Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "
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05.05.2009 |
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Just a little clove for more testosterone
In their article the researchers describe experiments they performed on mice, which were intended to test the safety of high amounts of clove. Many men in Asian countries use large amounts of clove or Syzygium aromaticum to enhance their sexual potency.
The Indian researchers decided therefore to do an experiment in which they gave mice equivalent amounts of clove to those given to men by traditional healers. Men are generally given about two grams of clove per day. The mice were given nothing [the control group] or extracts of the fat-soluble compounds found in clove, which the researchers extracted from dried clove powder. The mice were given daily doses of 15, 30 or 60 milligrams of extract per kilogram body weight for a period of five weeks.
The table below shows the effect of the extracts on the testosterone level in the blood of the mice and on the enzymes delta-5/3-beta-HSD en 17-beta-HSD in the testes. These enzymes are involved in the biosynthesis of testosterone.
Group I = control group; Group II = 15 milligram group; Group III = 30 milligram group; Group IV = 60 milligram group.
Doses higher than 15 milligrams of clove extract had a negative effect on the testosterone level. But the doses tested were only damaging to the testes and not to other organs, according to the study. The researchers did not detect any increase in levels of liver enzymes or of creatinine.
"The lower dose increased testosterone production, while higher doses caused reduction in testosterone production thereby perturbation in spermatogenesis of mice", the researchers summarise. "Hence, data of the present study advocate the cautious use of this flower bud as an aphrodisiac in indigenous systems of medicine in Asian countries."
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