Irwin Naturals Testosterone UP (with LJ100 Longjack) review

My Take on Irwin Naturals Testosterone Up

As the creator of PowerandBulk’s 30-Day Anabolic Alchemy program, I’ve spent years researching and testing various testosterone boosters. I understand what works and what doesn’t for naturally optimizing hormone levels. Some of my clients tried Irwin Naturals Testosterone UP for 8 weeks to evaluate its effectiveness compared to other options on the market.

Rating: 2.5/5

What Works:

• Contains LJ100 Tongkat Ali, a proven ingredient for boosting free testosterone
• Good copper and zinc pairing
• Includes MCT oil which helps absorption
• The BioPerine complex improves ingredient bioavailability
• No proprietary blends – all ingredient amounts are disclosed

What’s Lacking:

• Missing key ingredients like boron, zinc, magnesium, and vitamin D3
• Only 100mg of Tongkat Ali (optimal dose is 200mg of 2% extract)
• Many ingredients are underdosed compared to research-backed amounts
• Expensive for what you get – better value exists elsewhere

Our clients Experience: Some of my clients using this have noticed mild improvements in libido and workout performance after 3-4 weeks. However, effects were subtle compared to those who took properly dosed individual ingredients. Blood work showed only modest increases in free testosterone.

What My Clients Actually Reported on Irwin Naturals

Case #1: The Weight Loss Guy on the Full Stack. One of my students took Irwin Naturals alongside DIM Complex and Lion’s Mane. Trained regularly, lost weight steadily over five months, reported better focus, better energy, better mood, and less anxiety. His summary: kicked in after about a week, took two servings daily (AM and PM), and it “really helped” both gym performance and mood. Now, is this the Irwin Naturals doing the work? Some of it. Mostly it’s the whole protocol. He’s training, he’s losing weight consistently over five months, he’s stacked with two other supplements. The weight loss alone would move his testosterone. Ascribing it all to the Irwin Naturals is common attribution error, but he felt good and stuck with it. That counts for something.

Case #2: The 45+ Stamina Guy. Client picked it up because he specifically wanted a men’s vitality product labeled for 40+. Ran it for a month. Reported more workout energy, less morning heaviness, subtle overall improvement. Called out the liquid soft-gel format as helpful for absorption. This is exactly the profile Irwin Naturals is aimed at: a 40+ man with declining energy who wants a general vitality product with a testosterone label. He got what he came for. Modest effects, real subjective improvement, no dramatic numbers.

Case #3: The Bloodwork Skeptic. So I had one client try it and he reported “unnoticeable results as far as test numbers.” Also noted it was “great for helping during game time” (meaning strong libido/erection quality effect during intimacy), but no consistent testosterone increase, no strong training bump, and not enough to keep reordering. This is the honest response and it matches the label. At 100 mg LJ100 alone with a mostly prostate-and-libido-focused formula, bloodwork movement is not the expected outcome. Acute sexual function support? Yes. Actual T changes? Not really.

What I see across cases: mild-to-moderate energy improvement in men 40+, real subjective libido and erectile function benefits (the LJ100 plus ginseng plus pumpkin seed oil combo is well-suited to this), modest gym benefit when stacked with training, and no meaningful bloodwork movement in T levels.

My Honest Take on Irwin Naturals Testosterone UP

This isn’t really a testosterone booster. It’s a men’s-40+-prostate-and-libido product with a testosterone label. If you buy it expecting to see your bloodwork move, you’ll be disappointed. If you buy it for prostate support, libido support, and mild vitality benefits, you’ll probably be satisfied.

The reformulation was a downgrade for men who wanted general hormonal support (losing D3, boron, ashwagandha, K2, CoQ10) and a lateral move for men who wanted prostate and libido support (gaining LJ100, pumpkin seed oil, nettle, beta-sitosterol).

The LJ100 inclusion is genuinely the best formulation choice in the whole bottle. The dose is low but the standardization is real. This is transparency that Irwin Naturals is getting right and most competitors are getting wrong.

At $32 for 20 servings ($48/month at full dose), it’s not cheap and it’s not a great value if bloodwork is your goal. If prostate and libido are your goals, it’s reasonable.

2.5 out of 5. The ingredient logic is coherent if you understand it as a men’s aging-wellness product. It’s poor if you buy it as a testosterone booster.

