Soda Boost Science & Clinical Dossier

How we grade each ingredient

Grades describe human evidence for the outcome the Soda Boost supplement is sold on (energy, desire, erection quality, testosterone), not the evidence for every use of the plant. A means several consistent randomized trials. B means at least one well-run randomized trial or a meta-analysis that points the right way. C means small, mixed or indirect human data. D means test-tube or animal work only. None of the nine reaches A, and no grade applies to the gummy as a whole, because nobody has studied it.

The two ingredients with real human data

Maca (Lepidium meyenii)

In a 12-week Peruvian trial, men taking 1,500 or 3,000 mg of maca root a day reported more sexual desire than men on placebo from week 8, while their testosterone and estradiol stayed flat^[1]. An Italian trial in men with mild erectile dysfunction used 2,400 mg of a dry extract for 12 weeks and saw a small improvement on the IIEF-5 questionnaire^[2]. A systematic review called the overall evidence limited by small, short trials^[3]. The gummy holds at most 33.5 mg, roughly one forty-fifth of the lowest dose tested.

L-arginine

Arginine is the raw material the body uses to make nitric oxide, the signal that relaxes blood vessels in erectile tissue. A double-blind trial gave 5 g a day to men with organic ED; 9 of 29 improved, against 2 of 17 on placebo^[4]. A 2019 meta-analysis pooling 1.5 to 5 g daily doses found better erectile scores in mild to moderate ED^[5]. Arginine also lowers blood pressure slightly^[6]. The gummy can hold 5 mg at most, a thousandth of the effective range.

Mixed or indirect evidence

Tribulus terrestris

Tribulus is sold as a testosterone booster, but a controlled study in young men found no change in androgen levels^[7]. For erections the picture splits: an 800 mg daily trial was negative^[8], while a 1,500 mg concentrated-extract trial reported improvement^[9]. A systematic review concluded the aphrodisiac reputation rests more on animal data than on human trials^[10].

Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)

The best data are for stress: 600 mg of root extract a day for 60 days lowered stress scores and cortisol^[11]. In overweight men aged 40 to 70, 8 weeks of extract raised DHEA-S and testosterone modestly but did not improve fatigue or vitality scores more than placebo^[12]. A pilot study in men with low sperm counts used 675 mg a day^[13]. Liver injury is rare but documented^[14]; NCCIH flags thyroid, sedative and immune-drug interactions^[15].

Caffeine

The 5 mg on the label is printed and certain. For scale, FDA puts 400 mg a day as an amount not generally linked to harm in healthy adults^[16], and a survey of U.S. men linked habitual intakes of 85 to 303 mg a day with fewer reports of ED, an association that cannot show cause^[17]. Five milligrams is about what a cup of decaf contains.

Laboratory and traditional evidence only

Horny goat weed (Epimedium)

Icariin, a compound in Epimedium, blocks the PDE5 enzyme in test tubes, the same target as prescription ED drugs, though far more weakly^[18]; purified icariin improved erectile response in rats^[19]. There is no human ED trial, the label gives no icariin content, and a case report links a horny goat weed product to a fast heart rhythm^[20].

Muira puama and catuaba

Both are Brazilian barks with a long folk reputation as tonics. Chemical work has catalogued muira puama's constituents^[21], and a catuaba-containing blend relaxed rabbit erectile tissue in a dish^[22]; one catuaba species showed antidepressant-like effects in mice^[23]. But products sold as catuaba come from several unrelated trees^[24], and a review of herbal sexual enhancers notes the thin human data and possible nervous-system side effects^[25].

Green tea extract

Green tea extract is a source of catechins and a little natural caffeine. It is not studied for male vitality. At high catechin doses, usually in weight-loss products, it has caused liver injury^[26][27]; at under 20 mg the risk from this gummy is very low, but it adds to any other green tea extract you take^[28].

Mechanism pathways, in plain terms

Claims check: seller wording vs the record

• “Improve circulatory response and optimize physical endurance.” Plausible for L-arginine at grams; untested at milligrams.
• “Testosterone support.” Herbal testosterone claims are largely unsupported^[30][31]; a blood test is the only way to know your level.
• “Firmer and longer-lasting erections” (on the seller's refund page). No study of this gummy measured erections. Such disease-adjacent claims sit outside what supplement labels may state^[32].