Updated 10/15/23. Tribulus Terrestris first became popular in the 1990s but seemed to have fallen off a cliff until a few years ago when people started asking me about it again. While I admit to being a Tribulus skeptic – because of what the research says and doesn't say – I was intrigued by the people who commented on my review of Tribulus and testosterone that the supplement was working for them. Specifically, people told me that Tribulus was not only helping to improve muscle mass but also that it increased their sex drive and erections!
My Tribulus Experiment
If Tribulus really was doing all of what men said, then it could be a pretty cheap and effective way to help a lot of guys. So, I decided to test this supplement on myself – a 47-year-old apparently healthy guy who eats fairly well and goes to the gym 3-4 per week on average.
I have no heart problems in my family. I think my genes are pretty good since my grandmother lived to be 104! I'm telling you this for a reason.
Keep reading…
So, I went to Vitamin Shoppe and purchased Tribulus for my personal experiment. The brand I used was Ultimate Nutrition Bulgarian Tribulus. Each capsule had 750 mg (extract and aerial portions of the plant) and the bottle said that it contained “over 45% steroidal saponins”.
This was similar to what someone in my Tribulus and testosterone review said worked for him. I did my experiment for about 2 weeks.
At the start of my experiment, I took 1 capsule of Bulgarian Tribulus a day, and then after a few days or so I took 2 capsules per day.
I took both capsules of either together or separated by several hours to see if taking them at the same time gave me different effects. Likewise, I took the supplement on both an empty stomach and with food to see if either of these mattered.
I did not measure my testosterone level before I started taking the supplement. I figured if tribulus really worked, that I would notice the more obvious signs – energy, erection frequency, sex drive etc. – pretty fast.
Did Tribulus Work?
At the end of my 2-week experiment, these are the results I observed:
- Energy in the gym: Tribulus terrestris had no noticeable effects
- Muscle strength: Tribulus terrestris had no noticeable effects
- Erections: Tribulus terrestris had no noticeable effects
- Sex drive: Tribulus terrestris had no noticeable effects
I didn't notice any difference at all. That's actually why I quit taking it after 2 weeks – and that's when something did happen…
Does Tribulus Raise Testosterone
Watch on my YouTube channel
Tribulus Terrestris Side Effects
A few days after I stopped taking Tribulus, I noticed that my heart started skipping beats.
Skipped heart beats and normal and we all get them from time to time. You may have heard them called PVCs – pre-ventricular contractions or PACs – premature atrial contractions.
What I experienced was NOT normal. Just while sitting, watching TV, I counted several skipped heartbeats in a minute. That's NOT normal!
We take our heart beating for granted. But when you can actually feel your heart stop beating for an instant, it's very scary. After searching online, I saw other people saying that this herb might cause a faster heart rate. I could not find anyone saying that Tribulus caused skipped heartbeats.
I never experienced any chest pain either at rest or with exercise. I even biked to the gym and didn't notice any problems. Likewise, I never felt dizzy or lightheaded or had a lack of energy. Still, the skipped heartbeats persisted.
After about 3 or 4 days, I went to see my doctor. My blood pressure and the resting EKG test were normal. It was only after speaking to the physician's assistant in my doctor's office did the idea of a “Tribulus withdrawal” occur to us.
Was it possible that Tribulus was doing something in me even though I didn't notice it? And when I stopped taking it, was it possible that my body reacted – which was manifested in my heart skipping beats? This is an interesting theory and I don't know if it's true or not.
I know I've never had a problem with persistent skipping heartbeats before. After about 5 days or so, the skipped heartbeats went away and, as of today, have not returned.
Does It Work?
It did not work for me. I noticed no positive benefits. Based on that I believe what other people say is due to a placebo effect. Could it be I didn't take it long enough? It's possible. Regardless, since it seemed to cause skipped heartbeats, I don't think it's worth it.
What Do You Think?
After reading a lot of testimonials and articles about trib, my conclusion is that it works very well and definitely increases testosterone but only for some people. As for negative effects, again, people have very different makeups. This is the only place I’ve seen erratic or erratic heartbeat mentioned.
Now, I happen to be 2-3 x as sensitive to any chemical than average, a blessing and a curse. Horny goatweed sends my heart into high gear with irregular beat, very scary. So, I just bought DHEA and tribulus, will see how it goes. Haven’t found a good source of longjack yet but will get around to it.
As for “scientific” studies, peer reviewd blah blah blah, these are invariably funded by big pharma, and even if done by the gov, they’re in each other’s pockets, so do expect the reverse effect, that they will design the experiment to give negative results and baby that ain’t conspiracy theory, that’s the truth.
At 65, I find better gym responses with only 2x per week and have a steady state of good fitness. Tomorrow I will start the DHEA and trib. I plan to take DHEA only just prior to a workout at 150mg and maybe a lower dose of 50mg between workouts, not sure yet.
The trib will take 2 750mg caps between days and 3 on workout days. I have low testosterone, low libido. Will try to remember this site and post results in a month or two. I’m also no stranger to scientific research, had a large statistical plot in grad school and did hundreds of statistical ANOVAs and regressions for dozens of various effects, even wrote a very clean theorem that improves general statistical designs.
cusanus, I hope the DHEA and tribulus helps you.
Hi Joe, I hope you are fit and well. I am responding to your comment to cusanus regarding DHEA. I recently read an article / opinion piece on this ‘thing’ ( I learn that they don’t know what it is or what it does ) on http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/dhea.html which concludes….
HealthNews associate editor Arthur Feinberg, MD :-
“The potential for irreversible side effects is real,” he says. “So given that there’s no convincing evidence for any benefit of DHEA, I feel strongly that people should not take it.”
There are many other similar warnings from professionals with letters after their name, yet it remains easily accessible ( even in the UK! ) – which begs the question ” Joe, how do I reveal the truth behind such supplements ” ?
I’d like to try some, but the stuff appears more dangerous than oral steroids.