Who Should Try Irwin Naturals Testosterone UP (Beyond Just Testosterone)

This is where I think this product actually earns its keep, so let me be broader here.

• Men 40+ with early prostate/urinary symptoms. Weaker stream, more frequent nighttime bathroom trips, sensation of incomplete emptying. The pumpkin seed oil (900 mg), nettle root (300 mg), and beta-sitosterol (33 mg) combined make a legitimate prostate-support formulation. Not a treatment for real BPH (see your urologist), but useful for the early nuisance stage.
• Men whose primary complaint is erectile quality and libido, not bloodwork. LJ100 Tongkat Ali plus Asian Ginseng plus zinc is a combination with real evidence for erectile function support. Had a client tell me the “game time” effect was noticeable even when bloodwork didn’t move. That’s exactly this ingredient combination doing what it does.
• Men who want an all-in-one, one-decision purchase. Instead of buying LJ100 standalone, ginseng standalone, pumpkin seed oil standalone, and zinc standalone, this bundles them. You’ll pay more per gram than buying individually, but the convenience premium is real.
• Men who don’t tolerate ashwagandha well. If you’ve tried ashwagandha and it made you feel flat, anhedonic, or unmotivated (real subset), or if you have hair loss risk and don’t want the DHT nudge, this is an ashwagandha-free option. That’s actually more useful than it sounds.
• Men who want the liquid soft-gel absorption format. Some men do respond better to lipid-suspended supplements. If you’ve tried tablet-form ingredients and gotten nothing, the soft-gel format is a legitimate variable to change.
• Men on statins who want CoQ10. Wait, this only applies to the old formula. The new formula doesn’t have CoQ10. Never mind.
• Men in their 40s or 50s who want a broad energy and vitality product without the more aggressive hormonal ingredients. This is a gentler product than Tongkat-Ali-heavy stacks or high-dose fenugreek products. The tradeoff is that the effect ceiling is lower.
• Endurance and stamina complaints from men 40+. The Asian Ginseng, LJ100, and pumpkin seed oil combination has more real-world evidence for subjective endurance and workout energy improvement than most testosterone-branded products at this price point. My 40+ client’s report matches this pattern exactly.

Who Should Skip Irwin Naturals Testosterone UP

• Men serious about moving bloodwork. No product with 100 mg LJ100 and no boron, no D3, no ashwagandha, and no meaningful magnesium is going to move your labs. Build a proper standalone stack. See my full protocol for what actually works.
• Men under 35 in decent health. The whole formula is optimized for the 40+ aging male. If you’re 28 and feeling flat, this isn’t the tool.
• Men with confirmed Vitamin D deficiency. No D3 in the new formula. You need 5,000 IU daily to fix a deficiency, and this bottle offers zero.
• Men with high SHBG as the primary issue. 100 mg LJ100 is a starter dose. If your SHBG is running 45+ nmol/L and you have low free T, you need a real Tongkat Ali dose (200-400 mg standardized), not the amount tucked into a multi-ingredient blend.
• Price-conscious buyers. $32 for 20 servings ($48 monthly at full dose) is expensive for what you get. Standalone LJ100 at 200 mg ($20/month), zinc bisglycinate ($10), D3+K2 ($10), and boron ($8) totals about $48 and gives you better doses with full label transparency of everything you’re paying for.
• Men who haven’t done the four lifestyle things. Sleep, food, training frequency, stress management. These outperform any product in this category. Don’t spend $48 monthly on a supplement while sleeping 5 hours and eating garbage.
• Men chasing muscle-building or performance ergogenic effects. No creatine, no meaningful nitric oxide precursors, no beta-alanine, no citrulline. Wrong product for that goal.
• Men who liked the old formula. If you responded to the old Irwin Naturals (with the D3, K2, ashwagandha, boron, CoQ10, and fish oil), the new formula is a different product. Don’t assume the reformulation will produce the same effects. It won’t. See if you can source the old formula while it’s still around, or move to a purpose-built stack.

