Updated Nov 1, 2024. Tribulus terrestris has been around for years and continues to be one of the most popular natural testosterone boosters out there. It's in MANY dietary supplements. So, does it build muscle or boost testosterone levels – or is it a scam? Does it have any side effects? In this review, you will learn the results of the clinical studies on this herbal ingredient. Is it safe? Let's see what the research says.
What Is Tribulus Terrestris?
Tribulus (also called puncture vine), is a plant that is found throughout the world. The term puncture vine stems from rumors that the plant’s thorns are able to puncture bicycle tires. The word Tribulus is Latin for “to tear”, another reference to the plant's ability to do damage.
Trivia: the name refers to a medieval weapon called a caltrop that was thrown on the grown during warfare to stop enemy horses from advancing. The caltrop was the forerunner of tire spikes, used by law enforcement agencies around the world to puncture car tires.
Tribulus Testosterone Clinical Studies
The theory behind this herb is it's supposed to elevate luteinizing hormone (LH), which in turn sends instructions to the testes causing them to make testosterone. More LH means more testosterone is made. And, as most know, higher testosterone levels might mean more muscle growth, energy, better erections etc.
Tribulus Research Video
Here's a quick video I made to summarize some of the studies below
In theory, it all sounds plausible but is it true? Let's look at some of the clinical studies.
Study 1
In one study, researchers tested the herb in 24 elite rugby players. The players were split into 2 groups. One group got a placebo, while the other received 450 mg of Tribulus Terrestris. All subjects performed the same weight-lifting exercise program, and the study lasted five weeks.
Results
- No change in muscle mass or strength
- No decrease in body fat
- No change in testosterone levels
- No change in the testosterone to estrogen ratio (TE Ratio)
Study 2
Prior to this, other researchers gave either Tribulus -or a placebo – to 15 healthy weight lifters (18 – 35 years of age). The amount used in this study was 3.21 mg per kilogram of body weight.
How much is that?: A kilogram is 2.2 pounds. So, if you weighted 180 pounds, this equals 82 kilograms. For an 82 kg person, the amount would be 82 x 3.21 mg = 263 mg of the herb.
All subjects performed the same weightlifting program 3 days per week
Results
- Tribulus did not promote any significant changes in body weight, and it did not reduce body fat.
- Both groups – the placebo group and the Tribulus group – improved strength and endurance.
- Those getting the placebo showed MORE muscle endurance (that's weird!)
Those taking the placebo could do more repetitions on the bench press and leg press than did those who received the supplement. Those taking Tribulus did improve their muscle endurance -but only on the leg press- and the improvement was less than those who got the placebo. This study did not measure testosterone levels.
Study 3
This investigation involved a supplement called Andro 6. This supplement contains many ingredients in addition to the 750 mg of Tribulus. The men took either a placebo or Andro 6 for 8 weeks. All worked out three days per week.
Results
- The Andro 6 supplement did not raise testosterone levels or make people stronger.
- Androstenedione, however, was elevated after Andro 6 supplementation.
This study did not specifically say that Tribulus didn't work. Rather, it found that the supplement Andro 6 didn't work.
Andro 6 contained several ingredients (Saw palmetto, DHEA, androsteinedione etc.) in addition to tribulus. In theory it could be possible that the other ingredients in Andro 6 suppressed tribulus, but that is pure speculation.
Study 4
In this interesting investigation, researchers looked not only at testosterone levels but also at sperm quality. This may help couples trying to get pregnant. Researchers involved 30 men with unknown fertility problems who were randomly given either a placebo or 750 mg a day of Tribulus Terrestris for 3 months.
Results
- No change in total testosterone, free testosterone, or luteinizing hormone.
- Tribulus did not produce any benefits to sperm concentration or sperm mobility.
Tribulus /Testosterone Research Summary
Here's a quick rundown of human studies.
| Study | Subjects | Amount of Tribulus Used | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| The effect of five weeks of Tribulus terrestris supplementation on muscle strength and body composition during preseason training in elite rugby league players | 24 rugby players | 450 mg/day for 5 wks | no change in strength or testosterone or body fat |
| The effects of Tribulus terrestris on body composition and exercise performance in resistance-trained males | 15 weight lifters | 3.21 mg/kg of body weight for 8 weeks | no change in body weight or fat loss. no better strength improvements over placebo. |
| Effects of anabolic precursors on serum testosterone concentrations and adaptations to resistance training in young men | 20 young men | 750 mg (contained in Andro 6 supplement) | No change in testosterone or strength vs placebo |
| Prospective Analysis on the Effect of Botanical Medicine (Tribulus terrestris) on Serum Testosterone Level and Semen Parameters in Males with Unexplained Infertility | 30 men with unknown fertility issues. | 750 mg for 3 months | No change in total testosterone, free testosterone, luteinizing hormone or sperm motility |
Can Tribulus Help Women?
