHEA production in the body begins to naturally drop around age 30, and can be expected to decline by approximately 80% over the course of a person’s life.^[13-15]

  The DHEA molecule exerts anti-stress effects via two important mechanisms – it inhibits 11β-HSD1, an enzyme responsible for creating cortisol, as well as 11β-HSD2, an enzyme responsible for degrading cortisol. Thus, DHEA delivers an impressive one-two punch to stress; it both decreases the production of your body’s main stress hormone and accelerates its destruction.^[16-19]

  The action of DHEA resembles that of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), which is arguably the most androgenic form of testosterone.^[20]

• SA3X Spilanthes Acmella (Flower) Extract (std. min 3.5% Spilanthol) – 500 mg

  Spilanthes acmella, commonly known as “toothache plant” or “electric daisy,” is an herb traditionally used in various cultures – but particularly by India’s Ayurvedic medicine system – for its medicinal properties. Notably, Spilanthes has rapidly gained a cult following among supplement consumers and industry insiders because of the way it makes most users feel. We hear a lot of anecdotal reports that Spilanthes supplementation can produce palpable, immediate boosts in people’s perceived energy levels.

  

  The effect of SA3X on serum testosterone in sexually active Indian men aged 25 to 60. Group A had serum testosterone levels under 300 ng/dL at the start of the study, while group B had 300 ng/dL or more.^[21]

  We know that Spilanthes is packed with bioactive constituents like spilanthol, alkylamides, flavonoids, and terpenoids, all of which are thought to have HPA-modulating, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neurochemical, immunological, hormonal, and perhaps most importantly, mitochondrial benefits.^[22]

  But the clinical outcomes are what we really care about. So, what do the studies say about Spilanthes’ effectiveness as a T booster? Fortunately, we have lots of SA3X-brand-specific studies to draw on, which is great. We love reviewing brand-specific research whenever possible since efficacy can vary from brand to brand.

  

  Compared to the placebo group, men who took SA3X experienced significantly greater improvements in sexual function, as measured by the MSHQ.^[23]

  In one study, 218 male participants took 500 mg SA3X for 2 months. By the end of the study period, subjects’ erections were lasting 20% longer, and the men also reported an average sexual intercourse frequency of 6.23 times per week, up from 3.21 times per week.^[24] These are great results, but we should note that this was a longitudinal study, not a randomized controlled trial, meaning there are lots of potentially confounding variables. Still, it’s a good study to get us started. Now let’s look at some RCTs.

  The next study in our stack was randomized, placebo-controlled, and not only double-blinded, but triple-blinded. Wow! It’s almost like this research team was trying to make up for the longitudinal study with an additional layer of blinding. In a triple-blind study, not only are both the research team and the study participants unaware of which treatment participants receive – the data analysts are also blind to that. Seems excessive, but who knows? Maybe triple blinding is the future of research.

  Anyways, this study gave either 500 mg SA3X or a placebo to 445 men aged 18-45 in order to test whether the supplement could improve erectile dysfunction symptoms.^[23] It relied on two inventories – the Men’s Sexual Health Questionnaire (MSHQ) and the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF) – to quantify subjects’ erectile function and quality. And the results were very impressive. The SA3X group’s average MSHQ score increased from 20 to 37, a whopping 85% improvement, while their IIEF scores indicated an average erection length of 7.68 minutes at one month and 8.23 at two months.^[23]

  Here’s the really interesting thing about this study – it only lasted for one month, which means the SA3X group’s erection length continued increasing for a month after participants ceased supplementation.^[23] This is, well, unique. To our knowledge, no other sexual wellness supplement has been shown to cause improvements that not only persist, but actually continue increasing, for up to a month after the cessation of treatment. Although it sounds incredible, we can’t find any methodological flaws in this study!

  

  The SA3X group saw significantly greater improvements in serum testosterone, as well as MSHQ, IIEF, and erectile duration.^[25]

  Next, let’s discuss another longitudinal study. In this one, 326 sexually active men between 25 and 60 years of age received 500 mg SA3X daily for three months. By the end of the treatment period, these men had 22.43 ng/dL more testosterone than baseline,^[21] and, again, the effect persisted even at the six month mark, which was three months after the end of the subjects’ treatment with SA3X. While this is, admittedly, a longitudinal study, we have quite a bit of faith in these results since the post-treatment persistence of the effect is consistent with the results of the RCT we discussed above.

