Pine Pollen Before and After (What Changed in 8 Weeks)

A man searching pine pollen before and after wants numbers. He wants to know what his blood work and his mornings looked like before the first dropper, and what they looked like eight weeks later. Two small pilot studies have measured exactly that in men, and the men who take pine pollen every day describe the change in their own words. This page puts both side by side, then shows you how to record your own before and after so you're working from your own numbers.

Pine pollen before and after, measured in two studies

Both studies came from the same research team and were published in Annals of Clinical and Medical Case Reports. Both gave men a pine pollen tincture under the tongue, 1 mL a day split between morning and evening, five days on and two days off. Both ran for 8 weeks, with blood drawn at the start and at the end.

Pine pollen testosterone before and after, men aged 47 to 78

Neil Wolkodoff led the first study, with Gerald Haase, Robert Mordkin and Stacy Beal. Ten men finished it. Their average age was 63.

• Total testosterone before: 362.5 ng/dL. After 8 weeks: 448.4 ng/dL.
• qADAM score before: 23.9. After 8 weeks: 31.7.

The qADAM is a questionnaire for ageing men that scores sex drive, erections, energy, mood and strength. Every one of the ten men scored higher at the end than at the start. The biggest single jump in testosterone came from a man who went from 282 to 703 ng/dL. Another went from 469 to 616. A third, whose testosterone held at 316, still saw his qADAM score climb by 13 points.

Men aged 25 to 50, the 2025 study

The second study, published in May 2025 with Haase as lead author, recruited younger men and kept the same schedule. Eleven men completed the 8 weeks, with an average age of about 40.

• Free testosterone before: 10.48 ng/dL. After: 11.72 ng/dL, about 12% higher.
• SHBG before: 29.1 nmol/L. After: 27.4 nmol/L.
• Symptom questionnaire score before: 28.36. After: 39.55.

Free testosterone is the share in your blood that isn't bound up by proteins. SHBG (sex hormone binding globulin) is the main protein that binds it, so a lower SHBG reading sits next to more free testosterone in the same sample. The researchers reported that 10 of the 11 men scored better at the end on the questionnaire, which covers quality of life and sexual function.

For the bigger picture (where the pollen comes from, the 1971 lab finding in Scots pine, and centuries of use in China and Korea) read our complete guide to pine pollen.

What men report over the weeks

Blood work comes twice in a study. Your mornings come every day, and that is where men say they notice it first. The most common report is stronger morning wood. The second is more drive, which men describe both ways: more interest in sex, and more push to get to the gym or finish the job on the list.

The study men took their tincture five days a week for 8 weeks without a break in the schedule. If you want a before and after you can trust, copy that. A dropper on Monday and another the following Saturday won't give you anything to compare.

If you're weighing pine pollen against the other things men take for drive and training, our post on pine pollen for men covers what men use it for and how they fit it into a week.

Track your own pine pollen results

The study men had lab tests and questionnaires. The most useful before and after is your own, and it takes about a minute a day to record. Start a note on your phone the week before your first dropper, so you have a baseline.

1. Every morning, mark morning wood yes or no, and rate it 1 to 5.
2. Rate your drive for the day 1 to 5 (sex, work, training, whatever you'd call drive).
3. Rate your energy at 3 pm, 1 to 5. Afternoon is where a flat day shows.
4. Log your main training numbers: a top set on squat or bench, a run time, or reps at a fixed weight.
5. Optional: get a blood test before you start and again at 8 weeks. Ask for total testosterone, free testosterone and SHBG, the same three markers the studies measured. Book both draws at the same time of morning, since testosterone runs highest early in the day.

At week 4 and week 8, average each column and compare it to your baseline week. Write the numbers down. A week of 2s turning into a week of 4s is easier to see on paper than in memory.

Keep the rest of your life steady while you track. Same sleep window, same training plan, roughly the same diet. Change three things at once and you won't know which one moved your numbers.

How to take the tincture every day

Both pilot studies used a tincture under the tongue. The routine with Mara's Pine Pollen is close to theirs and takes under a minute.

• Take 1 to 2 droppers a day.
• Hold it under the tongue for 20 to 30 seconds, then swallow.
• Or stir it into water, coffee or a smoothie if you'd rather drink it.

The taste is soft and lightly earthy, with a faint sweetness. Most men take it first thing, before coffee, so it becomes part of the same five minutes as brushing their teeth. A 50 ml bottle lasts 30 to 50 days at that rate, which covers the full 8 week tracking window with two bottles.

Mara's Pine Pollen is wild-harvested Pinus radiata pollen, cracked cell. Each pollen grain has a hard outer wall, and cracking it opens the grain up before extraction. The tincture is spagyric. The pollen is extracted, then the minerals left behind are returned to the liquid, so the whole plant ends up in the bottle. Simple ingredients: premium quality extract.

Look at the glass, too. Light breaks down plant extracts over time. Dark amber glass is a step in the right direction, but the gold standard is dark Miron glass, which keeps light off the extract. That is what Mara uses for Pine Pollen, so the last dropper in week 8 is kept in the same dark bottle as the first.

Pine Pollen considerations

Our recommendation: "Contains alcohol. If you're pregnant, nursing or taking medication, ask your doctor before using it."

Questions people ask

What are the results of pine pollen for men?

In the 2024 pilot, 10 men's average total testosterone went from 362.5 to 448.4 ng/dL over 8 weeks, and their qADAM score went from 23.9 to 31.7. Men who take it daily most often report stronger morning wood and more drive.

Did free testosterone change in the pine pollen studies?

Yes. In the 2025 pilot, 11 men aged 25 to 50 went from 10.48 to 11.72 ng/dL of free testosterone, and SHBG fell from 29.1 to 27.4 nmol/L.

What blood test should I get before and after pine pollen?

Ask for total testosterone, free testosterone and SHBG, the markers the two studies measured. Take the first test before you start and the second at 8 weeks, both early in the morning.

How many bottles do I need for an 8 week before and after?

Two. A 50 ml bottle lasts 30 to 50 days at 1 to 2 droppers a day.