Study 1
What about women who take this herb? Can it help them? In a small study, researchers gave the herb to 2 women (yes, just two women) for two days to see what would happen. The women took 1500 mg per day.
Results
- Tribulus did not alter testosterone, luteinizing hormone, DHEA or testosterone.
Study 2
Researchers gave 7.5 mg of Tribulus -or a placebo – to 60 women with low sex drive for a month. The amount used was 7.5 mg per day.
Results
Women filled out before and after questions and said the herbal ingredient helped them. The researchers, unfortunately, did not measure any hormones.
Study 3
This 3-month investigation involved 40 premenopausal women who were given either a placebo or 750 mg of Tribulus Terrestris. Women filled out questionnaires of sexual functioning and they also measured testosterone levels too.
Results
- Both the Tribulus and placebo groups scored similarly to each other on sexual functioning questionnaires.
- Tribulus did not raise total testosterone
- Tribulus did raise free testosterone and serum testosterone
An issue with this study was that 24 of the 40 women were excluded from the study results. That's over a 50% dropout rate. This may have played a role in the outcomes.
Tribulus And Libido
Does Tribulus improve erections or help men have better sex? Given the reputation this herb has for raising testosterone, it's natural it would be used in male enhancement supplements, too. So, does it work?
Study 1
Researchers gave 750 mg of Tribulus per day to 30 men complaining of having issues associated with low T and ED. The study lasted 3 months.
Results
- Tribulus significantly raised total and free testosterone but not the Luteinizing hormone.
- Men also reported -that they had better erections.
This study had no placebo group. Since Tribulus is rumored to raise Luteinizing hormone, it's odd the study did not show this, in spite of seeing a boost in testosterone levels.
Non-Human Research
- Researchers gave the herb to 8 rabbits. The herb was noted to improve erections in rabbits.
- In another investigation, the herbal extract was noted to improve sexual activity in “sexually sluggish” lab rats.
Lab animal is interesting but it's not as important as human clinical research.
Tribulus vs. Testofen
Testofen is a patented extract from the fenugreek herb. Some research suggests fenugreek/testofen extract may raise anabolic hormone levels in men. Research comparing tribulsus vs testofen cannot be located. See this video for the testofen-testosterone proof.
Tribulus Side Effects
I'm not sure about long-term safety. Most studies do not last very long. While it may be safe in healthy people, I noticed a strange side effect when I took this supplement for a few weeks. See my experiment with Tribulus for more info.
Here are some basic considerations when taking this supplement. This list is not complete:
- Start with less than recommended for the first week.
- Don't take this supplement if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Stop taking the supplement at least 2 weeks before having surgery, including dental surgery.
- Speak to your doctor/pharmacist if you take any medications, including blood thinners.
One report details a male bodybuilder who was treated for gynecomastia (male breast enlargement) after taking an herbal supplement containing this herbal ingredient. Since the supplement contained many ingredients, it's not known which was responsible for this effect.
There is some speculation Tribulus might lower blood sugar levels. This may be an issue for diabetics who use Tribulus supplements.
Preliminary evidence (lab animals) hints that it may increase the size of the prostate. This may be a problem for men who have prostate issues like BPH. This effect has not been proven in humans as far as I know.
I experienced heart palpitations and sipped heartbeats when I experimented with Tribulus for 30 days. This began after I stopped taking the herb and lasted for about a month.
Does Tribulus Raise Testosterone?
I see no good proof for Tribulus Terrestris as an effective testosterone booster in men. Based on the evidence, I believe it's a dud. That said, most of the research on this herb is less than spectacular. I might change my opinion if I see some better proof. Did it work for you?
Related Reviews
something else that I forgot to mention is that after a few days of taking tribulus my sleep improved tremendously.
I have to attribute this to the tribulus because that is the only thing that I’ve done different these past few weeks.
I am 28 years old. I had been feeling pretty sluggish for a while and even though I have been trying to follow a healthy diet my energy levels had been pretty low.
This will sound very naive, but I just assumed that maybe my T levels were low. I had read about Tribulus and decided to go out and buy some. I bought the TwinLab tribulus fuel. I went with TwinLab because this company has been around for a long time and to me that’s a sign of a reputable company. I’ve been taking it for about three weeks and I have noticed a little bit of an increase in energy but I’ll take whatever little boost of energy I can get to keep up with both my kids.