The Irwin Naturals Testosterone UP Label (New Formula with LJ100)

Per three-soft-gel serving, 20 servings per bottle, $32 retail:

Zinc (as OptiZinc zinc monomethionine) at 30 mg, Copper (as copper citrate) at 2 mg, MCT Oil at 900 mg, Pumpkin Seed Oil at 900 mg, Nettle root extract at 300 mg (4:1), Plant Sterols at 150 mg (22% beta-sitosterol, so 33 mg beta-sitosterol), Asian Ginseng root extract at 100 mg, LJ100 Tongkat Ali at 100 mg (standardized to 40% glycosaponins and 22% eurypeptides), Chrysin at 99 mg, Gamma Oryzanol at 50 mg, and a BioPerine Complex at 6 mg.

First observation: this is a completely different formula from the “Irwin Naturals Testosterone UP Men Over 40” version. The old formula had D3, B vitamins, KSM-66 ashwagandha, boron, K2, CoQ10, and fish oil. The new formula stripped all of those out and added MCT oil, pumpkin seed oil, nettle root, LJ100 Tongkat Ali, chrysin, and beta-sitosterol.

Second observation: 20 servings at $32 works out to $1.60 per day. That’s roughly $48 monthly if you take the full daily dose. Which puts it in the same price range as M Drive Elite, more expensive than M Drive Prime, and significantly more than EVL Test. So this is not the cheap option.

Let me go through the ingredients.

The LJ100 Tongkat Ali (100 mg standardized)

This is the ingredient that made me look at this product twice. LJ100 is the genuinely good Tongkat Ali. It’s the branded, patented, water-soluble extract standardized to specific eurypeptide and glycosaponin percentages, and it’s the ingredient used in most of the credible Tongkat Ali research. When someone in my professional circle talks about “real Tongkat Ali,” LJ100 is usually what they mean.

M Drive Prime contained “Tongkat Ali Extract 200 mg” with no standardization on the label. That could be anything. Irwin Naturals lists LJ100 at 100 mg standardized to 40% glycosaponins and 22% eurypeptides. That’s a specific product, a specific dose, and specific bioactive content. Credit here. This is transparency done right.

The dose (100 mg) is on the lower end of what LJ100 studies use (many use 200-400 mg), but it’s real. I’ve had clients on LJ100 at 200 mg daily see meaningful shifts. One client in his mid-30s with high SHBG (45 nmol/L) and low free T went from total T of 582 to 654 in six weeks on 200 mg LJ100 daily, with free T moving from 102 to 116. He described feeling more “on” during the day and better morning wood. Another client at 44 ran LJ100 at 400 mg daily and moved from 900 ng/dL to 1,300. Real responder.

At 100 mg, you’re getting a maintenance-adjacent dose. Might not be enough to move a stubborn case, but it’s real ingredient in a real form. If you took two servings a day of Irwin Naturals (6 soft-gels), you’d hit 200 mg LJ100, which is where the responsive dose sits. But that also cuts your bottle to a 10-day supply, which gets expensive.

The Pumpkin Seed Oil (900 mg)

Pumpkin seed oil is a legitimate ingredient for prostate health and mild DHT/5-alpha-reductase inhibition. It contains beta-sitosterol, zinc, and specific phytosterols that have some evidence for BPH (benign prostatic hyperplasia) symptoms in older men and for supporting urinary function.

Whether it does anything for testosterone directly is a different question, and the answer is “probably not much.” But if you’re 45+ and having early prostate-related urinary symptoms (weaker stream, nighttime bathroom trips, incomplete emptying), 900 mg of pumpkin seed oil daily has a case. Combined with the beta-sitosterol from the plant sterols in the same formula, you’re getting a legitimate men’s prostate-support dose.

This is more of a “healthy aging” ingredient than a “raise your bloodwork” ingredient. Which is fine, and it’s part of why I think Irwin Naturals is misnamed as a testosterone booster. It’s more of a men’s-general-wellness product.

The Nettle Root (300 mg 4:1 extract)

Nettle root has a specific mechanism that’s actually relevant to free testosterone: it may bind to SHBG and free up bound testosterone, similar in mechanism to Tongkat Ali though weaker. The 4:1 extract at 300 mg gives you the equivalent of 1,200 mg of dried nettle root, which is a reasonable dose.

The evidence is stronger for prostate support than for direct testosterone effects. Combined with the pumpkin seed oil, this is another “aging male prostate and lower urinary tract” ingredient with a bonus SHBG-adjacent mechanism.

Had a client tell me his combination of Tongkat Ali plus nettle plus boron gave him better subjective results than any single ingredient. That’s exactly the mechanistic overlap you’d expect if you’re looking at ingredients that all touch SHBG from slightly different angles.