50 or 100mg tabs seem to be the norm on the net over here but articles warn against taking more than 5mg a day.
I’m a little confused, do you have a few words of advice ?
Sean, I’m familiar with DHEA. Because its a hormone it might have many effects in the body that I dont think we understand yet. As a rule I also caution against using it too. Back in the 90s it was hyped as “the fountain of youth” because babies made a lot of DHEA and older people made a little. But the marketers of these products never told people that we also make little DHEA at times in our youth also. Why? maybe there is a reason…
also I believe genetics play a big role in whether it will work for you or not,when I used steroid cycles on different products some worked great for me and some didn’t as my friends took some that did not work for me they had great gains
Interesting. Thank you.
hi iv been taking tribulus terrestris for just over 3 months its mixed with magnesium and zinc ,I have had great gains in mass , I used to use steriods testosterone stacked mixed cycles,i came off and decided to give tribulus a go .no side affects and good gains (I doubled recommended doseage)4 capsuals daily
Hey there…just thought I would add my two cents here. I am a 44 yr old male, slightly overweight, workout 5 times a week, and I only eat vegetables and protein….no sugars or man made products other than any supplements I may take and even then I try to stick to natural sourced items. I live in Canada so I can get my blood tested pretty much anytime I want to with zero cost. Any time I add a new supplement to my routine I always get my blood levels checked right before I start taking it and 6 weeks after, just to see if they are acting as advertised.
When I got my 6 week blood test done during my experiment with tribulus, the results showed that I had about 90% higher levels of available testosterone in my system. I must also add that nothing else in my diet, supplementation or physical activity level was altered during this experiment.
Then I did the experiment the other way, and stopped taking tribulus and got my blood tested at the 6 week mark….my available test. levels dropped by the exact amount they were boosted! These results may not be typical of all users, but it would appear to me that the product worked as advertised….and I had documented proof!
Richard, thanks for writing and I commend you for getting your blood tested. I advise everybody to do the same thing.
I regually take Tribulas and for me it does increase stamina in gym a little but the main thing is it lifs depression and makes you feel much happier.
Michael, while I never saw any studies on tribulus and depression, I am happy that it is doing that for you.
In all due respect that wasn’t really an experiment. It would take more weeks to start seeing results.
you also didn’t actually test levels (understandably, because those tests aren’t cheap).
Regardless, i don’t have a clue if tribulus works… that’s how i found your article, by asking that question again.
i’ve bought TestoJack (NOW) from iHerb. it DEFINITELY did something for me and the two other friends but though it has tribulus, it’s main ingredient is probably Tonkat Ali (Longjack) and a few other things. Another of my friends just took straight Tongkat Ali, and i took testojack AND Tongkat ali. it was made clear to me by friends who had researched it that tongkat takes about 6 weeks to really see results. but MAN did i see results. i felt very ‘aggressive’ but in a positive way. like, motivated, and i felt like i wanted to make love to every beautiful body i saw… but still, in a very ‘in control’ and calm clear powerful way… not a rev’d up going crazy desperate horny way. it was really quite nice, for a while… until i actually found i cannot take tongkat ali because i get intense overwhelming anxiety! crazy huh? my other friends have continued to take it and almost a year later are still finding it’s helpful.
It might be that there are combinations of the ingredients that work off each other but do little on their own. Tongkat Ali is no joke. Everyone’s different so some people may not feel it?… i don’t know. but For me and my two friends (we all have very different body types and metabolisms) it was quite powerful. for me the effect was too much. i’m going to try it again after i know i’m long past any anxiety experiences (i’ve had trouble with periodic anxiety for a couple years now). i know it was tongkat ali because i quit taking testo jack, let it all clear, felt completely different and at ease.
a couple months later started taking it again and BAM anxiety like crazy. no mental component even, not thinking crazy thoughts, normal thoughts, totally anxious body. weirdest shit ever. (oddly, if you google tongkat and anxiety you see article about how it LOWERS anxiety. i really am a freak of nature.
i recognize in the end my comment had nothing to do with Tribulus hahaha, but i did want to point out that you need more time. also i strongly suggest not buying from places like GNC and that sorta thing… buy from quality natural brands who aren’t selling mass market watered down crap in shiny superhero race car looking bottles that scream douche bag. just sayin… 😉
thanks for your feedback to the world, we’re all just sorta comparing notes hahaha
Jamie Z, comparing notes is great because that’s how progress is made 🙂 I’m familiar with the limitations of my “experiment” and I’m really glad for those who say Tribulus has helped them. I remain unconvinced – not because of my experiment but -because of the research. The research so far shows it doesn’t live up to its reputation, but I do look forward to other studies that may show up in the future. In case you missed it, here is my review of tribulus and testosterone http://supplementclarity.com/tribulus-terrestris-review-testosterone/
I’m familiar with Tongkat Ali also. If you search for it on my site you’ll see its been in a couple of products I’ve reviewed previously.
Oh for God’s sake, stop masking your complete and biased subjectivity with so called “research”.
What happened here is that [one brand you tried for very limited time] didn’t work for you – we friking get it already.
And after that you simply decided to filter out all those researches that prove otherwise.
People provided you with enough positive personal experiences that are in almost greater amounts than number of subjects in that HALF (in best case) of researches that show tribulus doesn’t work as expected. And I provided you with several links to researches that show it does. But you keep repeating the same ignorant mantra again and again. And at this point it’s not even about not being objective any more, you’re downright lying to your readers since you know there are at least as many confirming researches.
If this is the best level of objectivity you can provide to your readers, than if anything is a dud, it’s this site.
Unsubscribed.
Tom, biased subjectivity? How? As you know, my experiences do not form the basis of my opinion. What happened to me notwithstanding, I looked at the RESEARCH and the research so far shows tribulus is a dud.
Showing people the research is the HIGHEST level of objectivity.
So how is looking at the research being biased and subjective?