  Finally, let’s close our discussion of SA3X with arguably the most compelling, and directly relevant study – a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study that tested the ability of SA3X to increase testosterone production in men with erectile dysfunction. This study was conducted in 215 participants, aged 35-70, whose total testosterone levels were 300 ng/dl or less, making them clinically hypogonadal. The subjects were randomized to receive either 500 mg SA3X or a multivitamin, which, interestingly, served as the placebo in this study.^[25]

  

  Men who took SA3X reported significantly longer erections, with mean increases of 7.68 minutes at one month and 8.23 minutes at the two-month mark (remember, one month after the cessation of treatment).^[23]

  The SA3X group showed an average testosterone increase of 21.85 ng/dL, compared with 1.89 ng/dL in the placebo (multivitamin) group. The difference became statistically significant at month 2, and thereafter.^[25]

  Once again, the effect persisted at month 6, a full 3 months after the study treatment period ended.^[25]

  This, to us, is the most interesting thing about SA3X – its effects appear to be relatively long-lived, whereas most supplements in this category can only cause transient improvements to hormonal status and sexual function.

• PermaTEST Pedalium Murex Extract – 300 mg

  Next up we have yet another Ayurvedic treatment, Pedalium murex. While traditionally used for kidney conditions^[26] while supporting anti-inflammatory, analgesic effects,^[27] this shrub has recently attracted some attention for its potential use as a testosterone booster.

  Evidence on this one is scant, but one animal study suggests that Pedalium can reverse chemically induced testicular dysfunction, possibly by upregulating luteinizing hormone (LH),^[28] which is the hormone that your hypothalamic-pituitary axis uses to trigger testosterone synthesis in the testes.

  

  In another study, Pedalium extract was administered to rats in three different doses – 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg, and 150 mg/kg – and compared to both an inert placebo and sildenafil citrate, the generic form of Viagra. As expected, neither the placebo nor the sildenafil increased testosterone, but Pedalium did, by quite a bit! The highest dose doubled the rats’ testosterone, and the effect largely persisted at 7 and 15 days after the withdrawal of treatment.^[29]

  While these results are impressive, even the lowest dose used in this study, 50 mg/kg, is equivalent to 8.3 mg/kg in humans, which, for a 160-pound person, works out to more than 600 mg of Pedalium extract. Since that’s twice the amount we have in InnovaPharm TEST XL, it’s not clear from this study that 300 mg would be enough, but we’re excited to find out.

  While these animal studies are promising, and Pedalium is reported to contain classes of molecules broadly known to boost testosterone, such as alkaloids, saponins, glycosides, triterpenoids, flavonoids, steroids, phenols, and phytosterols,^[30] we’re currently unable to locate any randomized controlled trials on Pedalium’s effect on human testosterone production.

  Bottom line, we want to see much more research before we can go all-in on Pedalium, but this is a very promising ingredient. And given the long history of traditional use, it appears to be safe. It also seems likely, based on our survey of the historical Pedalium accounts, that users will feel more energetic after taking it, which is admittedly one of the most important effects that we’re interested in getting from a T booster supplement.

• Tongkat Ali Extract (Eurycoma Longifolia) (std. min 2% Eurycomanone) – 300 mg

  

  The Quassinoid Components of Longjack

  Tongkat ali, which is also sometimes called longjack, has been used as an aphrodisiac for centuries. Historical records and traditional practices suggest its use dates back at least several hundred years and was commonly used to improve sexual health, boost libido, and enhance overall vitality.^[31,32]

  In one 2012 study, 109 men between 30 and 55 years of age were randomized to receive either 300 mg of water extract of E. longifolia (tongkat ali) or a placebo for 12 weeks. By the end of the study period, the tongkat ali group exhibited an impressive 44% increase in sperm motility and 14% increase in libido.^[33]

  A 2022 meta-analysis, which examined five randomized controlled trials, concluded that tongkat ali supplementation can be expected to significantly increase testosterone synthesis in most men. It’s worth mentioning that this effect was observed in both hypogonadal (low-testosterone) individuals and healthy men.^[34]

  

  One study measured cortisol also measured salivary testosterone in stressed individuals. Testosterone went up significantly in longjack users – 37%! (32 men, 31 women).^[35]

  Tongkat ali’s testosterone-boosting effect can be explained partly by its high concentration of powerful antioxidants, which come with significant anti-anxiety, anti-diabetic, and anti-proliferative benefits.^[31]

  Eurycomanone, tongkat ali’s chief bioactive compound, seems to help increase testosterone partly by catalyzing the testes’ transformation of cholesterol into pregnenolone.^[36] This is an important mechanism of action, because pregnenolone is actually the precursor to all steroid hormones, including the androgen testosterone.

  Supporting the Cholesterol-to-Pregnenolone Conversion

  One nice thing about boosting testosterone through increased cholesterol-to-pregnenolone conversion is that extra pregnenolone is regulated by a huge number of inter-related downstream feedback mechanisms, meaning it’s relatively unlikely to cause the kind of hormonal issues that one would expect from, say, supplemental androgen injection.

