mate Review 2026: The "Clinically Studied" Trial Tested a Different Formula

mate's marketing describes mate endurance as "clinically-studied" and "research-backed." The study exists, and we read it in full. **Teimouri A, Shivanian V, Elist JJ. "A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of the Effectiveness of Mate Endurance™ Dietary Supplement on Sexual Satisfaction, Ejaculatory Control, and Distress in Men with Premature Ejaculation." *Open Journal of Urology*, 2020;10:275-283.** The design is real: 68 men aged 21–60 with primary PE diagnosed on DSM-V criteria, randomised to mate endurance or a starch placebo for three months, assessed with the Index of Premature Ejaculation and the PE Diagnostic Tool. The treatment group showed significant improvement versus placebo on those questionnaires. That is a legitimate study design and we are not dismissing the result. Four things about it, though, and the first is the one that matters most. **The trial formula is not the current formula.** The paper specifies exactly what was tested: 3 mg niacin, 2 mg vitamin B6, 900 mcg B12, 5 mg pantothenic acid, 100 mcg selenium, and a **224 mg proprietary blend of L-Tryptophan, L-Citrulline, Cassia (Cinnamon) Bark Powder, Fenugreek Seed Powder, Tribulus Fruit Extract, Grape Seed Extract, and L-Tyrosine.** The mate endurance sold today lists its key ingredients as **5-HTP, L-Citrulline, L-Tyrosine and Tribulus**, and the site states it "increases serotonin levels using 5-HTP." **L-tryptophan and 5-HTP are not the same compound.** Tryptophan is converted to 5-HTP in the body and 5-HTP is converted to serotonin, so they are related—but they have different absorption, different potency, different regulatory histories and different safety profiles. A trial of a tryptophan-containing blend is not a trial of a 5-HTP product. **The whole active blend was 224 mg.** Split across seven ingredients. For scale, L-citrulline is studied for erectile function at 1.5 grams and up, and therapeutic tryptophan doses run 500–2,000 mg. Whatever was in that 224 mg, it was a small amount of each. **The journal is not indexed by PubMed.** We queried the PubMed database directly for *Open Journal of Urology* as a journal and for this paper by author: **zero records** for both. The journal is published by Scientific Research Publishing (SCIRP), which was added to Jeffrey Beall's list of potential predatory publishers in 2014. The paper was received on September 30, 2020, accepted on November 10 and published on November 13—41 days from submission to acceptance. **The senior author is the founder's father.** The paper's third author is **James J. Elist**, listed at the Department of Urology, MEC, Beverly Hills. mate's founder is Jordan Elist, publicly described as the son of a urologist. A company-product trial co-authored by the founder's father, in a journal PubMed does not index, is a conflict-of-interest picture that a reader deserves to have.

This is the section we would most want a buyer of mate endurance to read. 5-HTP is a direct serotonin precursor. mate states the mechanism plainly: the product "increases serotonin levels using 5-HTP." That is the intended effect, and it is a coherent mechanism for delaying ejaculation. Here is the problem, and it is structural rather than incidental. **The standard pharmacological treatment for premature ejaculation is an SSRI.** mate's own published study says so in its introduction, listing "selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)" among the available systemic treatments. Sertraline and paroxetine are prescribed off-label for PE; dapoxetine is licensed for it in a number of countries. So the population buying a serotonin-raising supplement for premature ejaculation is precisely the population most likely to be **already taking, or about to be prescribed, a serotonin-raising drug**—either for PE itself or for the depression and anxiety that frequently accompany sexual dysfunction. Combining 5-HTP with an SSRI, SNRI, MAOI, tricyclic, triptan, tramadol, lithium or St John's wort raises the risk of **serotonin syndrome**, which ranges from agitation, sweating, tremor and diarrhoea through to hyperthermia, rigidity, seizures and, in severe cases, death. We read mate endurance's product page in full and found the standard "consult with a health care professional before taking dietary supplements" boilerplate. We did not find any specific warning about antidepressants, SSRIs or serotonin syndrome. There is a second thing worth knowing about 5-HTP. Its chemical predecessor, **L-tryptophan**—the ingredient in the studied formula—was withdrawn from the US market after a 1989 outbreak of eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome affecting roughly 1,500 people and causing more than 30 deaths, traced to a contaminant in one manufacturer's product. The FDA import alert stood until 2005. Contaminant screening in 5-HTP products has since found trace "Peak X" compounds related to that episode. This is not a reason to consider 5-HTP dangerous—it is widely sold and generally well tolerated—but it is a reason that source quality and published contaminant testing matter more for this ingredient than for most.