You YOURSELF were unable to show me any good human published peer reviewed research that tribulus does what people online say it does. I’m sorry Tom but the research you showed me only reinforced my position, not yours. To save people the trouble of locating the research you showed me, here it is:
1. http://www.ehow.com/way_5865734_tribulus-work-women_.html – this is not a peer reviewed study. This is a website that doesn’t cite studies to back up conclusions. I discount it because of lack of corroborating research.
2. http://examine.com/supplements/Tribulus+terrestris/ This is a good website and they basically say the same thing as I do. To quote them “”In otherwise healthy males, testosterone is not influenced with supplementation of tribulus terrestris. There may be an increase in infertile men, but this is weak.” As for erections, they cite only one study noting it helps and also call this evidence “weak.”
3. http://www.abc.net.au/science/slab/testost/story.htm This is a website page that discusses testosterone. There is no mention of tribulus
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6345148 This is a study about androgen receptors in the brain. There is no mention of tribulus.
5. dextromed.com/news/tribulus-terrestris-testosterone.html This site is from a doctor but he doesn’t give me the studies to back up what he is saying. He just calls them “study 1” “study 2” etc. Unless I can see those studies I cant comment on them.
6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17767762 – a rat study.
7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23526694 – a rabbit study.
8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23173697 – this is a human study of a specific supplement called Tradamixina – not tribulus. This product contained more than just tribulus. so how do we know it was tribulus – and not the other stuff in the supplement – that caused the effects? You dont. If anything it is evidence for Tradamixina but not tribulus.
9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22368416 – this is a rat study.
I’ve never attacked you -or anyone else- for saying tribulus worked -and I’ve always been happy for people who say it worked for them. So I dont understand why you are so angry at what I am saying? I’m showing you my proof – research. You are showing me your proof – a testimonial.
I’ve always felt the world is big enough for diverging points of view and I feel people should have a place where they can see that point of view, so they can make a more informed decision.
I will always have an open mind so if you or anyone else becomes aware of good research on tribulus showing it raises testosterone, improves sex drive/performance or makes muscles bigger or stronger, do let me know so I can review it.
This is the best thread I’ve followed in years.
Thanks Sean. I appreciate that 🙂
Lol this article is terribly (tribulusly) misleading to anyone who wants to try this product. I was taking it in several cycles (between 5-10) in various periods, as well as my friends, and it worked like swiss watch – every- single – time. How it does what it does remains debatable I suppose, but I’m to this day inclined to believe in LH – testosterone axis theory.
So, what it does? After 2-3 days of taking it I start to wake up with boners so serious they don’t go away at least 15 minutes. I know this is normal even for men not taking anything, but every single morning? I don’t think so. I also feel pleasant pins and needles in my testicles during the day that basically make me wanna have sex with everything that moves. When I do, sex is even more incredible than usual. In gym I make 1-2 repetitions more in every series in almost every excercise.
The only side effect I can report is that it makes me react sometimes in a manner not typical for myself, in aggressive kind of way. All mentioned goes away after stopping taking it. I always think it will stay because I get used to the effect, but it doesn’t. Sometimes only after, in pause phase, do I realize how strong of an effect it had. And it returns in consistent manner after restarting consuming it. So it definitely works, there’s absolutely no question about it.
If you want to experience crazy good trib effect, take quality product with 80% saponins like Weider (or any other brand with such concentration of active substance). Right now I’m taking generic product from ebay (bought a kilo of it:). It works, it has to be taken in far greater amount because it “only” has 40% saponins, but it’s much much cheaper.
Tom, The funny thing is, this is one of the few times I actually tried something out on myself rather than just cover what the science says. Its ironic that in other reviews I get accused of not having my facts straight when I dont try a product – and now when I DO, I get stuff from people like you who say I’m misleading people because I didn’t get the results you wanted to see.
I do thank you for your words though because I’m going to link to this review in others I write as a response to those who say “I have to try something to really know if it works or not.”
This is why I like science more than testimonials – and the science also says tribulus is a dud.
Why not do a study of its effects by taking readings of your t levels? this is what it purports to do but no one ever seems to do a pre and post (30 day) and then 60 day review of whether T levels were affected.
This is only way to determine if its doing what it says for each individual. I am not complaining you didn’t do this – everyone is different and you may have not been interested in that data. the results you had re: the heart are very alarming. I haven’t seen that yet in any other review I’ve read but you’re probably not the only one.
the question is whether it affects enough people in that way to be deemed as dangerous and whether it impacts enough people in a positive way or not (based on actual data, not relying on how someone “feels” which is completely subjective and has a tone of other factors that go into it)
Mike, I totally agree and that would have been the best way to study whether tribulus raises testosterone or not. When I did my “experiment” I felt that, given what people were saying, that I would feel the results because the stuff people told me and what I also saw online was very over the top.
You might also want to see my review on the tribulus research on testosterone that has been conducted. Here is the link
http://supplementclarity.com/tribulus-terrestris-review-testosterone/
Way late to stumbling across this post, but just wanted to float a few ideas out there.
You have to consider the quality of the herb, first and foremost. If you were taking bottled capsules – regardless of the marketing – chances are good it was old and had lost a great deal of potency. And if it was just the herb, not a distilled concentrate, it probably wouldn’t be strong enough to do anything.
You also have to consider how it’s meant to work. Any herb, including tribulus, can never work like a steroid from some lab somewhere. You would need to take it for about 2 MONTHS before it would even have a chance to work its work . . . and, as before, it would need to be fresh. Ideally, it would a concentrate, too, not just some raw dried herb.
I mean no criticism, and please don’t be offended if my opinions seem too opinionated. But the problem with evaluating herbal supplements always comes down to quality and giving it a fair chance, in my opinion.
For example . . . the study with the rugby players was idiotic. These men were likely in peak physical condition from the get-go. When you’re THAT healthy, it’s going to take something much stronger than tribulus, a very gentle herb, to have any effect. Then they probably got a supplement that was both too weak and too old and decayed to have any effect on anyone. It’s a classic example of researchers setting up an experiment destined to get the result they wanted.
