SA3X: Spilanthes Acmella Male Enhancement Ingredient by NutraShure

Male Enhancement

In recent years, the popularity of ingredients to promote male enhancement has found itself steadily increasing. While most testosterone-boosting ingredients simply do not have adequate amounts of research to back up their claims, SA3X by NutraShure stands out amongst the rest.

SA3X is a plant-based, trademarked ingredient derived from Spilanthes acmella. For centuries, it's been used in Ayuverdic medicine to promote men's sexual health and performance. It wasn't until 2015 that the use of Spilanthes was highly popularized; however, at that time, research was primarily limited to animal studies. While those studies were indeed promising, it's uncertain whether the documented benefits would carry over in human subjects. But now, that's changed.

Human Studies

In 2021 and 2022, four new human studies put the proposed benefits of SA3X to the test, and the findings are nothing short of spectacular. All four studies reported significant increases in testosterone for subjects who had consumed SA3X. Not generic Spilanthes acmella... SA3X. The fact that these studies were all conducted on SA3X may appear marginal to the general public, but for us supplement guru's, it means everything. No two extracts are entirely the same, and while some benefits may translate from strain-to-strain, that's not always the case.

Let's take a deeper dive into the beauty behind all four of these studies, shall we?

Study #1: Evaluation of Spilanthes acmella on Male Enhancement

218 males consumed 500mg SA3X per day over the course of 8 weeks. At three different times throughout the study, before initiation, three weeks and two months, the authors assessed several aspects of sexual health. These included frequency of sexual intercourse and erection duration. In addition, aspects of muscle gain were also assessed at those same time intervals by measuring upper-arm circumference, chest circumference, and thigh circumference.

Read the full study here 

Results

Most notably, subjects experienced a significant increase in erection duration by over 20% and frequency of sexual intercourse nearly doubled from 3.21 times per week to 6.23.

Subjects also experienced significant increases in upper arm circumference and overall body mass. At the same time, chest circumference, thigh circumference, and caloric intake all slightly increased as well.

We love it! These findings suggests that SA3X proves to act as an aphrodisiac and potential muscle gainer. It's important to note that this study does pose one notable limitation; it was conducted in a longitudinal design. While longitudinal studies aren't considered the gold standard when it comes to research, they do offer valuable insight into the potential benefits of the ingredient at hand.

In case you're wondering what is considered the gold standard for research design, that would be a randomized-controlled trial. And lucky for you, we now have exactly that. 

Study #2: SA3X for Management of Erectile Dysfunction

The second of these studies gets a bit fancy. We say that because it's conducted in triple-blind fashion. As most randomized-controlled trials are conducted in double-blind fashion, this study takes things a step further. In a double-blind study, both the subjects and researchers are "blinded" of which treatment group they've been assigned to. However, in a triple-blind study, the subjects, researchers, and data analysts are all blinded. Neat!

445 men with erectile dysfunction between the ages of 18-45 either consumed 500mg SA3X or placebo every day for a month. At three different times; baseline, at the completion of supplementation, and one month after cessation of supplementation, subjects completed the Mens Sexual Health Questionnaire (MSHQ) to assess sexual health and satisfaction; subjects also completed the International Index of Erectile Dysfunction (IIEF) to assess the duration of their erections.

Read the full study here 

Results

Astounding! The group who had consumed SA3X throughout the study experienced an average MSHQ score increase of 85%. Subjects who had consumed SA3X also experienced a significant increase in IIEF scores as well, with mean increases in erection duration of 7.68 minutes at the time of completion and 8.23 minutes one month after cessation of SA3X! Yes, you read that right. The effects of SA3X are so strong, that the benefits continued to increase even after a month of discontinuing SA3X supplementation. Now if that's not convincing... we don't know what is.

Study #3: Testosterone Levels Following Three Months SA3X Supplementation

The third of these studies is another longitudinal study conducted over the course of three months that set out to assess the changes in testosterone levels in subjects with erectile dysfunction.  

326 sexually active men aged 25-60 took 500mg SA3X in capsule form each day for three months; participants were classified under two groups:

1. Group A: participants who had less than 300ng/dl serum testosterone at the start of the study 
2. Group B: participants who had more than 300ng/dl serum testosterone at the start of the study

Serum testosterone levels were then assessed each month and then again six months after the initiation of treatment (three months after cessation of SA3X supplementation). 

Read the full study here

Results

Again... astounding! The longer the subjects took SA3X, the higher their serum testosterone levels rose. Group A experienced an average increase in serum testosterone of 26.46ng/dl after three months, while Group B experienced an average increase of 19.11ng/dl.

While again, this is indeed a longitudinal study and not quite the gold standard when it comes to research studies, it does pose some valuable feedback. However, this study also notes that there are some confounding factors that may play a role in testosterone levels; these include drug interactions, comorbid conditions, and history of substance abuse. Most notably, subjects who consumed PDE-5 inhibitors along with SA3X experienced even greater increases in testosterone levels. For those whom are unaware of PDE-5 inhibitors (Sildenafil, vardenafil, tadalafil, and avanafil), they're amongst the most common erectile dysfunction medications in the field. So, this study suggests that SA3X increases serum testosterone levels in men with ED, and also further increases serum testosterone levels when SA3X is paired with PDE-5 inhibitors. Neat!

Study #4: SA3X Supplementation on Serum Testosterone Levels in Males With Erectile Dysfunction

The fourth and final SA3X study on male enhancement was conducted in a parallel double-blind randomized controlled trial, which we love to see. The objective: determine whether SA3X supplementation improves serum testosterone levels in subjects diagnosed with erectile dysfunction and low testosterone levels.

215 males either consumed 500mg SA3X therapy or placebo over the course of three months. Changes in serum testosterone levels were assessed at baseline, 1 month, 2 months, 3 months, and 6 months (three months after completion of SA3X therapy). To add on, participants also completed the MSHQ and IIEF prior to SA3X treatment and following SA3X treatment. 

Read the full study here

Results

SAX3 treatment significantly increased serum testosterone levels 21.89ng/dl in the treatment group, as opposed to 1.89ng.dl in the placebo group. Elevated testosterone levels from baseline were maintained (18.69ng/dl from baseline) even after three months upon discontinuation of SA3X treatment! MSHQ and IIEF scores also significantly increased in the SA3X group.

This is great news! Few, if any male enhancement ingredients have the level of documentation on their benefits as does SA3X. As supplements to improve mens health are becoming more and more popular, expect to see SA3X included within their formulas.