Another blue sex-pill knock-off.
And just when you thought the blue sex-pill craze was over.
If you haven’t learned by now, the blue sex pills are a thing to avoid. Case in point, the partial reason we’re referring to the blue sex pills as “blue sex pills” is because the Internet has tendency of red flagging articles that sport the actual brand names of blue sex pills (i.e. brands that rhyme with My-Agra) due to their growing sleazy association with sleazy sex-enhancer companies.
So, does Progene fall in line with the blue sex pill crowd or are they making a genuine attempt at something different? Something that actually–oh, I don’t know–works for T?
Table of Contents
About Progene
Progene Daily Complex (not to be confused with the sports nutrition supplement line Progenex) is a daily “non-synthetic” T-booster that’s purported to achieve optimal T level results after 60 days of supplement… But, if we’re being honest, we’re not sure we want to spend 2 months worth of Progene for its results. Formula notes:
- More than Sex: Progene wants more than just sex out of this relationship. It wants to replenish you with nourishing vitamins, minerals, & nutrients as well.
- DHEA: Found more & more in T-booster formulas, despite being banned in some competitive sports–even though it doesn’t effectively boost T for most users.
- Questionable Tactics: Give Progene a quick search online & you’ll find pages & pages of complaints, scam accusations, BBB bitch-slaps and crappy reviews against these manufacturers.
Progene Supplement Facts |
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Serving Size: 2 caplets Servings Per Container: 30 |
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Ingredients | Amount Per Serving |
L-Arginine HCl | 1000 mg |
Tongkat ali 50:1 extract (Eurycoma longifolia jack) (root) | 60 mg |
DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) | 50 mg |
Guarana seed extract | 10 mg |
Progene™ Proprietary Blend (below) | 200 mg |
The Americas and West Indies Saw Palmetto Berry Extract, Damiana Leaf, Sarsaparilla Root, Jamaican Ginger Root, Muira Puama Aerial Parts Extract |
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Asia Eleuthero Root, Korean Ginseng Root, Chinese Red Panax Ginseng Root, Tienchi Ginseng Root (Panax Notoginseng) |
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Europe Oat Straw Extract, Stinging Nettle Extract, Lycopene |
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India Mucuna Pruriens Seed, Withania Somnifera Root, Licorice Root, Tinospora Cordifolia Leaf, Nutmeg Seed, Tribulus Terrestris Root |
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Vitamin A (as retinyl palmitate) | 5000 IU (100% DV) |
Vitamin E (as d-alpha-tocopheryl succinate) | 30 UI (100% DV) |
Thiamin (as thiamin mononitrate) | 1.5 mg (100% DV) |
Riboflavin | 1.7 mg (100% DV) |
Niacin (as niacinamide) | 30 mg (150% DV) |
Vitamin B6 (as pyridoxine HCl) | 10 mg (500% DV) |
Folate (as folic acid) | 400 mcg (100% DV) |
Vitamin B12 (as cyanocobalamin) | 30 mcg (500% DV) |
Biotin | 300 mcg (100% DV) |
Pantothenic acid (as D-calcium pantothenate) | 10 mg (100% DV) |
Zinc (as zinc citrate) | 15 mg (100% DV) |
Other Ingredients: Dicalcium Phosphate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Croscarmellose Sodium, Stearic Acid, Magnesium Stearate, Silica, Film Coat Ingredients: (Polyethylene Glycol, Talc, Hydroxypropyl Cellulose, Polysorbate 80, Propylene Glycol, Titanium Dioxide, Polyvinyl Alcohol, macrogol, Hypromellose), FD&C Blue #2 lake |
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Directions: Take two (2) tablets per day after a meal. Progene daily complex is a non-synthetic formulation that works with your natural body processes and should be taken as part of an ongoing health regimen, optimal results are achieved after 60 days and are maintained with continuous daily use. |
Progene’s herbal multivitamin stacked formula has the whole world in its hands…but does it work?
Aside from pointing out Progene’s unique global labels, there’s an intentional sinister undertone to that statement as well. Because if the pissedconsumer website is any indication, these manufacturers are notty notty.
Which isn’t a huge surprise when you see typical skeazy phrases such as “ORDER NOW – SPECIAL ONLINE ONLY OFFERS” on the product’s website. But before we get into Progene’s potentially bad behavior, let’s take a look at its formula and see how it stacks up on its own:
L-Arginine, 1000 mg
This amino acid is famous among bodybuilding enthusiasts and sex… doers… for its significant benefits on blood flow. Through increasing Nitric Oxide production, L-Arginine seems to help boost vasodilation, leading to more oxygen & nutrients reaching muscle tissue for PWO advantages and to your manly nether regions for enhanced sexual functioning.
Tongkat Ali, 60 mg
On the scale of bad to wonderful, Tongkat Ali is sitting at a safe “Great” for its demonstrated sex-enhancing effects as well as its well-studied support for testosterone & cortisol (stress hormone) levels—one study showing increases of T by 37% and decreases in cortisol by 16%. Although the relatively mild 50:1 extract & low 60 mg dosage are questionable.
DHEA, 50 mg
Thanks to DHEA, Progene qualifies as a banned substance in the eyes of the World Anti-Doping Agency. And thus, competitive athletes are unable to supplement Progene. Which always has us wondering why manufacturers insist on including DHEA in their formulas when it massively limits its target demographic for T-boosts that are practically non-existent.
More often than not, DHEA is sold as a sex-enhancing testosterone booster, but most research seems to suggest that it doesn’t really do a whole lot of anything.
