Doses for Tribulus terrestris
Answered by: Conrad Richter
Question from: Dr. Saied Kianbakht
Posted on: May 6, 2002

I would like to know about the doses of the aqueous extract of the fruit of Tribulus terrestris for treating essential hypertension and male erectile dysfunction and the dose used by body builders.

Tribulus is usually supplied in tablet or capsule form made with the dried fruit (seed) powder. Typically for sports performance enhancement, the doses range from 750 mg to 1500 mg per day. For sexual performance, the same dose range is recommended.

Recent reports suggest that tribulus may not have as much of an effect on sports or sexual performance as has been promoted by herbal supplement manufacturers and earlier reports. These reports may be accessed on U.S. National Medicine Library’s PubMed online database: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11725694&dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11725694&dopt=Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov:80/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=10997957&dopt=Abstract

I do not have a dosage recommendation for hypertension. According to Ken Chang Huang writing in his "The Pharmacology of Chinese Herbs" (CRC Press, 1993), the water extract of the dried fruit has a "slight hypotensive" effect.

Huang goes on to say that tribulus is mainly used in Chinese medicine as an "anticonvulsant and to improve visual acuity." Typical doses are 5-7 g prepared as a decoction (boiled in water). He also warns that it should be given cautiously in pregnant women.

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