Thanks for humoring my random thoughts. LOL
Matt, all I can is I used what others said had worked for them and noticed no difference. As for the research, I can only report what is out there. I hope it spurs better research.
Thanks Joe,
I thought about the allergy thing or maybe it has been building up I my body, causing a negative reaction . Maybe a pesticide was used on the tribulus, I don’t know and it is not worth the reaction of heart racing for me. What is your opinion on somatrope hgh?
Mike, while Ive never heard of somatrope hgh my guess is that it has stuff (like maybe arginine) thats sometimes touted to raise HGH levels. Im skeptical personally but I think the best way to know for sure is to get HGH levels tested first before using the product -and then a month later. youll know by then if it worked or not.
Good Call ! on testing ! I will keep you abreast !
Hi Joe an anti aging Dr here in Cabo, very exciting stuff. My wife did the 24 hrs collection of urine then they send it in for testing. Really cool stuff. Have a great day and thanks for the continued updates on tribulis
Very interesting ! I just finished reading every comment on tribulus. When I was 37 I took tribulus one capsule a day and noticed stronger erections. I took it on and off for about three years, mostly on. A few years ago I experienced Heart Racing and irregular heart beats. Very Scary stuff. Went to a Cardiologist who after only a few tests labeled me with Super Ventricular Etocpe. Meaning the top half of my heart was beating faster then the bottom half. He recommended an “ablation.”
I asked what caused this irregular heart beat? he had no idea. I asked what if this surgery goes wrong? He replied, Oh no worries you’ll get a pace maker and maybe a defibrillator. I said well we need more tests. I then found a preventative medicine doctor in Del Mar California “Dr. Barnet Meltzer.” He took me off all extra supplements like tribulus, and put me on a VEGAN Diet for 8 months. My symptoms went away, but I still had acid reflux.
I asked him about this symptom and he suggested eating smaller portions several times daily. I felt back on track, I started incorporating meat back into my diet and ate small portions several times daily. No more heart racing and NO SURGERY.
I am now 44 and still have a high stress production based job. I work out 3-5 times a week over 6 feet tall and right at 200 lbs. I consider myself physically fit and healthy. My current stress I believe has lowered my sex drive and desire.
Last night I ate a large steak dinner and wine, completely stuffed myself, something I rarely ever do anymore. I then had the bright idea, ” hey maybe if I take Tribulus again, my sex drive will increase.” So I took a 750 Tribulus on a full stomach and went to bed exhausted from my day. I heard what sounded like a firework around 2:30 am woke up, stomach still very bloated and my heart began to race irregularly.
I immediately calmed my self reverted back to Dr. Barnet’s training meditated and calmed myself and lowered the speed of my heart rate. After a while, got up to get some water and a Melox. Then had the idea maybe look up Tribulus and heart racing. Found your site and began reading. Thank You !
I am no longer going to even consider taking Tribulus again. Weather it was my full stomach or the Tribulus that caused my small heart racing episode this morning. I will no longer take Tribulus !!! Thank You very very much !
In good health and best wishes to you and all your readers.
Sincerely Mike.
Mike, thanks for writing and I am really glad you are in good health too. Thank goodness you got those extra tests. I have not taken tribulus since I wrote about my irregular heart rate issues and I have not had any other problems since then. Did it cause my problems? I have no idea but after reading what you and others have said it does make me wonder if tribulus might have an effect on the heart in some groups of people. That’s very nu-scientific of course but its a working model until research proves otherwise. Regardless, have a fantastic day and, I’m glad I was able to help in some small way.
Are some people just plain ‘allergic’ to Tribulus then Joe?
I talk about this subject at the gym – some love it ( like me ) and some have had a negative experience. There is also the group labelled ‘no effect’.
Are you any closer to scientific discovery yet?
I’m eager to read your future posts,
Kind regards,
SC
SC, honestly Im not sure but I didn’t respond well to it and a few others here said they had off reactions also. Is that an “allergy?” I dont know. I wish I had a better answer. I will say I’m glad you are having good results with tribulus and Ill keep my eyes open if anything new comes out on it.
That’s cool Joe, thanks.
* when I say ‘allergy’ – I mean like how some people simply can’t get enough of that lovely peanut butter and some people have a really negative ( sometimes fatal ) reaction to it.
I’m starting to believe that this is the case with Trib.
Thing is, I only take it when I want to feel alert and well, like when I’m out on the bike – I ‘feel’ safer because I ‘feel’ stronger. It starts to work within 20 mins of ingestion and comes on like a (really) distant buzz. Just makes me feel happy and overall more confident….by about 5% – which makes it good value in my book.
The reason I share this is because I’m suggesting that other people with bad reactions to Trib could try taking it maybe once or twice a week ( use good strength 95% sapponins tabs – take two ) and see how they feel about it then.
My point is that I believe Trib to be too potent to be introduced to some humans over a sustained period i.e. a ‘cycle’. I say this as an experienced ‘naturally occurring’ drug/herb user….Trib has powers that are unique in the world of herbalism. You’ve only got to have a look at the lifestyle of the damned thing – the way it replicates and protects it seeds – to realise how special it is.
I forgot to mention that I don’t take them with food. Just plenty of water.
Regards,
SC
SC, its possible Id guess. Sometimes things are best when ingested slowly. For me, Im going to steer clear of it. I didnt feel any different and the skipped heart beats just scared me.
I’m willing to bet the tribulus you bought from the supplement store was in fact made in China, not Bulgaria. I know of only one place to get real 100% Bulgarian tribulus and that is protein factory.com.
All other forms are mearly imposters. The supplement world is full of rip off companies pretending to have the real deal. It pays to do in depth research on any supplement.
