Tribulus

SP33Demon

Lifer
Jun 22, 2001
27,928
142
106
Wanted to try this and see what all the hype was about (allegedly increases natural testosterone production), and I can def see the difference (200mg a dayX5days so far)... feel much more agressive and my sex drive is through the fricking roof. Probably going to only limit taking it once a week. Anyone else having the same exp?
 

Eska

Banned
Nov 13, 2006
327
0
0
Some say it's ineffective and some disagree. I think it's more placebo effect.

Welcome to Placeboville. Population: YOU.
 

Eska

Banned
Nov 13, 2006
327
0
0
Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Originally posted by: Eska
Some say it's ineffective and some disagree. I think it's more placebo effect.

Welcome to Placeboville. Population: YOU.
Scientific studies + my personal experience > your opinion.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/southfacts_trib.htm

I've been an active member at bb.com forum for several years. The hype and placebo effects are ubiquitous in that place. Supplement companies WILL put anything on the market that show of any POSSIBLE effect on hormones or anabolic properties. I've tried so many different supps ranging from NO, stim, creatine, PH, T-booster, AA, BCAA and etc. I'd say 95% of products out there dont even come close to the claims they make that are backed by "scientific" studies. They just love to post all these "scientific" stuff everywhere.
 

Special K

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2000
7,098
0
76
Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Originally posted by: Eska
Some say it's ineffective and some disagree. I think it's more placebo effect.

Welcome to Placeboville. Population: YOU.
Scientific studies + my personal experience > your opinion.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/southfacts_trib.htm

It seems some actual published studies would disagree:

link1

link2

Making subjective claims like "my sex drive is up", and "I feel more aggressive" does not prove that the product is working as advertised. You would need to get your actual free testosterone levels measured before and after taking it to prove anything.

Also half of the references quoted in that BB.com article had nothing to do with tribulus as it relates to testosterone production. Anyone can add a bunch of citations to the end of their article to make it look genuine, but if the references don't support what the article is trying to prove, then the references are meaningless.

For instance, the last reference cited in your article has the following title:

[406 cases of angina pectoris in coronary heart disease treated with saponin of Tribulus terrestris]

Nothing in the abstract is even remotely related to tribulus's effect on testosterone.

 

SP33Demon

Lifer
Jun 22, 2001
27,928
142
106
Originally posted by: Eska
Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Originally posted by: Eska
Some say it's ineffective and some disagree. I think it's more placebo effect.

Welcome to Placeboville. Population: YOU.
Scientific studies + my personal experience > your opinion.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/southfacts_trib.htm

I've been an active member at bb.com forum for several years. The hype and placebo effects are ubiquitous in that place. Supplement companies WILL put anything on the market that show of any POSSIBLE effect on hormones or anabolic properties. I've tried so many different supps ranging from NO, stim, creatine, PH, T-booster, AA, BCAA and etc. I'd say 95% of products out there dont even come close to the claims they make that are backed by "scientific" studies. They just love to post all these "scientific" stuff everywhere.
Have you reviewed the references from that article? They suggest that tribulus even has a vasodilation advantage, according to:
Life Sci. 2003 Oct 24;73(23):2963-71. Study of antihypertensive mechanism of Tribulus terrestris in 2K1C hypertensive rats: role of tissue ACE activity. Sharifi AM, Darabi R, Akbarloo N.

Sharifi AM, Darabi R, Akbarloo N.
Department of Pharmacology, Razi Institute for Drug Research and Cellular and Molecular Research Center, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, PO Box 14155-6183 Tehran, Iran. sharifal@yahoo.com

Tribulus terrestris is a natural herb used for treating many diseases including hypertension. According to previous reports, aqueous extract of tribulus fruits may have some antihypertensive effect with an unknown mechanism. The present study investigated the antihypertensive mechanism of tribulus in 2K1C hypertensive rats by measurement of circulatory and local ACE activity in aorta, heart, kidney and lung. Four groups of rats were selected; control, sham, operated or hypertensive and tribulus treated hypertensive group. Hypertension was induced using silver clip on renal artery by surgery. Four weeks after surgery, a single daily dose of 10 mg/kg of lyophilized aqueous extract of tribulus fruit were given orally to 2K1C rats for four weeks. ACE activity was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Blood pressure was measured by the tail-cuff method. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) was significantly increased in 2K1C rats compared to control rats. The SBP of tribulus fed hypertensive rats was significantly decreased compared to hypertensive rats. The ACE activity in all tissues of 2K1C rats including: aorta, heart, kidney, lung as well as serum were significantly increased compared to normal rats. The ACE activity in all tissues of tribulus fed hypertensive rats was significantly lower than that of hypertensive rats, which was more pronounced in kidney. These results indicated that there is a negative correlation between consumption of tribulus and ACE activity in serum and different tissues in 2K1C rats.