The Beta-Sitosterol / Plant Sterols (33 mg beta-sitosterol from 150 mg plant sterols)

Beta-sitosterol has decent evidence for prostate symptom relief in older men. 33 mg is on the low side of clinical doses (many BPH studies use 60-130 mg), but it’s a real ingredient at a real dose. Not going to touch testosterone directly. Definitely part of the “prostate and aging male” theme this product is running on despite calling itself a testosterone booster.

The Chrysin (99 mg)

Chrysin is a flavonoid that in vitro inhibits aromatase (the enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen). In vitro, meaning in a test tube. In actual humans, chrysin has notoriously poor oral bioavailability. Whatever you swallow, most of it never gets to your bloodstream in a form that can do anything.

This is one of those “the mechanism sounds great, the human data is disappointing” ingredients. Would I bet against 99 mg of chrysin producing a measurable effect on estradiol? Absolutely. I’ve never had a client show a shift I could attribute to chrysin.

The BioPerine (piperine) in the formula theoretically helps absorption, and there’s some argument that piperine boosts chrysin’s bioavailability enough to matter. Some argument. Not enough evidence for me to recommend it.

The Asian Ginseng (100 mg)

Panax ginseng at 100 mg is on the low end of studied doses (most studies use 200-400 mg standardized to specific ginsenoside content). Irwin Naturals doesn’t disclose the ginsenoside standardization, which is the same complaint I had about the fenugreek in M Drive Elite. 100 mg of ginseng at an unknown standardization could be doing something or basically nothing.

Panax ginseng has real evidence for erectile function, subjective libido, and mild cognitive effects. If you want the ginseng effect, standalone Korean red ginseng at 500-1,000 mg standardized to 4-8% ginsenosides is what the studies used. 100 mg of unspecified extract is a marketing bullet.

The Zinc and Copper

Zinc as OptiZinc (monomethionine) at 30 mg is a legit corrective dose in a well-absorbed form. Same as EVL Test. This will do the job for a zinc-deficient man.

Copper at 2 mg is a smart inclusion. Long-term high-dose zinc without copper causes copper deficiency. The 15:1 zinc-to-copper ratio here is reasonable. This is one of the better-thought-out mineral pairings I’ve seen in this category. Credit.

The MCT Oil (900 mg)

MCT is here as a carrier oil for the fat-soluble ingredients in the soft-gel format. It’s also a mild energy substrate, though 900 mg is not enough MCT to do anything meaningful metabolically. Real MCT dosing for energy or ketogenic support is 15-30 grams (that’s 15,000-30,000 mg). 900 mg is a delivery vehicle. Fine.

The Gamma Oryzanol (50 mg)

Gamma oryzanol is a rice bran extract that had a moment in the 1990s bodybuilding scene when it was claimed to boost testosterone via GH pathway effects. Then researchers actually tested it and found essentially nothing. Underdosed and outdated ingredient.

What’s Missing From this Formula vs Irwin Naturals Testosterone Up Men Over 40

This is where I get frustrated. The Men Over 40 Irwin Naturals Testosterone UP formula has:

Vitamin D3 at 2,000 IU. Real dose.

Boron at 3 mg. Real ingredient with real free-T effects. Low dose but present.

KSM-66 Ashwagandha at 337.5 mg. Underdosed relative to clinical studies (600 mg is the target) but real ingredient.

Vitamin K2 as MK-7 at 50 mcg. Important cofactor for D3.

Fish oil at 550 mg with disclosed EPA/DHA content.

CoQ10 at 50 mg. Useful for men over 40, especially anyone on statins.

This formula stripped all of these out. No D3, no K2, no boron, no ashwagandha, no fish oil, no CoQ10. In exchange, you get more MCT oil, pumpkin seed oil, LJ100 Tongkat Ali, nettle, chrysin, and beta-sitosterol.

Whether this reformulation is an upgrade depends entirely on what you want the product to do. The “Men over 40” formula is more of a “general men’s health with a hormone slant.” This formula is more of a “prostate health and libido with a hormone slant.” Neither one is a serious testosterone booster.

