A Spine Covered Fruit that Boosts Your Performance?
Tribulus terrestris is a small leafy plant with spine-covered fruit that turns into beautiful yellow flowers. Grown across the world, both the plant’s fruit and roots have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Indian Ayurvedic medicine.
Historically, it’s been used to treat a variety of diseases due to a variety of medicinally important chemical constituents – including flavonoids and alkaloids. It has the capacity to help a variety of areas in the body, including having absorption enhancing, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogenic properties. Tribulus terrestris has been traditionally used to treat several conditions, including reducing swelling and even as an aphrodisiac!
What Are The Benefits of Tribulus Terrestris?
Tribulus terrestris for blood health
A study released in 2016 looked at the impact Tribulus terrestris supplements had on women with type 3 diabetes. 98 women took either 1,000mg per day or a placebo for three months, with results showing those who took the supplement had lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels compared with those who took the placebo.
Similar results have been seen in animal testing, showing Tribulus terrestris can help reduce blood sugar levels, protect against damage in the blood vessels, and prevent increases in blood cholesterol.
Tribulus terrestris for libido
If you’ve been looking for something to boost your libido, Tribulus terrestris could be something for you. Tested on both men and women, study results have suggested it can boost sexual desire. One study on men saw desire increase by nearly eighty percenttaking between 750-1500mg per day, with just under seventy per cent of women seeing an increase when taking between 500 and 1500mg per day.
Studies on animals have suggested Tribulus terrestris increases testosterone levels in males and estrogen levels in females, but these effects have not been reproduced consistently in human trials.
What can Tribulus terrestris be used for?
Tribulus terrestris has recently been linked to improving athletic performance and is often marketed as a supplement to enhance sexual function and to aid in bodybuilding. It’s also believed to be beneficial for treating symptoms of menopause, kidney stones, urinary tract infections, high blood pressure, and liver disease.
References:
- Chhatre, S., Nesari, T., Kanchan, D., Somani, G. and Sathaye, S. (2014). Phytopharmacological overview of Tribulus terrestris. Pharmacognosy Reviews, [online] 8(15), p.45. doi: https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-7847.125530.
- Samani, N.B., Jokar, A., Soveid, M., Heydari, M. and Mosavat, S.H. (2016). Efficacy of the Hydroalcoholic Extract of Tribulus terrestris on the Serum Glucose and Lipid Profile of Women With Diabetes Mellitus. Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary & Alternative Medicine, 21(4), pp.NP91–NP97. doi: https://doi.org/10.1177/2156587216650775.
- Altug Tuncer, M., Yaymaci, B., Sati, L., Cayli, S., Acar, G., Altug, T. and Demir, R. (2009). Influence of Tribulus terrestris extract on lipid profile and endothelial structure in developing atherosclerotic lesions in the aorta of rabbits on a high-cholesterol diet. Acta Histochemica, 111(6), pp.488–500. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acthis.2008.06.004.
- Neychev, V. and Mitev, V. (2016). Pro-sexual and androgen enhancing effects of Tribulus terrestris L.: Fact or Fiction. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 179, pp.345–355. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2015.12.055.
- Akhtari, E., Raisi, F., Keshavarz, M., Hosseini, H., Sohrabvand, F., Bioos, S., Kamalinejad, M. and Ghobadi, A. (2014). Tribulus terrestris for treatment of sexual dysfunction in women: randomized double-blind placebo - controlled study. DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 22(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.1186/2008-2231-22-40.
- PubMed. (2012). Tribulus. [online] Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK583201/.
- Qureshi, A., Naughton, D.P. and Petroczi, A. (2014). A Systematic Review on the Herbal ExtractTribulusterrestrisand the Roots of its Putative Aphrodisiac and Performance Enhancing Effect. Journal of Dietary Supplements, 11(1), pp.64–79. doi: https://doi.org/10.3109/19390211.2014.887602.
- Qureshi, A., Naughton, D.P. and Petroczi, A. (2014). A Systematic Review on the Herbal ExtractTribulusterrestrisand the Roots of its Putative Aphrodisiac and Performance Enhancing Effect. Journal of Dietary Supplements, 11(1), pp.64–79. doi: https://doi.org/10.3109/19390211.2014.887602.
- Pokrywka, A., Obmiński, Z., Malczewska-Lenczowska, J., Fijatek, Z., Turek-Lepa, E. and Grucza, R. (2014). Insights into Supplements with Tribulus Terrestris used by Athletes. Journal of Human Kinetics, 41(1), pp.99–105. doi: 10.2478/hukin-2014-0037 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25114736/.
- Murthy (2021). Anti-hypertensive effect of Gokshura (Tribulus terrestris Linn.) - A clinical study. Ancient science of life, [online] 19(3-4). Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22556936/ [Accessed 8 Aug. 2024].
