Andrew Huberman is a fairly new entry into the world of biohacking and performance enhancement, gaining popularity recently after his appearance on episode 1513 of the Joe Rogan Experience back in 2020, and then again on episode 1683 in July 2021.

Despite only gaining mainstream popularity recently, Andrew has been involved in the world of neuroscience for quite some time. He is a tenured Professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine, and has a Ph. D. in neuroscience from UC Davis.

Andrew actually started his own podcast back in January of 2021 (Huberman Lab) which has since become one of our favorites. He dives into a number of different topics spanning from psychedelic medicine to stress management to testosterone therapy.

Between his own podcast, his appearances on JRE, and the loads of other media and information he’s released, there’s a lot to sift through in order to distill down Andrew Huberman’s top recommendations for supplements and nutrition protocols.

Lucky for you, that’s exactly what we’ve done here.

*Where a particular brand of the given supplement isn’t known, we’ve substituted and starred our own top recommendation.

You’ll find a comprehensive breakdown of the supplements Andrew Huberman has mentioned that he uses below (along with why he uses them), including those related to: 

• Improving sleep quality
• Mitigating stress
• Boosting testosterone
• Improving cognitive performance

Before we get into the full breakdown however, we’ve included a summary here. You can also jump to individual sections using the table of contents below the summary.  

Supplements Summary

Stack For Improving Sleep Quality (all three taken together 30 minutes before bed):

• Magenesium L-Threonate – 140mg
• Theanine – 100-300mg
• Apigenin – 50mg

Reducing Stress (as needed): 

• Ashwagandha – 100-500mg taken as needed

Testosterone Boosting Stack (taken together in the morning/with first meal):

• Tongkat Ali – 400mg per day
• Fadogia Agrestis – 425mg per day

Enhancing Cognitive Function (taken separately or together as needed):

• Alpha-GPC – 300mg
• L-Tyrosine – 500mg
• Phenylethylamine (PEA) – 500mg

Supplements Andrew Avoids:

• Melatonin
• 5-HTP, Tryptophan, Serotonin

Andrew Huberman Supplements Analysis – What He Takes & Why

Andrew Huberman Supplements for Sleep Quality

Good quality sleep is critically important to human performance, as it can have direct impacts on testosterone levels, dopamine levels, metabolism, and more. When it comes to Andrew Huberman, he stresses that ideally you want to be able to fall asleep naturally without assistance, and notes that avoiding stimulants later in the day as well as not using blue-light emitting screens late in the day can aid with this.

Unfortunately we don’t all have that luxury however, and for those of us who struggle to fall asleep and sleep soundly through the night Andrew is quick to point out that there are alternative options to taking sleeping medication such as Ambien, as these medications can lead to side effects and even addiction.

In episode 28 of his podcast, Andrew dives into supplements for sleep improvement and notes that he takes the following stack of supplements together about an hour before bed, and that they’ve had an amazing effect so far:

• Magenesium L-Threonate – 140mg
• Theanine – 100-300mg
• Apigenin – 50mg

Magnesium L-Threonate

Magnesium in general is an underrated supplement in general as it’s involved in over 600 enzymatic reactions in the human body, effecting everything from your digestion to your dopamine production.

Specific to sleep, Andrew explains on his podcast that magnesium supplementation can activate the parasympathetic nerve system which is responsible for slowing heart rate, relaxing muscles, and producing an overall calming effect.

Andrew personally uses magnesium in l-threonate form, but notes that bisglycinate works as well as both can pass easily through the blood-brain barrier. Our favorite brand of l-threonate is this one from Double Wood Supplements.

Theanine

Theanine is an amino acid commonly found in tea, which can have a calming effect on mood when consumed. It does this in part through increasing ‘alpha brain waves’ – a type of brain wave associated with calm and relaxation. This is opposed to Beta and Gamma brain waves which have been shown to be associated with alertness and problem solving.

Andrew notes that theanine can increase the vividness of dreams, and as such may not be suitable for people prone to night terrors or sleep walking. Also, he has said that for around 10% of the population theanine will actually keep them up, so if you’re among this group you’ll want to drop it from the stack.

Otherwise, Andrew recommends that 100-300mg of theanine included an hour before bed can lead to easier and deeper sleep. We prefer Jarrow Formulas Theanine as it’s a reputable source and fairly priced.

Apigenin

Apigenin is one of the active ingredients in chamomile tea, and according to Andrew can help promote sleep onset and deeper sleep throughout the night.

Andrew does importantly note that apigenin can have an estrogen suppressing effect, and that he doesn’t think women should take it. For men it is also important to regularly get your blood work done and if you do see too low levels of estrogen you’ll want to drop apigenin from the stack.

Other than that however, we’ve also found apigenin to be a valuable tool for better sleep, and prefer these 50mg capsules from Swanson.

Andrew Huberman Supplements for Reducing Stress

Ashwaghandha

Ashwaghandha is a well known compound in ayurvedic medicine which has a variety of uses for performance enhancement. It’s a plan that grows natively on the Indian sub-continent and has been used for over 3,000 years.

Andrew explained in this ‘Tools For Managing Stress & Anxiety‘ video that he occasionally uses ashwaghandha during stressful periods. noting that there is significant research confirming the cortisol reducing effect of the compound. Specifically, randomized controlled studies have shown a 20% reduction in cortisol and a 40% reduction in perceived stress compared to placebo.  

Andrew recommends a dose range of anywhere from 100-500mg per day depending on the person and the desired effects, however he does note that he doesn’t like to take ashwaghandha for extended periods of time due to the fact that you can build up a dependence and/or tolerance to it. 

