Pine pollen bodybuilding talk usually starts with one claim: a pine tree makes testosterone. That part is on record, in a 1971 lab paper. Since then two small studies have measured what a pine pollen tincture did to testosterone in men, and lifters on training forums have compared notes on drive, morning wood and how switched on they feel for a session. For a man who trains, the appeal is a dropper under the tongue in the car park, with no extra tub on the shelf.
Pine pollen bodybuilding started with a 1971 lab result
In 1971, M. Šaden-Krehula and two colleagues published a short paper in the Swiss journal Experientia. They had analysed the pollen of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and isolated testosterone, epitestosterone and androstenedione from it. It was the first time those androgens had been found in a plant.
That paper is the reason lifters started looking at pine pollen. The pollen itself has a much longer history. In China it is song hua fen (松花粉), recorded in herbal texts since the Tang dynasty and listed in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia (2020 edition). In Korea it goes into songhwa dasik tea cakes and songhwa-milsu, a pollen and honey drink. For the full background on the plant, read our guide to pine pollen.
Does pine pollen increase testosterone?
Two pilot studies have measured it in men, both run by the same group (Neil Wolkodoff, Gerald Haase, Robert Mordkin and Stacy Beal) and both published in the Annals of Clinical and Medical Case Reports. In each, the men held a pine pollen tincture under the tongue, half a dropper in the morning and half in the evening, five days on and two days off, for eight weeks.
The 2024 study, older men
Ten men aged 47 to 78 finished the trial. Their average total testosterone went from 362.5 to 448.4 ng/dL, a rise of 85.9 ng/dL, and nine of the ten men went up. Their average qADAM score rose from 23.9 to 31.7. The qADAM is a questionnaire on the things men notice when testosterone runs low, and two of its ten questions are aimed squarely at the gym: one asks about strength and endurance, the other about your ability to play sports.
The 2025 study, men aged 25 to 50
The second study is closer to the age of most men reading a bodybuilding forum. Eleven men aged 25 to 50 (average age 40) finished it. Their average free testosterone went from 10.48 to 11.72 ng/dL, about 12% higher. SHBG, the blood protein that binds testosterone and holds it out of circulation, fell from 29.1 to 27.4 nmol/L. Free testosterone is the unbound share. Scores on the study's symptom questionnaire, which covered drive and sexual function, rose from 28.36 to 39.55, and no allergic reactions or adverse events were recorded.
Total testosterone rose from 362.5 to 448.4 ng/dL in 8 weeks.
What lifters say they notice
Forum threads give a rougher picture, written by men in the middle of a training block. In a 2021 thread on Low Toxin Forum, one member who took a scoop of pollen a day for a week reported higher libido and better morning wood. In the same thread, another member wrote that powder did nothing for him, while a strong alcohol tincture gave him a lift in energy he described as great for pre-workout. A third reported slightly better gym performance. On AnabolicMinds the same year, men compared stacking pine pollen with their other testosterone products, and the view that a tincture is stronger than raw pollen came up again.
Across these threads the reports cluster around the same few things: more drive, morning erections coming back, and feeling switched on for the session. They line up with what the questionnaires in both studies asked about.
Tincture, powder or capsules for a man who trains
Pine pollen is sold three ways. For a lifter the choice comes down to what you will take every day for two months.
- Tincture. Both published pilot studies used a tincture held under the tongue, so it is the form the numbers above come from. A dropper takes under a minute and needs no water, shaker or scoop.
- Powder. Raw pollen has a tough outer wall, so look for cracked cell. It has to be mixed into something, and the dust gets everywhere in a gym bag.
- Capsules. A supplement maker on AnabolicMinds pointed out that a useful amount of pollen takes so many capsules that it rarely fits in a blend. You end up swallowing a handful.
Glass counts too, because pollen extract left in clear plastic sits in light every time the bag is open. Dark amber glass is a step in the right direction. The gold standard is dark Miron glass, which is what Mara uses.
Mara's Pine Pollen is a spagyric tincture of wild-harvested, cracked-cell Pinus radiata pollen. Spagyric means 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. It tastes soft and lightly earthy, with a faint sweetness, so it goes down easily before a heavy session or into a shake.
Pine Pollen – Spagyric Pine Pollen Tincture
50 ml dropper bottle. Wild-harvested, cracked-cell Pinus radiata pollen.
Add to bagPine pollen before a workout, or with the morning shake
Men who train tend to tie it to something they already do every day. The two common slots:
- Before the session. Put a dropper under the tongue in the changing room or the car park, hold it 20 to 30 seconds, then swallow. The 50 ml bottle fits in the side pocket of a gym bag.
- With the morning shake. Squeeze a dropper into the protein shake, a smoothie, juice or water and drink it with breakfast. Rest days stay the same as training days.
Mara's directions are 1 to 2 droppers a day. At that rate one bottle lasts 30 to 50 days, which covers a standard eight-week training block with two bottles. If you want to copy the study schedule, that was half a dropper morning and evening, five days on and two off. For the wider picture on why men take it outside the gym, see pine pollen for men.
Pine Pollen considerations
The product page recommendation: "Contains alcohol. If you're pregnant, nursing or taking medication, ask your doctor before using it."
Questions lifters ask
Does pine pollen increase testosterone?
In a 2024 pilot study, 10 men taking a pine pollen tincture for 8 weeks went from an average total testosterone of 362.5 to 448.4 ng/dL. In a 2025 pilot in 11 men aged 25 to 50, average free testosterone rose from 10.48 to 11.72 ng/dL and SHBG fell.
Should I take pine pollen before a workout?
Many lifters do, with a dropper under the tongue before the session. Others take it with breakfast. Pick the slot you will keep to every day, including rest days.
Can I mix pine pollen tincture into a protein shake?
Yes. Mara's directions list water, tea, juice or a smoothie, and a shake works the same way.
How many bottles for an 8 week cycle?
At 1 to 2 droppers a day a 50 ml bottle lasts 30 to 50 days, so two bottles cover eight weeks.
Is pine pollen for gym use the same thing as song hua fen?
It is the same kind of product, pollen from male pine cones. Mara's comes from Pinus radiata, while Chinese song hua fen usually comes from Pinus massoniana and related species.