I don’t follow an exercise regimen so as expected I haven’t gained any muscle mass or anything like that. My libido has never been a problem and nothing has changed in regards to that. I will admit and this might sound a little cliche’ but I have been a little more aggressive lately 🙂 .
im 15 (i know kinda young) i cycled trib for 4 weeks on then 8 weeks off. i got some awesome results, 10kg more benching each week. but by the end of the 4 weeks i felt really deflated and it messed with my stomach, maybe it was the brand (pro body 800mg) and i took two of those a day. im back on it again and i’ll keep you posted on any more gains
Hi im just bought Tribulus 20,000 today, each capsule contains 20,000mg and you take them twice a day. Im 24 years old and keen to see the effect it has on me. Will post results!
Tom great yes do keep me posted!
Why attempt to increase testosterone through artificial means? Deadlifting and squatting is proven to increase testosterone output as does eating right and sleeping. If your gonna take a supplement to increase your testosterone levels, don’t be a pussy just go for the real deals and real steroids.
Any reason those with such low T levels are not getting doctor prescribed Testosterone injections? You’ll feel like a million bucks, stop the muscle wasting, have more engery, more sex drive, etc.
Joe:
Thanks for your comments.
I was looking for a T booster and many advertisements touted Tribulus as a T booster. My T level is 278 whereas my doctor thinks it should be close to 500. The doctor did not know of any medication that would boost the T level.
My concern is that the low T level may be the cause of muscle loss that I have experienced over the last few months.
From the details on this site Tribulus does not seem to help.
Is there any natural supplement that is effective for boosting T level which you will recommend?
Vin, have you been lifting weights? That will slow muscle loss and help you build your muscles back. For the large muscles – legs, chest and back, find a resistance you can lift between 8-12 repetitions only. When you can do 3 sets of more than 12 reps increase the weight. If you have not lifted weights before, make the weight lighter so you can lift it 15-20 reps and do this for about 3 months (you only need to do 1 set for the first 2-3 months which is good if time is a problem). The lifter weights will help give your tendons/ligaments time to get stronger. they usually take longer than muscles.
So far I have not found anything that I have faith in unfortunately. You can always try tribulus for a month and get your T levels tested. that will be the best way to know if its working. I don’t think it will do this but I could be wrong. Some people say androsteinedione can raise T levels but in men it just seems to raise estrogen instead.
Hi Joe:
I have read the posts on this site with interest. Not much has been discussed about the side effects of Tribulus Terrestris.
Does Tribulus have negative side effects, particularly on the blood pressure?
Vin, I have never seen where Tribulus raised blood pressure. I did blog recently about my personal experience when I tried tribulus http://supplementclarity.com/tribulus-terrestris-side-effect-heart/ I thought it caused my heart to skip beats after I stopped taking it it but that was my personal experience and Ive never see anybody else say that it happened to them.
One study noted that tribulus might increase prostate size http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12127159?dopt=Abstract so it might aggregate BPH. Some have said that it might cause dehydration. in theory that might make your BP go up but I have never seen any good proof of this.
Overall mostly I dont see anything “concrete” about tribulus being bad and I have not see anything serious associated with tribulus. Has anything odd happened to you after you tried tribulus?
Hi Joe,
I am 36 years old and i have been having very low sex drive from past 10-12 years. I have been tested and my T level is between 7-10 (UK measurement normal range is 10-35). My GP says at my age 10 is very low and ideally it should be at least 25. I am worried about it and just came through your site. What would you advise me?
Regards
HI Shah, what is your doctor recommending to help correct your low testosterone level? Keep in mind that one test may not be enough to diagnose your low Testosterone level so your doctor may ask for a second test in a month to compare. I suggest you talk to your doctor about what you might be able to do to correct the issue. there are things he/she can prescribe – like andro gel – to correct this. Strength training may also help some.
You did not mention what your body weight was but if you are overweight, I suggest losing the excess weight. Low testosterone levels have also been seen in overweight man and this also includes men who have type II diabetes. If you fall into this category speak to your doctor about it.
Hope that helps Shah
man tribulus has changed the game of weightlifting for me i mean wow im 162 pound and i can now squat 565 dead lift 505 and bench 315 with ease no second thought about and i feel great with no side effects except i wanna do my ol lady all the time and that not bad and i think it helped me with my forty time as well thanks Tribulus
Hi have you looked at Yohimbine HCL
Hi Michael, I did review Yohimbine HCL in my book about supplements. but so far I have not reviewed it here on the website.
hi well it been 2 weeks had had some interesting effects bursts of hotness soon after taking i have had trouble sleeping for a number of years and since taking tribulus my sleep is so much deeper still wake alot but in the morning feel i have slept really well(weird) now i do not do a lot of weights twice a week sometimes three times muscle are much fuller not changed my work out or diet but i am losing weight(fat) will keep you updated
Thats really interesting Michael. I didn’t have any of those effects when I tried it recently.