Testosterone Up & Better Sleep/Circadian Health

Having taught hormone optimization through my PowerandBulk 30-Day Anabolic Alchemy program, I see both strengths and limitations in Testosterone UP’s formula when it comes to circadian health. The Ginkgo and Asian Ginseng could support stress management and sleep quality – key factors I cover in Module 7 (Rest & Rise: Boosting T & HGH with Circadian Rhythms).

However, the product lacks crucial circadian-supporting nutrients like Magnesium that I emphasize for deep sleep and optimal testosterone production. While the included MCTs provide clean energy, the formula misses core compounds needed for circadian rhythm repair.

While supplements can support this process, they need proper dosing of research-backed ingredients. Testosterone UP includes some helpful compounds but lacks many essential nutrients I consider fundamental for circadian and hormonal health. The product could work better alongside other targeted supplements to fully support your body’s natural hormone production.

Based on the ingredient list and my research teaching the Anabolic Alchemy program, here are the main circadian-supporting compounds in Testosterone UP:

Ginkgo Extract (120mg):

• May help regulate sleep-wake cycles
• Can reduce cortisol and support stress management
• However, dose is lower than the studied amount of 240mg for sleep benefits

Asian Ginseng (30mg):

• Can improve sleep quality and reduce fatigue
• Helps manage stress which impacts circadian rhythm
• But significantly underdosed (effective range is 200-400mg daily)

MCT Oil (2400mg):

• Provides stable energy throughout the day
• Can help prevent blood sugar crashes that disrupt sleep
• Good dose for basic benefits

BioPerine Complex (6mg):

• Ginger component may help reduce inflammation
• Could support digestion which affects sleep quality
• Standard dose for absorption enhancement

Testosterone UP’s stacking potential and key ingredients:

Best Stacking Options:

• Add Boron (6-9mg) – Works synergistically with Tongkat Ali for free testosterone
• Include Magnesium (400mg) for better sleep/recovery
• Add Vitamin D3 (5000 IU) with K2 for hormone support
• Consider Ashwagandha (600mg) for stress management

Best Overall Stack Based on my Course Research and User Data:

1. Testosterone UP (w LJ100 as base formula)
2. Boron (6mg)
3. Magnesium Glycinate (400mg)
4. Vitamin D3 (5000 IU) + K2
5. Additional Tongkat Ali (100mg) to reach optimal dose

This stack addresses the main deficiencies in the base product while maximizing the benefits of existing ingredients. Results are typically noticeable within 3-4 weeks when combined with proper diet and training.

Bottom Line

Irwin Naturals Testosterone UP is misnamed. It’s a men’s 40+ prostate-and-libido product with a testosterone label. If you buy it expecting bloodwork movement, you’ll be disappointed. If you buy it as a general vitality and prostate-support product with a real, standardized Tongkat Ali (LJ100 at 100 mg is a genuine ingredient at a real dose), it delivers what you’d expect from that positioning.

The reformulation stripped out most of what made the “Men Over 40” version a broad-spectrum men’s supplement. The new version is more specialized but less useful for men who wanted a testosterone-adjacent multivitamin. And at $48 monthly at full dose, it’s expensive for what it delivers.

If you’re 40+ with libido complaints and mild prostate symptoms and you don’t want to build a stack, this is a defensible one-decision purchase. If you’re serious about hormone optimization, buy standalone ingredients with disclosed doses and cycle intelligently. And if you’ve never taken any of these, start with the three basic supplements I use with almost every client before you spend on more exotic formulas.

Irwin Naturals Testosterone UP (w LJ100) V/S Irwin Naturals Testosterone UP Red with Nitric Oxide

Irwin Naturals Testosterone UP and its counterpart, Testosterone UP Red with Nitric Oxide, both aim to boost testosterone levels, but they have distinct formulations tailored for different outcomes.

The Testosterone UP (w LJ100) focuses on a blend that includes Zinc, Pumpkin Seed oil, Nettle extracts, and the notable LJ100 Tongkat Ali, emphasizing testosterone production and overall male vitality. Testosterone UP Red with Nitric Oxide leans more towards enhancing physical performance.

It introduces L-Citrulline, a precursor to Nitric Oxide, which is known to improve blood flow, potentially aiding in muscle growth and recovery. This version also incorporates Fenugreek, which has been linked to increased testosterone levels and improved exercise performance. Additionally, the inclusion of Beet powder, known for its nitrate content, further amplifies its focus on boosting workout performance, muscle recovery, enhanced blood flow.