Why Huberman Takes 400mg of This Herb Daily

Tongkat Ali, a root extract used in traditional Southeast Asian medicine, has come up 28 separate times across the podcast spine, credited to Andrew Huberman and Tim Ferriss. Unlike a lot of supplements that get a single passing mention, Huberman has talked about this one across at least seven different episodes, and in several of them he specifically says he takes it himself, at a specific dose, for a specific reason.

That combination, a named mechanism plus a personal, repeated dosage, is rarer than a generic recommendation, where a host names a supplement once and moves on without ever describing how or why they personally use it. Here is exactly what he said, episode by episode, with the clip behind every quote, so the mechanism claims and the dosage claims can be checked against the source rather than taken on faith.

Huberman's core reason for taking Tongkat Ali, stated in his own words, is that it lowers sex hormone binding globulin, a protein that binds up testosterone in the bloodstream and keeps it from being active. He said directly that this is why he likes it: lowering that binding globulin frees up more testosterone. In a separate episode he gave the more clinical version of the same claim, saying that at 400 milligrams per day, Tongkat Ali has been shown to increase free testosterone by way of reducing sex hormone binding globulin. The two statements, one casual and one precise, describe the same mechanism.

Huberman has given his own dosage twice, months apart, and it did not change. He said he takes 400 milligrams of Tongkat Ali per day, and that he takes it early in the day specifically because it has a bit of a stimulant effect. In a later episode he confirmed the same number again, saying the dosage he has been using for years now is 400 milligrams taken once a day, typically early in the day. A supplement dose that stays identical across separate recordings, without hedging or revision, is a stronger signal than a one-time mention of a number.

Huberman has also placed Tongkat Ali inside a larger framework he uses for hormone health. Asked what moves the hormone system toward what he calls the green zone, he named two things: omegas and Tongkat Ali specifically. That framing matters because it positions the supplement as one piece of a system rather than a standalone fix, which is consistent with how he discusses most of the compounds he takes.

Separately from the testosterone mechanism, Huberman has cited Tongkat Ali for a second reason: libido. He described it as a substance that has been shown to increase libido across a range of human populations, a broader claim than the sex hormone binding globulin point and one he raised in a different episode, on a different topic. That the same supplement earns two distinct, separately stated reasons for use, rather than one claim repeated, is part of why it keeps coming up.

In one episode, Huberman went further than usual and named a specific brand. Discussing the same 400 milligram dose and the same sex hormone binding globulin mechanism, he added that a particular manufacturer, which he referred to as Solaray, makes a good version of the supplement. Naming a specific brand on air is a step further than most of his general compound discussions, which tend to describe a molecule or mechanism without endorsing a manufacturer. It also confirms, for a third time in the material, that his dosage and reasoning had not shifted since the earlier episodes: same 400 milligrams, same target, same explanation, only the addition of a brand name.

The tracked total behind Tongkat Ali is 28 recommendations, credited to Andrew Huberman and Tim Ferriss. Seven of those are Huberman's own statements captured above, and they are notably consistent: the same 400 milligram dose, the same morning timing, and the same sex hormone binding globulin mechanism, repeated across separate episodes recorded months or years apart rather than contradicted or revised. For a supplement space where dosages and opinions often shift episode to episode, that level of repetition from one source is unusual, and it is a large part of why the recommendation count keeps climbing.

Two hosts, one shared subject, and a supplement that keeps earning fresh, independently stated reasons rather than a single copied endorsement, is a pattern worth noticing on its own, separate from whether any individual listener decides to try it.

What dose of Tongkat Ali does Andrew Huberman take?

He has stated 400 milligrams per day, taken early in the day because of what he describes as a bit of a stimulant effect. He repeated this same dose in a separate episode recorded years later.

Why does Huberman say he takes Tongkat Ali?

He has given two separate reasons across different episodes: it lowers sex hormone binding globulin, which he says frees up more testosterone, and separately, he has cited research showing it can increase libido across a range of populations.

Did Huberman name a specific brand?

In one episode he mentioned Solaray as making what he called a good version of the supplement, alongside repeating the same 400 milligram dose he has cited elsewhere.

Most supplement mentions on podcasts are a single sentence in passing. Tongkat Ali got seven separate ones from the same person, each stating the same dose and the same reason, across episodes far enough apart that repeating himself was clearly not the point. That consistency, more than any single clip, is what the 28 recorded recommendations behind it actually represent. None of this is medical advice, and the doses described here are what Huberman says he takes, not a recommendation for anyone else. Tongkat Ali affects hormones, so talk to a doctor before adding it, especially alongside other medications or existing health conditions.