Semenax is a sexual enhancement supplement for men used to increase semen volume. The brand describes the supplement as "clinically proven" and suggests it not only affects semen volume but also orgasm intensity and orgasm control.
But is Semenax actually proven in research studies to be effective, or are these just marketing claims? Does the supplement contain research-backed ingredients for semen improvements and improved sexual function? Does it contain any questionable ingredients that may cause side effects? And why do we recommend avoiding its manufacturer?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more as we analyze the ingredients in Semenax based on medical studies to give our take on whether the supplement is likely to be effective, or if it's a waste of money.
We'll share our concerns about the brand's claims of clinical efficacy, explain our concerns about the product's manufacturer and share some research-backed natural alternatives that may be a better choice.
Ingredient Analysis
At the time of updating this article, Semenax fails to clearly publish all of the ingredients (both active and inactive) along with their associated doses on the product page of the brand's website.
This is a major red flag of a low-quality brand, and we strongly recommend that consumers avoid supplements without a clearly-published Supplement Facts label.
As shown above, Semenax lists certain active ingredients on their website.
L-arginine HCL is an amino acid with a hydrogen chloride molecule attached. The brand claims that this ingredient can double sperm volume, but this claim is not cited and we can't find any evidence of it.
Epimedium sagittatum, more commonly known as horny goat weed, is also included in Semenax. The brand claims that this ingredient can increase testosterone levels.
We published a horny goat weed reviews article recently reviewing all available medical studies on this plant, and we didn't locate any studies showing that horny goat weed increases testosterone in humans.
Maca is another active ingredient in Semenax, and the fact that raw maca is used is another red flag of a low-quality brand in our opinion.
Maca is essentially indigestible; composed of complex starches that need to be cooked, which is why high-quality supplement brands use gelatinized maca rather than raw maca. Consuming raw maca is like consuming a raw potato, and can cause indigestion.
Swedish flower pollen is an active ingredient that Semenax claims provides “extra vim, vigor, and volume.”
We cannot locate one single clinical trial on "Swedish flower pollen" in humans, and thus will consider this ingredient likely ineffective.
Vitamin E is also included, and we cannot identify any medical research suggesting that vitamin E supplementation increases seminal volume or orgasm intensity, so we will consider this another ineffective ingredient.
Overall, we do not consider Semenax likely to improve semen volume or orgasm intensity, because we're unable to identify any active ingredients in this formulation shown to do so in medical studies.
The brand fails to cite any clinical trials proving their many questionable health claims, so we don't understand why anyone would use this supplement.
But what about the brand's claim that the supplement is "clinically proven" to work? We'll share our concerns in the next section.
Questionable Clinical Trial Claims
As shown above, Semenax claims that their products are “clinically proven” to increase semen volume and orgasm intensity.
On a page on the Semenax website titled "Clinical Studies," the brand links to a clinical trial conducted by a for-profit research firm called Vedic Lifesciences Pvt. Ltd.
Leading Edge Health, the manufacturer of Semenax, is listed as the study sponsor.
This clinical trial does not appear to be published in any peer-reviewed medical journals, and we recommend that consumers entirely disregard claims of clinical efficacy made by brands based on self-funded trials that are not published in reputable journals.
There is too much potential bias in the process for the results to have any value in our opinion.
Clinical trials published in peer-reviewed medical journals are the gold standard of product research, because there is a high bar for the quality of study design.
Semenax's own study reports no change to semen parameters: "Mean change from Baseline to [end of trial], in semen parameters was not statistically significant within or across 2 treatment arms."
We find it strange that Semenax's website titles the page "Clinical Studies," when there only appears to be one single company-funded study that's the basis for all of the health claims.
Can You Naturally Improve Sperm Count?
A YouTube video published by the "Infertility TV" channel (which is run by a doctor) discusses how to potentially increase sperm count with lifestyle changes:
Our Concerns About Semenax Manufacturer
As referenced previously, Semenax is manufactured by a company called Leading Edge Health.
This company manufactures a range of sexual enhancement and erectile dysfunction (ED) supplements, two of which (Erectin and ExtenZe) we've previously reviewed on Illuminate Health.
As we documented in our Erectin reviews article, Leading Edge Health continues to make unproven health claims and fails to clearly publish ingredient doses (which is a consumer safety issue) across all of their products.
We strongly advise consumers to avoid all supplements sold by Leading Edge Health, and we urge the FTC and the FDA to investigate this company's specific treatment claims.
Can Ginseng Improve Sexual Function in Men?
Panax ginseng has been studied in multiple clinical trials for its potential to naturally treat ED and improve male sexual function.
A clinical trial published in The Journal of Urology found that after eight weeks of treatment, erectile function scores were "significantly higher" in the ginseng group than the group taking placebo pills.
Another clinical trial found that 60% of patients supplementing with panax ginseng had improvements to ED.
Illuminate Labs sells a panax ginseng extract supplement which is third-party tested to ensure label accuracy, potency and purity, and which contains no questionable additive ingredients.
Interested consumers can check out Illuminate Labs Panax Ginseng Extract at this link to the product page on our website, where the supplement can be purchased for only $15 on a subscription basis.
A medical review of botanical compounds for sperm quality, published in the Advances for Nutrition journal, found that the combination of selenium at 200 micrograms (mcg) daily and N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) at 600 milligrams (mg) daily was effective in improving semen volume.
Pure Encapsulations sells an NAC supplement (link to official Amazon listing) that's free of unhealthy additive ingredients and has the same dose as used in the above-linked study, and NOW Foods sells a selenium supplement (link to official Amazon listing) that's free of unhealthy additive ingredients and has the same dose as used in the study.
Pros and Cons of Semenax
Here are the pros and cons of Semenax in our opinion:
Pros:
- Contains some research-backed active ingredients
Cons:
- Brand makes unproven health claims
- Clinical trial funded by brand showed no change to semen parameters
- Brand makes highly questionable claims of clinical efficacy
- Brand fails to clearly publish active ingredient doses
- Brand fails to clearly publish Supplement Facts label
- Low-quality manufacturer
- Challenging to find unsponsored customer reviews
- Unavailable on Amazon