Erich, all I know is the bottle indicated it had what others said worked for them. I assume well known companies try to put what they feel is the best – albeit it sometimes least expensive -ingredients in their products so they can make a profit.
how do you know protein factory is the only place to get bulgaria tribulus? Have you seen documentation on this? Can you share the documents so I can see them? I looked up ProteinFactory.com and found that its registered to someone named Alex Rogers. The address of the company – according to whois.com is 991 Cedar Bridge Avenue brick NJ 08723. I googled this address and I dont see any building called “Protein Factory.” here is the google map link
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=991+Cedar+Bridge+Avenue,+Brick,+NJ&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x89c1837063f4d433:0x1970874c6904e916,991+Cedar+Bridge+Ave,+Brick,+NJ+08723&gl=us&ei=pt7GUpTZOPKrsATi0ICYDQ&ved=0CCwQ8gEwAA
Here is the whois.com file on Protein factory
http://www.whois.com/whois/proteinfactory.com
It may be a fine company. I honestly dont know anything about them.
Hello Joe. If you go to Proteinfactory .com you will see everything they sell. It’s mostly the purest proteins available, but they also sell test boosters like Bulgarian Tribulus when they are available. This is the only company that I trust 100% They are the only company to have third party testing on all of their products. Go there look under supplements and you will see the tribulus it may not be available right now, because they are a small company they have limited stock.
Erich, I did look at ProteinFacory.com and I saw quality guarantee of 3rd party testing. But, even if they have a lab verify that the tribulus supplement really contains bulgarian tribulus, I still will need proof it raises testosterone levels.
Ive taken Nutrex vitrix, and dymatize trib 650, the bloody stuff sends my libido through the roof, gym aggression is noticeable and short fuse temper after a couple weeks. Taking it at 2 pills a day for ur experiment was pointless, i take up to 6-8 pills a day, then come back and tell how it didn’t work
Joe, appreciate you writing but I have no intention of ever taking tribulus again after how I reacted. having skipped heart beats was scary and that’s not a door I want to open again.
Exactly my experience. Libido it provides is similar to early stages of puberty. I also agree taking two pills of lower grade product will do nothing and I don’t believe at all it has anything to do with skipping heartbeats. Perhaps some contaminants in unpure product more than anything else or just pure unrelated coincidence. I was taking 4 pills of product with 80% saponins for years with all good effects and zero side effects except maybe one or two acne on my back and being ready to road rage every time I drive:) So will make you slightly socially maladapted for a while, but believe it or not it’s fun and completely controllable if you’re aware of what’s going on:)
Tom I could counter that the effects you are experiencing could mostly be due to a placebo effect because the research does not show what you say is happening.
that said, herbs have been known to be contaminated with pesticides and other things and Im totally open to that being a possible answer to what happened with my experience (skipped heart beats), but since others taking different products also seem to have the same side effects I did, I dont think you can chalk it all up to contamination. maybe it is and maybe it isn’t, but either way, other than testimonials from people none of us know personally, there is no good proof that tribulus does anything like people on the web are talking about.
Hey Joe, thanks for your reply. Sorry for the wall of text that follows, if you don’t reply to this, I’ll most certainly understand:)
It’s definitely not placebo, that’s the only thing I can guarantee (I wouldn’t exactly vouch for exactly is going on under the hood, only that it works). So it happens that I’m psychologist by vocation. With that territory I guess comes willingness to try different stuff and experiment on oneself, but I also know thing or to about placebo effect.
The thing is, people are under and overestimating the power of placebo everywhere. First of all, the part of effect of every medicine is placebo. Many of mainstream and expensive drugs have effect of such a small statistical significance that the fact that it works on 0.01 percent more people than placebo drug in control group is the only thing that keeps them on market (yeah, show must go on, power of pharmaceutical lobby and so on, all fueled by “science”.). Do people have any real good from those drugs? Not really. Do pharmaceutical companies make crapload of money on them? Hell yes.
Second of all, even when it happens, placebo effect can be real EFFECT (then it’s not real placebo in usual sense of that word). It can sometimes mean the mechanism of action is not what was expected or wanted to prove. But it can be real physical and organic pathways via which it achieves its effects.
Now, what most layman want to say when they make calls something was “just a placebo”, is that individual was under the power of autosuggestion and somehow convinced themselves to the effect that wasn’t really there. When I first took tribulus, I just wanted to increase my lean muscle mass, and that was what the bottle was saying. I didn’t know or heard anything else about it at that point. I hope you’ll agree with me that you can’t have placebo effect (by definition) if you don’t have expectations.
So after a few days I began experiencing mentioned sexual side effects and only then did I start to investigate what a hell was going on. In months and years that followed, did I increase lean muscle mass? Not exactly, at least not spectacularly or in amount that could be ascribed to some super supplement like tribulus. But I liked those “side effects” that were totally unexpected, therefore, couldn’t be placebo by very definition.
On the other hand, after positive experience with tribulus, I had super high expectations from Tongkat Ali, which I was reading extremely interesting anecdotes (related to libido) about weeks before I actually tried it. My experience? Absolutely zero effect. All my expectations didn’t manage to talk me into experiencing any effect from it, even when I knew after using trib how approximately it should or could feel.
So, although incidentally I am scientist by profession, despite of that (or actually because of that, since I know how much can go wrong, methodology wise), I value honest personal experiences much more than contradictory scientific “proof” (and it is contradictory at the very best when it comes to tribulus so you can’t actually claim science says “tribulus is a dud”.)
Or do you want to say that mices in experiment that showed they significantly increased their mating behavior were under placebo effect, when they didn’t even know they were given tribulus? Of course not. And that study with rugby players was indeed super stupid, to put it blatantly. Everybody knows what kind of juice are those players taking so their hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis is already shut down. To expect tribulus would have any effect on those people really makes me laugh.
But even amongst those juiced-up people, very rare among more experienced of them won’t confirm tribulus’ effectiveness. They are taking it between steroid cycles to get their HPG axis that was shut down by steroids, start to work again sooner. You’d get much better picture in forums on bodybuilding.com than from all those scientific evidence that just contradict each other.
