Does Testosterone Supplement Tribulus work?
April 23 2012
Testosterone supplement tribulus is sold as a supplement for bodybuilding. But does it work for building muscle and strength?
What is this testosterone supplement tribulus?
Tribulus Terrestris is a herbal supplement often used in folk medicine to improve sexual performance and physical performance in men (aphrodisiac).
What are the claims made by tirbulus supplements?
Increase in testosterone: It is claimed that tribulus will significantly increase testosterone or testosterone precursor levels.
Increase in Muscle and Strength: This increase in testosterone will show up as an increase in muscle mass and strength in people who are weight training.
Are there any studies done on Tribulus?
There are a few studies which looked at Tribulus as a testosterone supplement
Tribulus study 1: This study was done on elite level rugby players randomly assigned to a tribulus and a control group. They took 450mg/day of tribulus terrestris for 5 weeks and performed weight training. After 5 weeks, there was no statistically significant increase in muscle mass or strength.
Tribulus Study 2: This study was done on healthy young males. They took 10-20mg/kg of bodyweight daily for 4 weeks. The study showed no significant increase in testosterone levels.
Tribulus Study 3: This study was done on 15 young males randomly assigned to a tribulus and a placebo group. They took 3.21mg 6-8 tomes daily for 8 weeks and performed weight training. The study concluded that there was no change in body composition or exercise performance with tribulus supplementation.
Tribulus study in Animals: There are a lot of studies done on rabbits and rats which showed increase in testosterone and other androgen hormones. Too bad that I don’t have any rats and rabbits as subscribers.
Are there any side effects of Tribulus?
No side effects have been reported in studies. This would have been great news if it had some good effects too.
Practical Application
- Testosterone supplement tribulus do not increase testosterone or testosterone precursors in humans
- Tribulus do not increase muscle, decrease body fat or increase strength
- Tribulus terrestis works if you are a rabbit or a rat
Reference 1
Reference 2
Reference 3
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| Sat May 12, 2012
Good site Anoop, I crossed over from About just now. I agree the studies don;t back it up and I know lots of people who think its a waste of time. However, I live in China and we can cheaply buy raw tribulus and without being crude, there’s no question it has an effect that you’d associate with high test. Whether it is actually test, who knows, but either way, as i’ve never found any evidence to suggest it damages your HPTA, i drink the tea occasionally when undergoing a heavy training period - not scientific in the least i know, but i’m willing to go along with it - forgive me for not wanting to include my full name for obvious reasons - keep in touch - really like your site
Jon
| Tue May 15, 2012
Wow.. thats pretty refreshing to see, a actual study to see if the product worked.. with honest results. Great article Anoop
| Thu May 17, 2012
I’ve looked at Tribulus also and also came to the same conclusions.
This stuff now because it was big in the 90s and then faded as people realized tribulus didnt work.
I guess this new generation has to discover the same thing. Here is a link to my review if anyone is interested.
http://supplement-geek.com/tribulus-terrestris-review-testosterone/
Anoop | Sun May 20, 2012
Hi Jon,
Thanks for the comment and the kind words about site.
It is ok to use personally. But we need a bit more than personal experience when writing an article or making recommendations. Hence the reason I don’t make write any articles based on personal experiences.
Thanks Henry!
Thanks Joe. There was a few bulgarian studies which showed it work int he 80’s. Nice article Joe!
| Mon May 21, 2012
Henry, anytime. If you ever find those Bulgarian studies, let me know I’d enjoy taking a look at them.
Anoop | Tue May 22, 2012
Sure. Let ,e see if I can find them ok
| Thu April 04, 2013
I am not sure about Tribulus, but you should try some natural testosterone booster. Here’s an article which might be helpful http://www.thetra.com/health-supplements-for-aging-men/
| Wed May 15, 2013
I´ve tried tribulus and stopped using it due to some unexpected side effects (acne at the age of 40, pain in the testicles) so it does SOMETHING, but I can´t really say that it increases testosterone because I didn´t get my testosterone levels checked, so I can´t really say it works but it definitely increased my libido for a while.
I don´t doubt your article or those studies mentioned in your article but what strikes me as very odd are the low amounts of tribulus used in those studies. First of all, you need to take at least 2 grams or better 3 grams of tribulus per day, and it´s not just the amount of tribulus but also the amount of protodioscin that matters. Some products boast with a very high trib content but that means nothing unless the product contains a high percentage of protodioscin.
I don´t want to endorse any brands here but getting a good, reliable brand by a reliable manufacturer is key if you want to give tribulus a try. The product I´m using has some of the highest tribulus and protodioscin and saponin content you can find, and it does work, but like I said above, I stopped taking it due to the side effects and only use it every now and then until there´s nothing left.
| Tue July 23, 2013
Anoop,
Thanks for the work you put out on this site. While I do consider personal testimonies to some degree, I am always suspicious of them to a large extent.
Well-conceived studies are a must to provide some true confidence.
In this case of tribulus, think I’ll be saving my money there.
Thanks again
| Wed March 19, 2014
“Scientific” studies of the real professional type are invariably funded by big pharma or the gov or organizations that are paid off by big pharma; hence, they are always biased in favor of no results. Athletes and young men will NOT be affected by tribulus or DHEA because they have high hormone levels already, and/or because you really should take these things just prior to a workout so that hormone production shifts towards the testosterone side rather than the estrogen, and the muscleheads who take illegal steroids have probably shut down the body’s ability to make test. The many very positive testimonials by older people who take either or both prior to vigorous workouts have measured a 2x to 7x increase in testosterone. Keep in mind that trib will also do NOTHING for those whose DHEA levels have flattened out. I find these latter testimonies highly credible while any so called research trials I never regard highly because they all have $$ motives. Well, we’ll see, because I’m almost 66 and just started taking both. Ask me in about a month. Whether libido, more vitality and/or increased muscle mass, I’ll be happy with any or all of them. Just ask me how it’s going.
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