Check this out, good results in rats!
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12804079
Alex, yes thats what I saw also in my review a lot of rat research. its interesting but it looks like they did not measure testosterone or nitric oxide levels in the rats. They also gave the rats tribulus based on body weight – 2.5, 5 and 10 mg per kilogram of body weight. Its only a guess but If it really did work, that might be more than is in many tribulus supplements.
Joe, I furthered the research and didn’t think it was a good idea to take tribulus on its own due to the high testosterone levels (i dont want to grow hairs on my chest lol). I purchased a product called health fusion that has tribulus and horny goat weed in it with Chinese herbs.
Unfortunately it hasn’t done a great deal for my libido but it has reduced my fatigue and i have a lot more energy. Even though i wasn’t that interested in whether it helps muscle mass it turns out that it has helped.
My muscles seem more defined in the past month. I have osteoarthritis and i found out that it can actually affect ones libido. I still have a months worth of health fusion left and i will just have to keep experimenting with different things for the libido. Will keep you posted 🙂
Vanessa thanks for the update. Glad you are seeing at least some results with your muscles and fatigue. Its interesting what you said about osteoarthritis affecting libido. I wonder if that might be due to sex-induced OA pain? In other words – if it hurts I wont do it? Do keep me posted on your progress 🙂
Joe, I am 49 and have had my T tested twice in the last 3 yrs. Both times tested in “normal” range for my age but on the lower side of normal. What is your opinion of which brand has the the best purity, results, history for Tribulus? I would like to raise the T to still normal range, but the upper end.
Beemer, at this point I dont endorse any specific brand of tribulus. Ive never seen any research that one brand stands out more than others and Im still not convinced any tribulus brand raises T levels. What I can say is if you want to try this pick a brand from a respected company (check the comments for links to some brands) and after a month get your T levels checked again. that will give you the best idea of something is working. I wish I had better advice than this.
I personally use Tribulus sold thru Amazon, it works great for me as a libido booster and harder erections. I have low t and am going to test it soon. I don’t yet if it ups the t but I know it ups the libido and makes my testicle slightly larger which I guess is them producing more t. I will know in a few weeks and repost results. http://www.amazon.com/Tribulus-Raw-Power-concentrated-enhancement/dp/B002HO9H4M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1317442723&sr=8-2
http://www.amazon.com/Arthur-Guess/e/B002I8EDEQ/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2?qid=1317443293&sr=8-2
Thanks for letting me know Art. do you know what your T levels are now? Hope your books are selling well!!
just got some myself 57yrs old 86kilo doing cardio on empty stomach 2xcaps 3x a day hoping to shift last bit of belly fat
Michael, keep me posted,. I’m actually experimenting with this stuff now myself and will report what happens in a few weeks.
Hi there, I stumbled across this whist looks at sups, iv just bought the LA muscle brand of Tribulus Terrestris.
Im 6ft 3, 18yrs of age, 92kg and a do crossfit training.
I will keep you guys posted in the next month on my progress, these are the doses ill be taking:
2 capsules,2 times a day leading to 3 times a day in the final week @ 250mg per cap
= 1000mg per day – 1500mg per day
Danny thanks for keeping us posted.
Do I take it before or after work outs ?
Eric, I dont think anybody has really looked at that question but Id say after exercise as opposed to just before.
I’ve tried the Tribestan brand many years ago and did in fact have very positive results. I was in my mid 20’s then and used it as a way to boost natural test production. I feel it indeed do that. My libido greatly increased and I had noticeably more endurance and strength while weight training.
Lately (now mid 30’s) I’ve used the NOW Foods brand Tribulus at 2000mg p/day with fantastic results. Same outstanding increased libido as well as more power, strength, and endurance in the gym.
I believe the limited studies done have the daily dosage too low. I also believe not all tribulus is manufactured the same. Which may or may not negatively impact tests as well as user reviews.
All I know is this stuff works VERY well. I have tried 3000mg p/day with outstanding results, but normally keep my dosing at 2000 mg p/day. Furthermore, there is actual dried herbal tribulus as well as tribulus extract. The extract is a medium tan color while the dried herb looks simply like dried herbs.
The NOW Foods brand clearly appears to be the dried herb formula visibly. I know not all products work for everyone and each person reacts differently, but this is one product (for me) that definitely does what it claims. Shame better human testing will never probably be done.