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kimosabi wrote:
Any women out there have any comments regarding tribulus terrestris supplements? I tried using the powder version once, but stopped taking it after about 4 days. It tasted horrible, and on day 4 I began to feel a bit odd. Spaced-out, and uncomfortable. I associated it with the tribulus, so I quit taking it. Within a day or two, I was sick with the flu. So, in hindsight, it was probably the flu that made me feel that way.
Still, I would love to hear from women who have tried tribulus. Has anyone noticed any side effects? Most of the studies have been on men, it seems, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
Attached is an unedited excerpt from a textbook chapter I recently wrote.
Personally, I highly recommend Tribulus; especially TRIBEX b/c of the raw material source. However, in the attached text, b/c it is to be used for an undergraduate textbook, I couldn't strongly recommend the use of Tribulus b/c there simply isn't the available peer-reviewed data to substantiate.
For females, however, I do think that the hypoglycaemic effect of Tribulus, when consumed on an empty stomach, is definitely of value. Assuming you aren't pregnant, attempting to get pregnant, or breastfeeding, I really don't see the harm in a female consuming Tribulus.
Hope this helps:
[btw, I apologize for any errors in formatting due to the attached being cut and pasted from a .word document]
COMMON NAME: Tribulus
OTHER NAMES: Tribulus terrestris; Gokshura; Ji li (fruit); Yingjili; Puncturevine caltrop; Small caltrops; Caltrop; Goathead; Land Caltrops; Trikanta; Al-Gutub; Devil?s-weed; Devil?s-thorn; Cat?s-head; Tribestan?
COMMON USES: Increase Testosterone
Increase Strength
Increase Protein Synthesis
Treat Erectile Dysfunction
Increase Energy
REVIEW: Tribulus is a native ground cover to many parts of the world and probably best recognized as an annoying nuisance to mountain bikers in the Western United States for its ability to puncture tires as Tribulus? flowering fruits dry-out, beginning in late-Spring. Thus, deserving of its common name, puncturevine or Devil?s thorn. Bodybuilders, however, have long used Tribulus to increase endogenous testosterone, strength and muscularity, but thus far the clinical data in humans is conflicting. Much of the lay data in circulation has been provided by the manufacturer of a Bulgarian-derived, high protodioscin-containing Tribulus product, called Tribestan?. The manufacturer, Sopharma AD, references a wide array of published animal data, but only in-house beta-tests to support the use of Tribestan? in humans and therefore the data should be viewed as suspect until peer-reviewed. Antonio et al conducted the only available human performance-based study, to date; randomly providing Tribulus to 15 resistance-trained males that consumed a daily dose equal to 3.21mg/kg b.w., for eight weeks, of either Tribulus or placebo. Tribulus was found to offer no performance-enhancing or physique-altering benefit compared to placebo. It can?t, however, be ruled out that the dose used in the aforementioned trial was too low to elicit an ergogenic response, and/or that the Tribulus material used was simply of poor quality. For example, Gauthaman et al showed a statistically significant and dose-specific response in rats receiving oral daily doses of 5mg/kg/d b.w. and 10mg/kg/d b.w., but not 2.5mg/kg/d b.w. active protodioscin (from Tribulus terrestris extract), for eight weeks ? bodyweight increased by 23%, 18% and 9%, respectively. Deng et al discovered a similar dose-specific response to Tribulus, noting that higher doses promoted the proliferation of human melanocytes whereas a smaller dose inhibited the growth. Gauthaman et al also reported that a 5mg/kg/d b.w. oral daily dose of active protodioscin (from Tribulus terrestris extract), for eight weeks, significantly raised androgen receptor (AD) and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-diaphorase (NADPH-d) immunoreactivity, in mice, by 58% and 67%, respectively. Both AD and NADPH-d are known to increase in response to androgens. , , Further clarifying the dose-specific response, Gauthaman et al noted that only the 5mg/kg/d b.w. and 10mg/kg/d b.w. active protodioscin (from Tribulus terrestris extract) doses significantly increased intracavernous pressure (43% and 26%, respectively) and mounting frequency (27% and 24%), and only the 5mg/kg/d b.w. dose significantly reduced the time between sexual events (20%) in rats receiving oral, daily doses of Tribulus. The 2.5mg/kg/d b.w. was determined to be no more effective than the control. Thus, there appears to be both a minimally- and maximally-effective dose. Although Tribulus? mechanism of action is of debate ? the Tribestan manufacturer claims that Tribulus increases LH in men, and FSH in women ?the available, published data shows that Tribulus possesses a hypoglycemic effect, possibly attributable to a direct insulin secretory effect on pancreatic beta-cells or reduction in hepatic enzyme action. Tribulus has also been shown to increase smooth muscle contractions, possibly via COX-2 and/or ACE inhibition. , , , , , , , , Thus, Tribulus may support testosterone release via indirect actions arising from insulin-dependent pathways, or Tribulus may be of benefit as an anti-inflammatory if its COX-2-inhibiting functions are found to be accurate. Irrespective, quality assurance of the primary active, protodioscin, will most likely affect a user?s response to Tribulus. Ganzera et al, found a significant variance in protodioscin content of Tribulus products purchased from retail shelves or otherwise obtained directly from Tribulus raw material suppliers ? protodioscin content varied by 0.024%-6.492%, per 100g of Tribulus, depending upon the sample tested. Tribulus raw material derived from Bulgaria generally contained the highest concentration of active steroidal saponins, whereas materials from India and China the lowest (0.024% and 0.063%, respectively). Of the products purchased from store shelves, the Bulgarian-containing Tribulus was highest in protodioscin (6.492%) whereas the two other samples contained concentrations of just 0.176% and 0.847% active saponins. Although it could be argued that the steroidal saponin, protodioscin, is not the only active extract of Tribulus terrestris ? harmane, norharmane, tribulosin and D-pinitol have also been identified, just to name a few ? such findings do, however, provide further evidence of an industry-wide standardization problem whereby products are commonly being marketing, using claims that are not compatible with the raw materials that are substantiated within the literature. It should also be noted that protodioscin is commonly found in several plant species and that protodioscin-alone has not been found to be as effective as when provided in equivalent doses as occurring naturally when consumed as Tribulus terrestris.
DOSE: General Use: 5mg/kg/d b.w.-10mg/kg/d b.w. active Protodioscin (from Tribulus terrestris L above ground parts); consume in divided doses, with meals, or as a single dose immediately prior to exercise
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