  

  Pregnenolone is the precursor to all steroid hormone synthesis – including both androgens (like testosterone) and estrogens.^[37] Annotation in red ours.

  Eurycomanone also seems to increase luteinizing hormone (LH), just like Fadogia.^[38]

• Paederia Foetida Extract – 100 mg

  Paederia foetida, commonly known as “skunkvine” or “stinkvine,” is a plant traditionally used in various medicinal systems, particularly in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine. It’s famous (or infamous, depending on whom you ask) for its strong sulfurous odor, and is chock full of bioactive constituents like iridoid glycosides, flavonoids, and phenolic acids, which categorically have the potential to increase testosterone synthesis.^[39] It has historically been used to treat arthritis, vesical calculi, inflammation, asthma, diarrhea, dysentery, hemorrhoids, diabetes, and seminal weakness, among other ailments.^[40]

  

  InnovaPharm Flexamend is a powerful anti-inflammatory joint support supplement with several clinically-validated ingredients

  The one big study on Paederia is, again, unfortunately not a human study – it’s a rat study from 2012, which administered Paederia extract as a gavage in 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg doses. The result was that Paederia dose-dependently increased testosterone in the rats, with the 100 and 200 mg/kg groups more than doubling T compared to a control group.^[41]

  This is, like Pedalium or Fadogia, one of those obscure herbal ingredients that shows stunning results in animals, but basically hasn’t been studied in humans. Again, while extremely promising and possessed of an excellent safety profile, we want to see a lot more research before proclaiming it a T booster.

• Boron (as Albion Bororganic Glycine) – 10 mg

  Boron has been shown to significantly improve the body’s synthesis of both testosterone and vitamin D.^[42] Since vitamin D is also capable of upregulating T,^[43] this means boron can both directly and indirectly support your body’s production of testosterone.

  

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  Boron also seems to increase the half-life of vitamin D, which means that peak serum vitamin D concentrations are then higher than usual.^[44]

  In one 2011 study, boron supplementation was found to increase free testosterone, the biologically active and, hence, arguably the most important indicator of androgenic activity.^[44] According to the same study, boron can also decrease the body’s estrogen levels,^[44] thus improving the all-important testosterone-to-estrogen ratio.

  So, when we consider boron’s capacity for boosting vitamin D and its ability to support the body’s absorption of magnesium – another mineral that’s crucially involved in testosterone production^[45] – it’s hard to argue with the suggestion that boron is an affordable, effective, and, most importantly, safe^[42] testosterone-boosting mineral.

Conclusion: For Those Who Want Something New

Overall, InnovaPharm TEST XL is an excellent formula. The data on SA3X is better than what we usually see for novel testosterone-boosting ingredients. Thus, we would say that SA3X alone is almost worth the price of admission. But when you consider the fact that it’s bundled with time-tested heavy hitters like shilajit and tongkat ali, the core ingredients in InnovaPharm TEST XL are already sound.

The other ingredients – Fadogia, Pedalium, and Paederia – are all characterized by highly plausible mechanisms involving well-studied bioactive constituents, corroborated by a small number of amazing animal studies that have yet to be replicated in humans.

Thoughts on the new ingredients

Test XL by InnovaPharm is a dietary supplement formulated with a powerful blend of test-boosting ingredients, including PermaTEST Pedallium murex. This unique combination, along with the mysterious newcomer Paederia foetida, is designed to support natural testosterone production, enhance energy, stamina, and performance.

Like many InnovaPharm supplements, TEST XL is for those who are a bit more liberal in their novel ingredient usage. If you need multiple human clinical trials on each ingredient, this is definitely not the one. But if you’re looking for something new, this clearly is. The good news is that the safety profiles of these ingredients seem solid, and the price seems right — we’re not seeing jacked up prices for all of this.

Plus, although there aren’t many randomized controlled trials, it seems pretty clear from reading about the tradition surrounding these ingredients that they have broadly adaptogenic effects. We often see those effects give users a testosterone-like energy boost, in any case.

Fresh blood in the test booster game

It’s a relief to see some fresh blood in a testosterone booster formula because, let’s face it, this has turned into one of the stalest product categories. For several years, the astronomical demand for T boosters, coupled with the surprising sluggishness of research, has forced supplement companies into a highly risk-averse formulation approach. With a handful of ingredients getting all the press, the risk/reward ratio for rolling the dice on obscure ingredients just wasn’t there.

Fortunately, we’ve seen a recent surge of innovation from researchers and ingredient suppliers, and the deadlock seems to be finally breaking. Test boosters were long overdue for disruption, and someone had to smash the ice for that to happen.

You know you can call on InnovaPharm to lead the charge in breaking the mold.