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 original tribulus review that tribulus territus 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!
If tribulus really was doing all this, then it could be a pretty cheap and effective way to help a lot of men. So, I decided to test tribulus 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 – in fact 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 bought some Tribulus for my personal experiment. The brand of tribulus I used was Ultimate Nutrition Bulgarian Tribulus. Each capsule had 750 mg of tribulus (extract and aerial portions of the plant) and the bottle said that it contained “over 45% steroidal saponins”.
This was similar to what a commenter of my original tribulus 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 Bulgarian tribulus either together or separated by several hours to see if taking them at the same time gave me more effects.
Likewise, I took tribulus 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 Tribulus terrestris. I figured that if tribulus did work, that I would notice the more obvious signs – energy, erection frequency, sex drive ect. – pretty fast.
Did tribulus work?
At the end of my 2 week experiment, these are the results I observed from Tribulus terrestris:
- 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
Honestly, I didn’t notice any difference at all while I was taking tribulus. That’s actually why I quit taking it after 2 weeks – and that’s when something did happen….
Tribulus Terrestris side effect
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 heart beats 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.I searched online and while I saw people saying that tribulus might case a faster heart rate, I could not find anyone saying that tribulus caused skipped heart beats.
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 heart beats 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 doctors office did the idea of a “tribulus withdrawal” effect came up.
In other words, was it possible that tribulus territis was doing something in me even though I didn’t notice it? And when I stopped taking tribulus, 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 heart beats before. After about 5 days or so, the skipped heart beats went away and as of today have not returned.
I still think most of the effects people describe with tribulus territis are due to a placebo effect but I admit, it’s possible I did not take tribulus long enough for it to work. Even if that is true, if tribulus really was connected to my heart skipping beats, I don’t think it’s worth it.
What do you think?
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Bunch of junk being sold today.
A year ago, I tried Tribulus for a week or so and found zero results, as you found. However I didn’t get the arrhythmia you experienced. I stopped using it when I discovered that it is supposed to raise not only T, but also estrogen levels. If this is true, then it is very dangerous for those of us with a strong family history of prostate cancer, since estrogen converts T into the dangerous DHT.
(BTW, I just discovered your website today and love it immensely.)
GeorgeNJ, I’m glad you found me too! Feel free to pass me along to your friends. I have a LOT more reviews in the works
Resting ECG doesn’t diagnose arrhythmia. Long time (Holder) measurements are needed. So why would you post the wild anecdotal story without proper documentation?
Dr Hertenstein, you are right and this was discussed but about a day after the resting ECG, the skipped heart beats stopped and I did not follow through with the Holder. I posted what I did because I never experienced this before and the only thing that changed in my routine was using tribulus – and the skipped heart beats stopped about 5 days after I stopped taking it. I have never seen any research connecting tribulus and skipped heart beats before and because of that I thought it might be worth mentioning it in case anyone else had experienced similar outcomes. So that was my reasoning. I am very open to the possibility that that what I experienced could be due to some aspect of processing and not tribulus itself. It might even be a strange coincidence? So,anecdotal yes. I am not ready to say this is a real phenomenon, but as we both know anecdotal “evidence” can sometimes be the jumping off points for real research and discussion.
Joe,
This is off-topic, but I was wondering if you have heard or come across a product called CircuZyme- its supposed to improve micro-circulation to the extremities (subsequently improving erections also). Great site, and keep up the good work!
Hi Ed, I have not heard of CircuZyme but did do a quick search for it for you. Its got arginine, which I would expect to see in something touted to promote better circlation and erections. Arginine helps us make nitric oxide which opens up blood vessels. I cant yet comment on its other ingredients but Id guess many might have similar effects. If CircuZyme expands blood vessels, it might cause a drop in blood pressure which might be noticeable in people who take medications for high blood pressure. Thats my thoughts based on a quick pass over of its ingredients.
I wouldn’t conclude that this stuff doesn’t work because you didn’t feel different after 2 weeks. If you haven’t been feeling a drop in energy, strength, concentration, or sex drive before using it, then it would most likely take significant test injections to make you feel any different. I am 48 and went to an hrt doctor last year. My test levels were within normal range for my age, but toward the lower end of the range. I started on weekly injections of test of 175mg. It increased my total test levels about 20% and free test by more than that.