Guarana, 10 mg
If coffee is no longer doing it for you, then it’s time to switch to Guarana, which has even more caffeine than coffee. Other than that it doesn’t seem to do much for male health—at least not for any purposes described by Progene’s manufacturers (the Progene website actually completely glances over the ingredient in its supplement facts description). Guarana makes sense as a fat burner, but not as a test booster; even when used properly it may have some jittery side effects.
Progene Proprietary Blend, 200 mg
Alright, here’s where the fun’s at.
In one of the stranger blends we’ve seen we have 18 ingredients split & identified by their highly-generalized global regions:
- Americas & West Indies. Saw Palmetto, Damiana, Sarsaparillas, Jamaican Ginger Root, Muira Puama.
- Asia. Eleuthero, Korean Ginseng, Chinese Red Panax, Tienchi Ginseng
- Europe. Oat Straw, Stinging Nettle, Lycopene
- India. Mucuna Pruriens, Withania Somnifera, Licorice, Tinospora Cordifolia, Nutmeg, Tribulus Terrestris
From the get go, it’s evident that 200 mg isn’t near enough for these ingredients. 200 mg wouldn’t be enough for Tribulus and it’s the lowest prioritized herb on the list.
Of these ingredients, there’s a few that stand out as qualified T-boosters: Mucuna Pruriens, Withania Somnifera, Oat Straw, Stinging Nettle. As well as a few male-healthy species of Ginseng—the man root for male enhancement, baby.
And there’s a few that stand out as poor choices: Damiana, Licorice, Nutmeg—due to their potential T-inhibiting and/or estrogen-promoting capabilities.
But, all-in-all, we simply lack confidence in this blend for its poor, strange design & inadequate dosage supply. We’re not entirely sure what Progene is going for here. Maybe they’re trying to heal the world or some similar jazz…
Vitamins & Minerals
In a T-boosting formula, the main Vitamins & Minerals that should excite you are Zinc, Vitamin D, Boron, Magnesium, & Vitamin B6. Progene manages to sneak two them in here (Zinc & Vitamin B6)—one of which tops our BIG LIST of T-Boosters (Zinc).
If a T-booster wants to stack up the vitamins & minerals, that’s cool with us. We can’t say it ever really hurts. Progene surprises with a few top notch vitamin & mineral forms here (e.g. Zinc’s high quality citrate form), but misses out on an easy ZMA combo by forgetting to include Magnesium.
But, eh… what can ya do.
Formula Analysis
Okay, here’s the key points on Progene:
- Its formula isn’t bad overall–minus the practically useless prop blend.
- DHEA disqualifies it as a bona fide athletic supplement.
- The manufacturers are up to some sneaky business.
We’ve gone through the first two points already. Let us explain the 3rd one now.
If you search Progene, you’ll find the Progene Testosterone Kit. Odds are there’s a good chance you made it to this formula review under the presumption that this is a discussion/explanation/review of the Testosterone Kit itself. Because there’s a lot of confusion on the Internet over what exactly it is and how it relates to the Progene formula.
How this seems to have panned out, according to many disgruntled users, is that if any of the vaguely defined rules are broken, then Progene inexplicably charges the consumer upwards of $150. Subsequent calls to customer service seem to offer no explanation or help.
This has led to many a user calling out “SCAM”, but in all honesty it’s had to tell who’s at fault here: Progene’s strange T-testing system or the users not following the rules (although, some complained of being charged for following the rules).
Of course, Progene users don’t have to use the Testosterone Kit with the Testosterone Booster, but it still throws up some major RED flags on a formula that’s pretty sub-par (and strange as well). If you can order Progene through a 3rd party retailer (GNC, for instance), then go for it. Otherwise, we’d recommend staying away from directly lending your credit card info to Progene.
That would be… unwise.
Progene Benefits
We’re going to hit you 3 BIG words, dood:
- Power
- Performance
- Passion
Those are the 3 “P”s that Progene claims to restore. And to some degree it very well might—although, “Passion” is pretty weird & creepy benefit to claim. On the whole, we can’t imagine Progene doing a whole lot other than making you feel kind of good. Although, who doesn’t want to feel kind of good, ya know?
Who Takes It?
20+ Year Olds. According to Progene, after you turn 20, T drops by 1-2% every year. That’s simply not true: You have more years after 20 to enjoy your peak T levels. We’d mark 30 as the age to expect some early symptoms of T-decline and to start considering restorative T-boosters and 35-40 as the years to start officially supplementing them.
Any Side Effects?
None reported. And we can’t imagine Progene having any significant serious side effects.
The only thing to watch out for is the assumed Caffeine content in Guarana, especially if you’re sensitive to stimulants. Plus, the pills are pretty big, so don’t, like, choke on them or something. That’d be bad, mmkay.
Progene Summary
Pros
- B5 Favorites. Mucuna Pruriens & Zinc sit in our Top 5 T-boosters.
- Diverse Bio-Activity. Progene hits different angles on male health & energy.
- Vitamins & Minerals. Not all necessary, but not bad either.
Cons
- Prop Blend BS. This is one of the worst structured blends we’ve seen.
- Questionable Additions. DHEA? Licorice? Guarana? Por qué, Progene?
- Questionable Tactics. The Progene team has a bad reputation with consumers.
Pricing & Buying Info
- 1 Bottle (1 month): $59.95
- 3 Bottles (3 months): $129.95
- 6 Bottles (6 months): $209.85
- Available to buy online and in retail stores
Final Word on Progene
There are definitely worse supplements than Progene. But there are also plenty of AWESOMER T-boosters that seem A) More effective, and B) Less risky (financially speaking). If you’re looking for a mildly energizing, mildly sex-enhancing pill (that likely fails at T due to low dosage), then Progene might be your supplement. Otherwise, we may have to pass on this one (and definitely pass on the Progene Testosterone Kit).
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