We’ve found Life Extensions 125mg Ashwaghandha capsules to be our favorite option for supplementation as they offer smaller doses per capsule allowing you to adjust as needed. They also source their ingredients from reputable locations.

Andrew Huberman Supplements for Boosting Testosterone

One of the elements that stood out most from Andrew’s appearance on Joe Rogan’s podcast was his mention of supplements that have a proven effect on boosting testosterone. Despite the hundreds of products that you can find for sale that claim to boost test, most of them are filled with ingredients that have little to no actual evidence to support their claim. If anything they typically have been shown to have a minimal boosting effect that wouldn’t actually have a noticeable difference in your physique.

These supplements then rely on good advertising to promote sales, often featuring models who are almost certainly using anabolics to “boost” their test as opposed to the product they’re advertising.

That’s why it was interesting when Andrew mentioned two substances that he says have proven clinical effects on testosterone: Tongkat Ali and Fadogia Agrestis. 

Aside from the clinical evidence he gives, he also points to his own self-experimentation where after he started taking these two supplements, his total testosterone levels went from around 600ng/dl up about 200 points to the high 700/low 800 range. That’s a significant boost and one that’s generally unattainable with anything other than exogenous testosterone or testosterone derivative injections. 

Tongkat Ali

Tongkat Ali powder is derived from a plan native to Southeast Asia and it’s been used in that part of the world for centuries in many different applications.

Andrew explains that a dose of 400mg per day of Tongkat Ali can have a significant effect on testosterone levels, suggesting that:

• Users should try to take it early in the day as it can have a mild stimulant effect
• It’s fine to take on an empty stomach for most people.
• Taking it regularly on a daily basis is the most effective strategy as the effects seem to build up and increase into the second and third months of use.
• There is no need to cycle on and off of it (as with anabolics) since the compound is boosting your bodies natural production instead of supplementing it exogenously.

Our favorite brand of Tongkat Ali are these capsules from Double Wood supplements. One note – these actually offer a higher dose (510mg) than the 400mg Andrew notes, but we’ve seen no negative side effects to that after months of daily supplementation.

Fadogia Agrestis

Fadogia Agrestis is another plant based compound which Andrew has described has a noticeable effect on boosting testosterone. Native to Nigeria where it is used in herbal medicine, Fadogia Agrestis acts as a luteneizing hormone mimic, stimulating the testes to product more testosterone.

Andrew also notes that he noticed no significant increase in estrogen after using the supplement, or any down-regulation in normal lutenizing hormone production. And just as with Tongkat Ali, Fadogia needs no cycle-off period as it is only boosting your bodies natural production.

He has recommended a dose of 400-500mg per day as adequate and uses these capsules from Barlowe’s Elixirs as a great source.

Andrew Huberman Supplements for Boosting Cognitive Function

Alpha-GPC – Boosting Energy and Concentration

When it comes to powering through hard work or workout sessions, one of Andrew mentioned on Tim Ferriss’s podcast episode #521 that one of his favorite cognitive boosters is Alpha-GPC. If he really wants to push through a hard session he’ll take 300mg prior and then drink some coffee or yerba mate along with it.

We prefer to use these 300mg Alpha-GPC capsules from Toniiq – note that the dose is listed at 600mg total but each capsule is only 300mg.

L-Tyrosine – Enhancing Focus

Andrew mentioned on this podcast with Kevin Rose that he occasionally will use 500mg of L-Tyrosine to increase focus and attention. 

L-Tyrosine is a precursor to dopamine and Andrew finds that it enhances his focus and ‘flow state’. He does notes however that it is prone to causing a crash after the effects wear off, and also says that you don’t want to use it when you’re already sleep deprived.

Andrew recommends Thorne Research L-Tyrosine capsules which are reputably sourced and conveniently offer 500mg per serving.

Phenylethylamine (PEA) – Enhancing Focus

Phenylethylamine (PEA for short) is a supplement that naturally increases dopamine levels in the brain. It’s commonly found in chocolate as well as some other foods. 

Andrew has mentioned that he occasionally takes PEA to enhance his focus and boost work production, noting that he takes it about once a week. 

He stacks 500mg of PEA with 300mg of Alpha-GPC which leads to a sharp and transient increase in dopamine that lasts around 30-45 minutes.

PEA supplements can be hard to find (and easily confused with phenylalanine, which is an entirely different compuond with different effects) but we’ve found a good source with these capsules from LiveLong Nutrition.

Supplements Andrew Huberman Avoids

Melatonin

This is an interesting one, because even though melatonin is one of the most widely-used sleep supplements on the market (Rhonda Patrick recommends taking around 10mg before bed), Andrew actually avoids it.

He explains that this is because of it’s affect on sex steroid hormones – the pathways related to testosterone and estrogen – and not wanting to interfere with them. He discussed this with sleep expert Matthew Walker on his recent podcast, noting that recent meta-analysis in healthy non-elderly adults showed melatonin only increased sleep time by 3.9 minutes on average.

In their discussion, Matthew suggests that the most robust benefits are seen in the 60+ age range due to the fact that our melatonin production slows with age.

5-HTP, Tryptophan & Seratonin

Andrew mentions on that same podcast with Matthew Walker that he avoids taking 5-HTP, tryptophan, or seratonin for sleep. He finds that with those three supplements he falls asleep easily but has extremely vivid dreams, and then wakes up around three hours later and can’t fall back to sleep. 

To quote him from the podcast, “I can anecdotally say, when I’ve taken tryptophan, the precursor to seratonin itself, I have a horendous nights sleep…and I experience several days of insomnia.”