I’m in fitness for almost 20 years already, and I know that things that don’t work simply disappear from the market after a while. Tribulus is still here, even Yohimbe where it’s legal (which we know now doesn’t have any effect on testosterone, but has kickass drug-like effect from different reasons and mechanics than initially thought.)
I would be especially skeptic regarding studies in supplement and pharma field. You can’t patent herb, since it’s a herb, so there’s no huge money in it for pharmaceutical company. If tribulus was synthesized, therefore patented and some company could claim monopoly on it, I’m positive it would be marketed as super potent miracle drug, and there would be studies that confirm it.
The last thing, I really don’t intend (and can’t) influence your opinion since your personal experience is such as it is. I’d just like to suggest to keep open mind, especially not to draw conclusions from that half of scientific evidence about it you chose to believe in.
Since we’re using such terms as “placebo”, did it ever occur to you that it was actually a “nocebo” effect in your case? You chose to believe in “science” so you also chose not to have or notice any effect. I don’t actually believe that, but since you make calls on me having placebo effect, here’s food for thought for you:)
I do believe you those heart symptoms were super scary, but what makes it even less likely related to tribulus is the fact you experienced them when you were NOT taking it. And to claim it was “withdrawal” effect when you didn’t even have “effect” in the first place, and from such a small dosage in such a short amount of time, well…general practitioners will say all kinds of silly things just to look competent when they’re not, or just to get rid of the person in front of them when they don’t have an answer.
When I experience something positive or discover something that works, I really want to scream at the world to try the same so we can all benefit from it, but if you close the door to tribulus forever, it’s your choice. Just be aware there might be some other brand out there that might work for you (and at increased dosage by all means), but you just choose not to risk and play with it any more which is understandable. It’s your body, your health, and I hope they will remain in super good shape in years to come, with or without tribulus 😉
hey Tom, Since you say you value honest personal experiences you should be able to value my honest personal experience that tribulus did nothing for me -except causing skipped heart beats.
I don’t know if you can assume that the rugby players were taking steroids (“juice”) so that is an assumption and until its proven I won’t discount its results.
I can appreciate your scientific background so you I’m sure you will also agree that even you are susceptible to the placebo effect. Yes the placebo effect is a real effect but that doesn’t prove a product (supplement, drug etc) works – only that people believed it works. Ultimately I don’t know if you and others experienced a placebo effect or not. All I can say is the currently the scientific research does not support tribulus as a muscle builder or a sex supplement.
It’s actually a myth that drug companies can’t make money from supplements. Drug companies CAN make money from herbs and other supplements and they even don’t have to patent an herb. Rather they just have to buy the supplement company. For example, Abbot Labs owns EAS supplements. Also, I’m sure it wouldn’t take much to concentrate an herb and pass it off as a drug if the research showed an effect. You’ve heard of the drug, lovasa. It’s just a concentrated fish oil supplement.
As for online forms, honestly I’d put more stock in the rational discussion we are having right now than most of them. Most of the claims I see on online forms are from nameless people who likely have no scientific background. Some are obvious spammers, probably hired by supplement makers to hype their products. This does happen. My own website gets bombarded with obvious ― and not so obvious― spammers trying to hype up products with fake testimonials. This is why I go with science ―and link to the studies― so people know Im not making stuff up.
I had no preconceived notion when I tried tribulus. Therefore I don’t feel any nocebo effect occurred. I’m aware that what I and others experienced (skipped heart beats) do not seem to have been noticed in any of the studies conducted to date and it may indeed be a fluke or something limited to a specific subpopulation. My hope is that somebody takes a closer look at this because that is how progress is made.
In short, Tribulus gets a lot of hype on the internet from people that are for the most part unknown to all of us. That is why I originally wrote my review of the research on tribulus which -testimonials from unknown people aside – does indeed tend to show it’s a dud. Now that may change as better studies are done so let’s see what other future studies find.
Tom, can you show me a published peer reviewed study in humans showing tribululs raises testosterone, improves strength or increases sex drive or sexual performance? Just curious if you know any that I missed in my review.
And where did I show or say I didn’t value your opinion:) I know it did nothing for you, I’m just saying it’s a little premature to claim it does nothing for other people and that what they are experiencing is placebo effect, when those other people are using other brands, with more than double concentration of active substance, in higher dosages, for longer periods. To make things even more complicated, not every metabolism is the same and lots can be ascribed to one’s ability to absorb nutrients. That’s why Creatine does nothing for some people, for example. If you want to be scientific, you can’t make scientific claims on such a small and isolated experience.
It’s just, when you said what I experienced was placebo because research doesn’t show what I say is happening, it’s incredibly close minded and you as a moderator-owner? of this site should be able to do better. In the same manner I could claim your heartbeat symptoms you experienced are nocebo because none of the studies say these are happening. Does lack of research that support hearbeat side effects make your experience any less real? You know it happened, so do I. I hope you get my grip now.
As for the studies, I know I’ve seen various contradictory ones over time, but never paid too much attention to them because I didn’t need more proof than my own experience. I could probably find more specific links to particular studies, but for instance, on this link you’ll find summary of studies, both positive and negative, assembled from the guy who also seems to have had first hand experience with tribulus (he also says he’s a doctor):
dextromed.com/news/tribulus-terrestris-testosterone.html
Note that in study that didn’t show any effect, it was bulgarian trib that wasn’t standardized for active substance (which is the only thing that is important). Also note that shown increases are huge, in the range of 50% up to double or triple. I don’t think anybody could believe such effects could be by placebo mechanism.
Anyways, if you do your homework, you’ll definitely find studies that show huge increases in free testosterone. Just don’t rely on Wikipedia, you know it’s been edited by human volunteers, so it’s not necessarily updated or objective.