PMID: 14519445 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

I definitely noticed the difference in libido (I'm a healthy young male with no health problems) on a relatively small dosage...

However, other studies have shown that androgen levels did not directly increase when taking it:
V. K. Neychev and V. I. Mitev (2005). "The aphrodisiac herb Tribulus terrestris does not influence the androgen production in young men". Journal of Ethnopharmacology 101 (1?3): 319?323.

That doesn't necessarily mean that testosterone levels were increased but that bloodflow was increased due to vasodilation, so it's possible that it may just increase bloodflow if anything else. This article summarizes it nicely:
http://ironmagazine.com/review43.html
"In conclusion, tribulus is a relatively safe supplement that has aphrodisiac properties and may be beneficial to the cardiovascular system. The effect on testosterone levels and related variables is not well established."
 

Xyo II

Platinum Member
Oct 12, 2005
2,177
1
0
Testosterone is good. Until your T levels start declining, though, (around 25 years old) it isn't necessary to start taking any testosterone-boosting supplements, and if your T levels are high, you're not going to notice much of a difference.
 

Special K

Diamond Member
Jun 18, 2000
7,098
0
76
Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Originally posted by: Eska
Originally posted by: SP33Demon
Originally posted by: Eska
Some say it's ineffective and some disagree. I think it's more placebo effect.

Welcome to Placeboville. Population: YOU.
Scientific studies + my personal experience > your opinion.
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/southfacts_trib.htm

I've been an active member at bb.com forum for several years. The hype and placebo effects are ubiquitous in that place. Supplement companies WILL put anything on the market that show of any POSSIBLE effect on hormones or anabolic properties. I've tried so many different supps ranging from NO, stim, creatine, PH, T-booster, AA, BCAA and etc. I'd say 95% of products out there dont even come close to the claims they make that are backed by "scientific" studies. They just love to post all these "scientific" stuff everywhere.
Have you reviewed the references from that article? They suggest that tribulus even has a vasodilation advantage, according to:
Life Sci. 2003 Oct 24;73(23):2963-71. Study of antihypertensive mechanism of Tribulus terrestris in 2K1C hypertensive rats: role of tissue ACE activity. Sharifi AM, Darabi R, Akbarloo N.

Sharifi AM, Darabi R, Akbarloo N.
Department of Pharmacology, Razi Institute for Drug Research and Cellular and Molecular Research Center, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, PO Box 14155-6183 Tehran, Iran. sharifal@yahoo.com

Tribulus terrestris is a natural herb used for treating many diseases including hypertension. According to previous reports, aqueous extract of tribulus fruits may have some antihypertensive effect with an unknown mechanism. The present study investigated the antihypertensive mechanism of tribulus in 2K1C hypertensive rats by measurement of circulatory and local ACE activity in aorta, heart, kidney and lung. Four groups of rats were selected; control, sham, operated or hypertensive and tribulus treated hypertensive group. Hypertension was induced using silver clip on renal artery by surgery. Four weeks after surgery, a single daily dose of 10 mg/kg of lyophilized aqueous extract of tribulus fruit were given orally to 2K1C rats for four weeks. ACE activity was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Blood pressure was measured by the tail-cuff method. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) was significantly increased in 2K1C rats compared to control rats. The SBP of tribulus fed hypertensive rats was significantly decreased compared to hypertensive rats. The ACE activity in all tissues of 2K1C rats including: aorta, heart, kidney, lung as well as serum were significantly increased compared to normal rats. The ACE activity in all tissues of tribulus fed hypertensive rats was significantly lower than that of hypertensive rats, which was more pronounced in kidney. These results indicated that there is a negative correlation between consumption of tribulus and ACE activity in serum and different tissues in 2K1C rats.

PMID: 14519445 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

I definitely noticed the difference in libido (I'm a healthy young male with no health problems) on a relatively small dosage...

However, other studies have shown that androgen levels did not directly increase when taking it:
V. K. Neychev and V. I. Mitev (2005). "The aphrodisiac herb Tribulus terrestris does not influence the androgen production in young men". Journal of Ethnopharmacology 101 (1?3): 319?323.

That doesn't necessarily mean that testosterone levels were increased but that bloodflow was increased due to vasodilation, so it's possible that it may just increase bloodflow if anything else. This article summarizes it nicely:
http://ironmagazine.com/review43.html
"In conclusion, tribulus is a relatively safe supplement that has aphrodisiac properties and may be beneficial to the cardiovascular system. The effect on testosterone levels and related variables is not well established."

OK, fair enough. I was just pointing out that its direct effects on testosterone levels were debatable, and that subjective comments like "my libido is up" were not enough to prove that it increases T levels.