That helped me feel more energy and concentration, but had no effect on sex drive and little effect on strength during workouts. My estrogen levels were low, but that makes a huge difference in how well you feel additional testosterone. If you tend to be a person who keeps weight around the waist, you may have high estrogen levels which will make additional testosterone feel like nothing. I used a couple of the more popular natural test boosters which primarily use tribulus as the main ingredient a couple of years ago. They provided me with greater increases in strength and stamina than the test shots I am taking now. But they take time to build up in your system.
Mark, did you have your T levels tested before tribulus use? Thats what Im really curious about because I dont see much evidence that it does that. True 2 weeks may not be enough time and that’s why Ill leave the door open until someone does a better study.
No, I was not seeing a doctor for it at the time. It is strictly based on gains that I saw in strength and muscle size while at the gym. I hit the highest strength level of my life while taking a trib-based supplement. After stopping it, strength went down. During use of Androgel, another testosterone gel whose name escapes me now, and the shots I have been taking the last 4 months, I have never been able to get close to that same strength level. Diet and workout intensity have remained the same. I am due for bloodwork in a few weeks again. I am considering taking such a supplement again after that blood test to see what the effects will be, as long as my doctor is ok with it.
Here is a study that tested a group of males ages 30-58. It found that total testosterone was unaffected by supplementation, but free testosterone was increased by 37%. The main purpose of the test was to see if dht and estrogen could be decreased by supplementation. Tribulus terristris was the largest amount of supplement, and the others all look to be ones that have a reputation for blocking estrogen and dht conversion.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11601567
Mark, thanks for the study. I glanced at the study and noticed that the supplement they gave the 56 men contained androsteonedione as well as other things, one of which was tribulus. The only problem with this type of study is that we don’t what caused the effects seen. was it andro or some other ingredient or a combination? I also saw that the supplement caused an 11% decrease in HDL levels (not good!).
It would be interesting to see what your values are before taking the supplement and again after a month or so to see if anything changed. I wish some college student reading this would due such a study. Colleges have the resources to do this type of study and it would not be difficult to do.
Heh Joe, just stumbled across your website, and I do enjoy it. I like hearing other people’s real life experiences with supplements. Just wanted to give you what I noticed from my recent experiment with Tribulus. First off, I am a healthy 34 year old male who workouts 3-4 days a week. My only supplements that I do use consistently are protein and vitamins and steroid free. I never have had my T-levels checked however.
My first experiment with Tribulus actually started about 12 years ago with the same dosage you tried and had no luck. Fast forward 12 years and I revisited a new Tribulus product. This one however was Tribulus EXTRACT. I researched a little and found that a lot of companies were just using plain tribulus. This one particular company was using pure extract from Trubulus. Each pill contained 200,000mg of extract with a bottle containing 90 pills (3 month supply).
What I noticed by week 3 was bigger pumps at the gym (nitrogen retention??); increased sex drive; minor strength gains; and definitely increased energy. How much of this was a placebo effect? Not sure, but I do feel by the third month everything kind of tapered off or plateaued. I will try again after a month or two break.
I think the key to Tribulus, is to find a product that uses extract close to 2g/day, but I’m no expert.
Joe
can a person still post on the plexus slim site. i posted today and nothing showed up. really, really enjoyed that site.
Pete, yes of course. I never close comments. I think I posted something from you this afternoon. I’ll double check now
Gabe that’s interesting. What was the name of the product you tried? Just curious in case I get the urge to try it again (no promises). I’m glad you found my website
@GeorgeNJ
DHT is not dangerous. It is essential male hormone.
Heh Joe, sorry for not responding quicker. The Tribulus product I used was called Tribulus Raw Power made by a company called Life Smart Labs Inc. I now have experimented with D- Aspartic Acid, and it is in my opinion WAY superior than Tribulus!
Gabe, interesting, thanks for the update!
@Cale
Thx for the comment. But I thought DHT is what made men so much more vulnerable to prostate cancer. I thought DHT was a kind of corrupted form of testosterone. I’m not a medical expert, just saying what I have come across in various books and (reputable) websites. I appreciate your comment and will go back to check this out.
I’ve tried Tribulus in the past (whole bottle) with the same results – nothing! But I didn’t experience any withdrawals either.
Ken, thanks for letting me know. I’m not sure what caused my “withdrawal.” The scientist in me wants to try it again to try to replicate my problems but I dont think that will happen.