Science
We’d rather show you
the study than the headline.
Research summaries by outcome, each with its dose, population, result and citation. Where the human record is thin — or missing entirely — that is stated in the same size type as everything else.
Where a citation still needs final verification against the published record, the entry says so rather than implying certainty. Nothing here is a claim that ROWR treats, cures or prevents anything.
Research by outcome
Testosterone
The strongest human research here sits with three botanicals — Tongkat Ali, purified shilajit and standardised ashwagandha — measured against total and free testosterone in adult men. Alongside them sit nutrient-status findings: when zinc or vitamin D status is low, correcting it moves hormonal measures; when status is already sufficient, it largely doesn't.
Most of these trials ran 4 weeks to 12 months in specific populations — often men with lower baseline levels, where there is more room to move. Averages across a group do not forecast an individual result.
- Tongkat AliSystematic review + meta-analysis · 2022
- Dose
- Standardized extracts, commonly 100–600 mg/day
- Population
- Adult men across pooled clinical trials · Pooled across included trials · Varies by included trial
- Result
- Pooled analysis of clinical trials reported higher serum total testosterone with standardized Tongkat Ali extract versus control, with the authors noting heterogeneity across studies and extracts.
- Limits
- Included trials differed in extract, dose, duration and population. Not all Tongkat Ali extracts are equivalent, and pooled findings do not predict an individual response.
- Citation
- Leisegang K, Finelli R, et al. · Medicina, 2022Citation pending final verification against the published record.
- Tongkat AliControlled human study · 2012
- Dose
- 200 mg/day
- Population
- Men with late-onset hypogonadism / lower baseline testosterone · 76 men · 1 month
- Result
- Investigators reported improvements in testosterone status and ageing-male symptom scores in men with low baseline testosterone taking a standardized water-soluble extract.
- Limits
- Short duration, specific low-baseline population, and a specific standardized extract. Results should not be generalised to all men or all extracts.
- Citation
- Tambi MI, Imran MK, Henkel RR · Andrologia, 2012Citation pending final verification against the published record.
- ShilajitRandomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled · 2016
- Dose
- 250 mg twice daily of purified shilajit
- Population
- Healthy men · 96 enrolled / 75 completed · 90 days
- Result
- Researchers reported significant differences in total testosterone, free testosterone and DHEA-S versus placebo after 90 days of purified shilajit in healthy men aged approximately 45–55.
- Limits
- Single trial in a specific age band using a specific purified material. Does not establish the same outcome for every individual or every shilajit source.
- Citation
- Pandit S, Biswas S, Jana U, et al. · Andrologia, 2016Citation pending final verification against the published record.
- AshwagandhaSystematic review + meta-analysis · 2026
- Dose
- Varies by included trial
- Population
- Adults; pooled male sub-analysis for testosterone · 23 randomized placebo-controlled trials · 1,706 participants · Multi-week trials
- Result
- In the pooled male analysis, ashwagandha was associated with a higher testosterone level versus control.
- Limits
- ROWR has not yet completed internal verification of this citation, so the reported pooled effect size is withheld from display. Pooled findings never predict an individual response and do not establish that the finished RECOVERY formula produces the same change.
- Citation
- Citation pending final verification · Pending verification, 2026Citation pending final verification against the published record.
- AshwagandhaRandomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled · 2019
- Dose
- 600 mg/day standardized root extract
- Population
- Overweight men, mild fatigue · 57 men · 8 weeks
- Result
- Investigators reported changes in DHEA-S and testosterone alongside self-reported fatigue and vitality measures over eight weeks compared with placebo.
- Limits
- Modest sample, specific population and a specific standardized extract; self-reported outcomes are subject to bias.
- Citation
- Lopresti AL, Drummond PD, Smith SJ · American Journal of Men's Health, 2019Citation pending final verification against the published record.
- ZincControlled human study · 1996
- Dose
- Dietary restriction and supplementation phases
- Population
- Healthy adult men, including experimental zinc restriction · Small controlled cohorts · Weeks to months
- Result
- Experimental zinc restriction was associated with reduced serum testosterone, and repletion in men with marginal zinc status was associated with higher testosterone.
- Limits
- Small, dated cohorts. The relevant variable is zinc status: more zinc on top of adequate status is not shown to raise testosterone further.
- Citation
- Prasad AS, Mantzoros CS, Beck FW, et al. · Nutrition, 1996Citation pending final verification against the published record.
- Vitamin D3Randomized controlled trial · 2011
- Dose
- 3,332 IU/day vitamin D
- Population
- Overweight men undergoing a weight reduction programme · 54 men · 1 year
- Result
- This trial reported increases in testosterone measures in the vitamin D group, while later randomized trials and analyses have produced mixed and inconsistent findings.
- Limits
- Conducted alongside weight loss, in a specific population. The wider randomized literature is inconsistent, so ROWR positions D3 as foundational nutrition, not a testosterone booster.
- Citation
- Pilz S, Frisch S, Koertke H, et al. · Hormone and Metabolic Research, 2011Citation pending final verification against the published record.
- BoronControlled human study · 2011
- Dose
- 10 mg/day boron
- Population
- Healthy men · Very small cohort · 1 week (daily arm)
- Result
- A very small study reported changes in free testosterone and related hormonal measures after one week of daily boron, while other controlled research has found no significant testosterone benefit.
- Limits
- Extremely small sample, very short duration, inconsistent replication. Boron is a supporting mineral in PRIME, not a primary testosterone ingredient.
- Citation
- Naghii MR, Mofid M, Asgari AR, et al. · Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology, 2011Citation pending final verification against the published record.
- MagnesiumControlled human study · 2011
- Dose
- 10 mg/kg/day magnesium
- Population
- Athletes and sedentary men · 30 men · 4 weeks
- Result
- Researchers reported higher testosterone values with magnesium supplementation, with larger differences in the exercising group.
- Limits
- Small, young, non-blinded sample at a bodyweight-scaled dose. Evidence is limited; magnesium sits in RECOVERY for muscle, nervous-system and recovery support.
- Citation
- Cinar V, Polat Y, Baltaci AK, Mogulkoc R · Biological Trace Element Research, 2011Citation pending final verification against the published record.
The map
What each ingredient is actually here for.
Twelve ingredients, sorted by the strength and kind of human research behind them — not by which name sells hardest.
Testosterone evidence map
12 ingredients. Different roles.
One objective.
Every ingredient in the system is here to support healthy testosterone, vitality, recovery and sleep — they just work through different pathways.
Some have direct human testosterone research. Others support the sleep, stress and nutritional conditions that testosterone depends on. This map shows you which is which.
Has meaningful human research measuring testosterone-related outcomes.
Nutrients male physiology depends on daily, where status is what matters.
Human research supports its role here, with a smaller or more mixed body of work.
Here for sleep quality, relaxation and mineral balance — the recovery side of the system.
Where we stand
Research is a reason, not a promise.
A trial result describes what happened, on average, to a group of people who were not you. We use research to justify a choice of ingredient, form and dose — never to forecast your outcome.