Tribulus Extract
Tribulus terrestris, a small leafy plant that is also known as puncture vine and belongs to the Zygophyllaceae family. They can be found in the Mediterranean region as natives and can be grown in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the United States. Generally, Tribulus terrestris plant stems radiate up to 1m, and its densely hairy leaflets grow up to 3mm long. Its flowers which have lemon yellow petals reach up to 4-10mm wide. After the blooming of its flowers, the Tribulus terrestris plant develops fruits that easily fall apart into five burs which are hard and have sharp spines.
Medicinal Usage
In history, Tribulus terrestris has been used for various potential effects, such as keeping the urinary tract healthy and reducing swelling. In today’s medicine, it is known for its therapeutic properties for impotence, hormonal imbalance, heart problems, sexual difficulties, kidney and skin problems.
Clinical Studies
The medicinal effects of Tribulus extract have been shown in the literature with some studies until today. One study published in 2011 that investigates the immunomodulatory properties of five different medicinal plants on Wistar rats has shown that Tribulus extract has a significant effect on increasing the immunomodulatory activities (1). In another study published in 2003, Tribulus extract was used to propel urinary stones. It was shown that Tribulus extract could propel urinary stones, and it may act as a diuretic and increase urine production (2). In another study published in 2007 analgesic effect of Tribulus extract was assessed. It was shown that Tribulus extract has a suitable analgesic effect, and high doses of this extract may provide pain relief (3). To sum up, Tribulus extract can manage fluid balance, improve the immune system, as an anti-inflammatory, relieve pain, keep the urinary tract healthy, and reduce swelling.
Chemistry Behind
Saponins are known to be an important group in medicinal chemistry and tribulus extract contains steroidal saponins such as prototribestin, dioscin and protodioscin inside which has important effects. Also, Tribulus terrestris contains flavonoids (tribuluside, kaempferol, astragalin, and rutin), alkaloids, lignan amides (tribubulusamides A, B, and C), cinnamic acid amides, and sterols inside. The mature Tribulus plants are collected carefully by Bionorm to produce this high-quality extract. For more information about Bionorm’s high-quality Tribulus extract, check out https://bio-norm.com/product/tribulus-extract/.
References
- Anita Tilwari. (2011). Effect of five medicinal plants used in Indian system of medicines on immune function in Wistar rats. AFRICAN JOURNAL OF BIOTECHNOLOGY, 10(73). doi: 10.5897/ajb10.2168
- Al-Ali M, Wahbi S, Twaij H, Al-Badr A. Tribulus terrestris: preliminary study of its diuretic and contractile effects and comparison with Zea mays. J Ethnopharmacol. 2003 Apr;85(2-3):257-60. doi: 10.1016/s0378-8741(03)00014-x. PMID: 12639749.
- Heidari MR, Mehrabani M, Pardakhty A, Khazaeli P, Zahedi MJ, Yakhchali M, Vahedian M. The analgesic effect of Tribulus terrestris extract and comparison of gastric ulcerogenicity of the extract with indomethacine in animal experiments. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2007 Jan;1095:418-27. doi: 10.1196/annals.1397.045. PMID: 17404054.