mate's site navigation is a list of diagnoses. Its bundle listings, quoted verbatim from the product feed, include "**PE, ED, Libido Booster and Prostate Health Supplements**" and "**ED, Libido Booster & Prostate Health Supplements**." The individual products are titled "All-Natural **Erectile Dysfunction** Supplement," "All-Natural **Premature Ejaculation** Supplement" and "All-Natural **Delayed Ejaculation** Supplement." The copy says mate ignite "helps you achieve and maintain stronger erections," that mate pro addresses "symptoms of an **enlarged prostate**" and helps "decrease urinary frequency and urgency," and that "as we get older, we tend to experience issues such as erectile dysfunction, decreased libido and an enlarged prostate." Erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, delayed ejaculation and benign prostatic hyperplasia are named medical conditions with diagnostic criteria and approved treatments. Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, what makes a product a drug is its **intended use**, and intended use is established by the claims the seller makes. A product intended to treat a disease is a drug under section 201(g)(1) regardless of whether it is a herb in a capsule, and regardless of the "not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease" disclaimer at the bottom of the page. That disclaimer accompanies legitimate structure/function claims; it does not convert a disease claim into one. mate has clearly had legal input—the disclaimer is present, the FAQ carefully explains that no prescription is needed "as opposed to a pharmacological drug," and the phrasing generally uses "helps" rather than "treats." That is more care than most of this category takes. But when the product category in the site navigation is literally "Erectile Dysfunction," the careful phrasing downstream is doing a lot of work.

This is the clinical point that a supplement funnel is structurally bad at delivering, so we will make it plainly. Erectile dysfunction is frequently the **first symptom of cardiovascular disease**. The arteries supplying the penis are narrower than the coronary arteries, so endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis often show up there years before they show up as angina. New-onset ED is a recognised prompt for cardiovascular risk assessment. It is also a common presentation of **type 2 diabetes**, of low testosterone, of thyroid disease, of depression, of sleep apnoea, and of side effects from extremely common medications—beta blockers, thiazide diuretics, SSRIs, finasteride. A man who notices ED, buys a $56.25 jar of L-citrulline and beetroot, and does not see a doctor may be spending three months not finding out he has diabetes or coronary artery disease. The same logic applies to mate pro. Lower urinary tract symptoms—frequency, urgency, waking at night—are usually benign prostatic hyperplasia, but they overlap with prostate cancer, bladder cancer, infection and diabetes. The rye flower pollen extract mate pro uses (the ingredient class studied as Cernilton) does have some trial support for BPH symptoms, though the evidence is of limited quality. But mate pro's marketing line is "**Ace your upcoming prostate exam**," and a prostate exam and PSA test are screening for cancer. Nothing in a capsule helps you "ace" a cancer screen, and a phrase that implies otherwise is one we would want removed.

mate discloses its key ingredients on each product page and links a full Supplement Facts panel, which is more than much of this category does. Here is what each product leads with.

**L-citrulline and L-arginine (mate ignite)** are the most defensible ingredients in the range. Both are nitric oxide precursors, citrulline is the better-absorbed of the two, and there is modest trial support for citrulline in mild erectile dysfunction. The caution is that they are vasodilators: if you take **nitrates** for angina, or a PDE5 inhibitor such as sildenafil or tadalafil, stacking a nitric-oxide precursor on top can add to the blood-pressure drop. Tell your doctor. **Tribulus terrestris (mate endurance and mate mojo)** is one of the most-sold and least-supported testosterone ingredients on the market. Human trials have generally failed to show it raises testosterone, and there are published case reports of hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity associated with tribulus products. **Fenugreek and Tongkat Ali (mate mojo)** both have some small-trial signal for libido and testosterone, and both have real interaction notes: fenugreek can lower blood glucose, which matters if you take insulin or a sulfonylurea, and it is a legume with cross-reactivity for people with peanut or chickpea allergy. **L-tyrosine (mate climax)** is a dopamine precursor. The dopamine-delays-nothing mechanism here is speculative; more practically, tyrosine can interact with MAOI antidepressants and with levodopa, and it is a consideration in thyroid disease since tyrosine is a thyroid hormone precursor. **Rye flower pollen extract (mate pro)** is the ingredient class behind Cernilton, which has been studied for BPH symptoms with modest, low-quality supporting evidence. It is a reasonable thing to include. Pollen allergy is the obvious caution.