Sorry btw if my English sounds a little off or strange, it’s not my native language:)
Tom, There is a big difference between tribulus and creatine. There are hundreds – if not thousands – of creatine studies with the vast majority of them showing it improves power in humans. Yes there are a few studies showing no effect but that’s quite different than for tribulus with very few studies and most of them Im aware of showing no effects. I’m going to look more into this in the near future and see if I can dig up anymore studies that I may have missed.
As for the website you referenced, its interesting and I noticed that the person/doctor did not list the studies the he was referencing. The person only said “tribulus study 1” etc. Therefore, I can’t comment on what he said until I see the studies.
I’m really not being closed minded at all. I’m stating the fact that all the studies I could find on tribulus show it does not do what people on the web say it does. If a few good studies are published in the future I’m open to changing my opinion on this.
As for my skipped heart beats, I don’t remember seeing any mention of this in studies so it’s possible this aspect was not measured in the studies or the people didn’t think to mention it. You know as well as I do not all studies are “perfect”, yet another reason I’d like to see better research.
Tom, your English is better than mine i s 🙂
Thanks man:) I mention creatine only to illustrate how studies don’t necessarily predict individual’s reaction to the substance. Most people experience effect of creatine and its effects are well documented, yet some people including two of my friends can’t make it work to save their lives. One of them is gym owner and would really like to be able to recommend creatine to his clients, but simply can’t because it just doesn’t work for him. Is it problem with absorbing the stuff (which seems to be recognized when it comes to creatine, therefore we have effervescent variant of it and so on) or something else, who knows. But now I’m drifting from our subject:)
Here is the study of tribulus in rats that confirms its effectiveness (this one should have some credibility because of the site on which appears):
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17767762 Poor lab rats, I guess this is one of the better treatment they could have been exposed to:)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23526694 This one is about rabbits:)
Finally one about humans:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23173697 (however, they used some supplement in which tribulus is just one of the ingredients, although it seems to be the main one)
Interesting btw how most human studies are actually about strength and muscle gains, and those on lab animals are mostly concerned about sexual behavior.
This one seems pretty strong regarding proofing the efficiency of the herb:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22368416
Note that the effects were prominent on “chronic administration” of tribulus. Not sure how long is that though, but suggests the longer you take it the better it works (not my experience though).
hey Tom, Yes I did see that study – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23173697 – and discounted it since as you said, it involved a product that contained other things and not tribulus alone. Its also a good observation you make about the direction of tribulus research (human studies about strength/ animal studies about behavior).
I also apprecaite you finding those studies and giving me feedback on what I found when I looked at the studies (You saved me some time, so thanks 🙂 )
My hope is that some grad student sees this conversation and decides to do a masters thesis/dissertation on tribulus and testosterone levels or something like that.
Word. No way is Trib a ‘dud’. Like you, I use it for the side effects. It works
for me. I have been – and to some extent still am – a psycho-naught, so I
know what a special buzz feels like. Trib is special….no doubt.
It’d be cool to run this one past Dr Ben Goldacre to see what he thinks…
Very interesting comment btw, thank you.
Hey Sean,
I’m also psychonaught, actually psychologist-naught so I’m interested in all the stuff that can have some psychotropic effects. Sometimes I wonder what would happen with Viagra if official medicine recognized efficiency of tribulus in bedroom. Of course, these are completely different substances and target market is different (I understand viagra only gives you cold hard bonners because it only widens the blood vessels), while tribulus is about real libido and not being able to think about anything but sex for days:)
This of course wouldn’t work for people that have erectile disfunction caused by atherosclerosis or such, only frustrate them of course, but I’m pretty sure recreational users of viagra that just want to perform better would turn to stuff that makes you really horny, not just “horned”.
Now that you mention “special buzz”, on a side note try Yohimbe if you didn’t already and if it’s legal where you live. This stuff is insane and many people don’t like its effect, but I do. If you dare to try it, just don’t be stupid like I was, but strictly observe recommendations not to mix it with cheese or wine:) In any case, it’s excellent example how herb from health food store can have exploding effects.
Hello,
Male, 33 years old, amateur triathlete.
Ttribooster from Biotech (2000mg of extract – Tribulus Terrestris) – 1 pill in the morning, one around 4pm (I start my trainings around 6pm). Rest day = 1 pill in the morning. I just ended the 3’d week.
Pro
– I am feeling myself more awake during the day (I do not drink coffee at all or any other drink like green tea)
– better sexual activity (not much but I can feel it), stronger morning wood, actually this can count as a minus because it wake’s me up very early.
– sightly better endurance but it can be because of the previous 2 weeks of resting or low load.
Cons:
– no improvement of strength at the gym – that is 1time/week 1h:30 min. I am not a big fan of heavyweight trainings. Mainly I am doing it for a better performance in water.
Conclusion: moderate effects.
I was feeling a lot better by taking something like “Animal Pack” from Universal Nutrition. Better overall sport performance.
I can say that spirulina had about the same effects.
Regarding the general performance booster “ashwagandha” was better but only in the gym (there was a time when I was training 4 times/week in the gym), good strength improvement. Actually I think that it’s a real testosterone booster even if there is no statement like that in the prospect (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Withania_somnifera). After moving to triathlon and long distances running, there was no more effect for me, except being somehow more happy than usual.
Links:
forum.bodybuilding.com/showthread.php?t=128535663&page=1
ergo-log.com/withaniasomnifera.html
Enzo, thanks for your impute. did you get your testosterone levels measure before and after? I noticed that the study mentioned on ergo-log looked at Ashwagandha and men who were infertile. While its results of 15% more testosterone is interesting, I think the results would be more applicable to most men if they looked at “healthy” men who had no issues with fertility.
Let’s say that I do not have the time to visit the medic and I am not that much in to it. Actually I don;t even know what medic should I visit exactly, and the choices are quite limited.
