Dr. Josh Axe's testosterone boosting tips: what works and what doesn't

What did @drjoshaxe actually say?

Axe addressed low testosterone and low libido in women by framing it through traditional Chinese medicine as a "kidney yang deficiency," then layered in mitochondrial health claims. His prescription: eat more red meat, wild-caught fish, warming spices, beans, seaweed, and herbs including fenugreek, ashwagandha, and rhodiola. He also recommended weight training, higher protein intake at "30 to 50 grams three times per day," stress reduction tools like weighted blankets and blue blockers, and limiting screen time. The adrenals, he argued, are the real root of the problem. No lab values, no differential diagnosis, no mention of when to see a doctor.

The video blends folk medicine frameworks with nutritional advice and supplement recommendations in a way that sounds comprehensive but sidesteps any clinical nuance entirely. That matters, because low testosterone in women has multiple causes, and not all of them respond to diet tweaks.

Does the science back this up?

Partially, but not in the way Axe presents it. Some of the individual pieces have modest research support. The framing that ties them all together does not.

On fenugreek: a randomized controlled trial by Rao et al. (2016, Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition) found fenugreek supplementation improved free testosterone and sexual function in women, though effect sizes were modest. Ashwagandha has decent stress-reduction data, and one RCT by Dongre et al. (2015, BioMed Research International) found it improved sexual function in women with sexual dysfunction, potentially through cortisol reduction. Rhodiola has some adaptogen evidence for fatigue, but its direct effect on testosterone in women is weak at best.

The "adrenals are burnt out" framing is pop medicine shorthand for HPA axis dysregulation. That concept has real physiology behind it, but "adrenal fatigue" as a diagnosis is not recognized by endocrinology. The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists does not acknowledge it as a clinical entity.

Red meat supporting testosterone because it is a "kidney yang building food" is not a biological mechanism. Zinc and saturated fat from meat do play roles in steroid hormone synthesis, but the Chinese medicine framing is doing explanatory work that nutrition science does not actually support in a direct line.

What did they get wrong (or right)?

Axe deserves credit for a few things. Weight training is genuinely one of the better-supported lifestyle interventions for increasing testosterone in women, per a 2021 review by Hooper et al. in Sports Medicine. Protein adequacy matters for hormone synthesis. Sleep hygiene and stress reduction are legitimate contributors to HPA axis function, which does influence adrenal androgen output. The specific foods he lists are nutritionally reasonable.

Where he goes wrong is the mechanism and the certainty. Framing low testosterone as primarily an adrenal burnout problem ignores other common causes: age-related decline, oophorectomy, hypopituitarism, or medication side effects like hormonal contraceptives. A woman watching this video who has low testosterone from a pituitary adenoma is not going to fix it with lentils and a weighted blanket.

The mitochondrial health framing is also doing a lot of unexplained heavy lifting. There is emerging research on mitochondrial function and steroidogenesis, but claiming "anabolic foods support cellular regeneration" as a mechanism for raising testosterone is speculative at best and misleading at worst.

He never once suggests getting bloodwork or consulting a physician. That omission is a real problem when the topic is a hormonal abnormality that requires diagnosis.

What should you actually know?

Low testosterone in women is real and underdiagnosed, but it is a clinical finding, not just a lifestyle problem. Normal female testosterone levels range roughly from 15 to 70 ng/dL, and symptoms like low libido, fatigue, and poor body composition can overlap with a dozen other conditions including thyroid dysfunction, depression, and perimenopause.

The Endocrine Society does not currently recommend routine testosterone therapy for women due to limited long-term safety data, but that does not mean dietary and lifestyle changes are useless. They are just not a substitute for a diagnosis. If you have symptoms of low testosterone, the right first step is bloodwork including total and free testosterone, DHEA-S, SHBG, LH, FSH, and thyroid markers, not a dietary overhaul based on a social media video.

Some of what Axe recommends, specifically resistance training, sleep, stress management, and adequate protein, is genuinely useful and low-risk. The supplement stack of fenugreek, ashwagandha, and rhodiola is not dangerous for most people, but the evidence is modest and quality control in supplements is inconsistent. If you are considering testosterone therapy through a regulated provider, that conversation should happen with a clinician who can review your actual lab values.