We want to place this carefully, because it is important context and it would be unfair to let it read as an accusation. **Products marketed for sexual enhancement are the single largest category in the FDA's Health Fraud Product Database**—the register of supplements found to contain hidden pharmaceutical drug ingredients. The adulterants are overwhelmingly PDE5 inhibitors: one analysis of FDA warnings found **sildenafil in 74% of tainted products and tadalafil in 59%**, with a fifth of products containing more than one undeclared drug. The FDA issues public notifications and recalls in this category continually. The reason this matters to any buyer is the interaction. A man taking nitrates for angina who unknowingly ingests undeclared sildenafil can experience a catastrophic drop in blood pressure. The demographic overlap between "men with cardiac disease on nitrates" and "men buying erection supplements" is very large. **We have no evidence whatsoever that mate products are adulterated**, and nothing about the brand suggests it. It names its ingredients, publishes panels, has a real corporate identity and a founder with a public profile. We are not implying otherwise. What we did look for, and could not find, is **published third-party testing or certificates of analysis**. mate states its supplements are manufactured in US facilities using lab-tested ingredients. That is a claim about inputs and process. In the one supplement category where independent finished-product testing matters most, we found no published lab results, no COA directory and no third-party certification mark. For a brand charging $39–$54 a month, in this category, that is the gap we would most want closed—and it is a fair thing to email and ask for.

Prices from mate's live product feed on July 30, 2026. Subscription saves 20% and includes free shipping; one-time purchase does not include free shipping.

**mate might be reasonable for you if:** you have already been evaluated by a doctor, you know your cardiovascular and metabolic markers are fine, and you want to try a nitric-oxide precursor for mild erectile difficulty—mate ignite is the most evidence-plausible product in the range; you are not taking any serotonergic medication and want to try 5-HTP for ejaculatory control with your prescriber's knowledge; or you want a disclosed-ingredient product from a company with a real corporate identity rather than an anonymous Amazon listing. **Do not buy this, or speak to a clinician first, if:** you take any antidepressant, triptan, tramadol, lithium or St John's wort—the 5-HTP in mate endurance is a genuine serotonin syndrome risk; you take nitrates for angina, or a PDE5 inhibitor, given the vasodilator ingredients in mate ignite; you have new-onset erectile dysfunction and have not been evaluated, because ED is a cardiovascular and diabetes warning sign and this is the wrong first step; you have urinary symptoms you have not had assessed; you take insulin or a sulfonylurea, because of the fenugreek; or you have a diagnosed liver condition, given the tribulus case reports. **And if the real issue is distress rather than timing:** premature ejaculation responds well to behavioural therapy, topical anaesthetics and SSRIs, all of which have far better evidence than any supplement, and sex therapy is genuinely effective for the anxiety component. Those options exist and cost less over a year than the three-product bundle.

**Is mate a legitimate company?** It appears to be a real, identifiable business—Goodnight Mate, LLC of Beverly Hills, founded 2020, with a named founder, disclosed ingredients, published Supplement Facts panels and the required FDA disclaimer. Our concerns are about the claim structure, the evidence behind "clinically studied," and the absence of published third-party testing—not about whether the company exists or ships. **Does mate endurance actually have a clinical study?** Yes, but read the fine print. It is a 68-person, three-month randomised double-blind placebo-controlled trial published in *Open Journal of Urology* in 2020. PubMed returns zero records for that journal and zero for the paper. The publisher, SCIRP, was added to Beall's list of potential predatory publishers in 2014. The senior author is James J. Elist, and mate's founder Jordan Elist is publicly described as the son of a urologist. Most importantly, the formula tested contained **L-tryptophan**, while the product sold today uses **5-HTP**. **Is 5-HTP safe to take?** For most people not on serotonergic medication, it is generally well tolerated. It should not be combined with SSRIs, SNRIs, MAOIs, tricyclics, triptans, tramadol, lithium or St John's wort because of serotonin syndrome risk. That caution is especially relevant here, because SSRIs are the standard drug treatment for premature ejaculation—the exact condition this product is sold for. **Does mate work for erectile dysfunction?** mate ignite contains L-citrulline and L-arginine, nitric oxide precursors with modest trial support in mild ED. It is not equivalent to a PDE5 inhibitor, and it is not a substitute for finding out why you have ED. New erectile dysfunction warrants a cardiovascular and diabetes workup. **Are mate products third-party tested?** mate states its products are manufactured in US facilities with lab-tested ingredients. We could not find published third-party test results, certificates of analysis or a third-party certification mark. In a category where the FDA repeatedly finds undeclared sildenafil and tadalafil, we would ask the company directly for a lot-specific COA. **Is mate FDA approved?** No supplement is. mate's own FAQ addresses this and correctly notes it is not a pharmacological drug and needs no prescription. **How much does mate cost?** Individual products are $39–$54 a month on subscription, or $48.75–$67.50 one-time. Bundles run to $376. The company recommends at least three months of use. **Can I get a refund?** Shipping is free and discreet, and subscriptions can be skipped, cancelled or swapped at any time. Note that once a subscription order has been billed it ships within one business day and can no longer be refunded, so cancel before your renewal date.