I think I will go with the tribulus for about another 2 – 3 weeks. Aswagandha needs about 1 week to 10 days to kick in, almost the same with the ‘Animal Pack’, also for spirulina it’s a few days. During the weekend I did some hard 1 hour off road cycling + 30 min stairs climbing and today some jogging+free weight training, this week will be full of trainings (swimming, gym, jogging, bicycle sprints) and you probably know that this has a big influence on the way that these supplements works.
For example it’s well known that a 5×5 training (5 series of 5 rep. with about 80% load)/machine + a maximum try would boost up the natural testosterone level. Also squats and dead lifts with heavy loads will help a lot, but there is a big risk of injuries.
Do not expect on something significant if the training is not hard enough.
I will try to keep you up to date with my personal impression about tribulus. My cousin is very satisfied with it and he is a judoka – Olympic level.
Thanks Enzo!
3 weeks later.
GYM : no significant improvement.
Running: no significant improvement, just got some weird chest pain and breathing issues in the last weeks
Cycling: no significant improvement
Swimming: no significant improvement.
Erections – I can confirm significant improvement.
Chest pain and breathing issues convinced me to stop taking Tribulus. This week was the last one for me with it. I agree that it might be something else involved here but I have all the reasons to believe that Tribulus is not ok.
From all natural supplements that I have tried I think the safest is Spirulina and maybe Ashwagandha. I remember that in the past I had a good experience with shark liver oil from Lysi. It is not a testosterone booster but for sure it improves the general feeling and make’s you feel more awake and with more energy.
I hope my experience will help.
Thanks Enzo for that update!
I just started taking MET-RX Tribulus 750 last night. I took it about an hour before bed and I noticed an explosive energy level upon waking up this morning. I will take this product for a few more weeks and see what happens.
Ps. I still work in a very physical occupation and play golf regularly and have noticed better recovery after heavy workloads. And don’t seem to have any side effects apart from feeling better and having more energy.
I Am 54 yo, healthy for my age, take a few things like glucosamine, magnesium, zinc etc. doctor tells me I have rheumatoid arthritis but I don’t really have much trouble from it. I have in the past used Viagra and cialis, both of which give indigestion and headaches. Started taking tribulus a few months ago and now experience strong erections without the hassles caused by V and C. I have no other explanation for this. Cheers
Ron, glad it worked for you.
gday 43 used trib 650.yep sex drive and energy .not so much strength gain. and i found taking them before bed worked best for me. plus i added 1 to 2 zinc tabs during the day, and libido went crazy thanks
Hi Joe~
I recently had my T tested with a blood test and my levels are very low for a 44 year old male. I was planning on starting on some tribulus…but after reading this I have my doubts.
Do you have any suggestions for someone who wants to raise their T levels?
Hi Randy, best I could say is that if you know what your T is now, try it for a month and then retest T again. see if it changed.
Natural ways that can raise testosterone levels include
weight loss (even a few lbs)
strength training
aerobic activities
Try all 3 for a few weeks and see if that changes things.
Im 18 years old living healthy working out 5 times a week using layne nortons phat about 8 percent bf and taking tribulus, oh and im asian (if it matters) aside from the hormonal pimples and fast hair growth i have been progressing rapidly in weights and reps adding a rep or sometimes a set. But only problem is my worsening attitude ive been getting more aggressive and exceedingly confident (a douche ) anyone else having the same effects with same physique? 5,7 140punds.
Hi man,
So, since I started taking 350mg 95% saponins Tribulus
I’ve discovered that this herb / plant is a serious supplement.
I take two tabs half an hour before training and two about
six hours later ( as per instructions ).
The effect is more potent than ANY pre or post workout
product that I’ve used before, so your aggressive and confident
attitude – I’d say is perfectly normal. I don’t take it everyday,
just on training days and I take stinging nettle extract on my
rest days. I don’t know if it elevates Test levels ( it IS working
for me, so I don’t care ) but it does do something strange and
a little bit magical to my system, so I’ll keep on using…
P.S. I’m 44, white, 5’7″ and about 150ish ( growing fast! )
…oh, and don’t worry about being a douche…there will always be
someone bigger / faster to un-douche you – should the
need arise : -))
I took the GNC tribulis on there strength vitamin pack. After two months I cycled off of it at the recommendation of the salesperson to avoid developing tolerance. About 2-3 days after my last use I was just sitting on my couch when my heart started racing I got dizzy light headed and thought I was going to pass out.
This happened several more times through out the week. I went to the doctor and get checked and everything was normal. The only change made to my workout was eliminating the tribulus. All other supplements remained the same. These symptoms lasted about a week and have finally stopped.
I am attributing it to my body going through withdraw from not using tribulus. I’m 33 and healthy and that was the only change in my lifestyle when these symptoms occurred.
My doctor said stay off the tribulus and as long as I eat a good diet I’ll get all the nutrients I need without supplements.
Eric, THANK YOU! It’s nice to have somebody else say tribulus did the same thing to them as I experienced!
Hey Joe,
I’ve just purchased a bottle of Trib ( 95% saps ) because I’ve
just started lifting weights again and am interested ( as you were )
to see if it works for me. I’m 44, healthy and fairly fit with a low
resting HR. I reckon I’ve a high-ish Test level as I don’t store fat,
have thick, fast growing facial hair and strong for my size ( 5’7″
approx 148lbs )
I haven’t started yet, but when I do I think I’ll take bobby’s advice –
( July 8, 2012 at 1:17 pm ” So you have to be smart about your supplements and cycle them – If i was using Tribulus for muscle gain I would take it one day on and one day off.
This way you may trick the body into a more balanced testosterone release.
I would also take nettle on the days off to keep Testosterone from binding to SHBG. ” ) – and so will buy a bottle of nettle extract
pills shortly.
I’d love to hear what you think about my approach and will
let you know how things are going…
Kind Regards and respect,
Sean.
Sean, Im not sure whether cycling or not would make a difference but its as good a guess as anything Id suppose. the only thing I’d do is get your T levels measured now, before you start tribulus. that will tell you if it works or not. you can retest in a month or so. you’ll know in a month whether it works or not.