Tribulus Terrestris a plant of the weedy species is one of a kind. This plant is pretty useful when it comes to dietary supplements. Sure this plant is a thorny one with flowers on it and the thorns so sharp that they can penetrate through the skin of animals as well as bicycle tires with super ease. Quite interesting this plant becomes when we dive deep into it. So this article is to provide for your keen interest in what is this Tribulus Terrestris all about.
What Is Tribulus Terrestris?
This is an annual plant that is mostly connected to the Zygophyllaceae family which can easily be found all across the globe. Like Cactus, this plant also grows in a dry climate where you wouldn’t find much vegetation since it is harder for plants to grow in such climates. Also known as a noxious weed this plant grows a small woody fruit called the bur.
Properties Of Tribulus Terrestris
This tap-rooted herbaceous plant has stems that go from crown to diameter of 10 cm to 1 m. Stems that branch from the crown have dense hair on them and the flowers range from 4mm to 10mm in width with five lemon yellow petals, the same amount of sepals, and double the stamens. The blooming period for these plants is usually from April to October.
When coming to the fruit, falls apart into 5 burs once the flower blooms and these burs usually resemble a goat’s or bull’s head. The horns on these burs are sharp enough to penetrate and puncture a tire. This plant is distributed across the globe in tropical regions of southern Europe, southern Asia, Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. This plant can easily survive in arid conditions with the help of its rootlets arising from its tap root. The point to be noted is that this plant is not such cultivated but is naturally cultivated in the respective regions of the earth.
Uses
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Dietary Supplements
Initially, the extract from this plant was used as a dietary supplement starting in the 1980s considering that it has been believed to improve testosterone levels in the body for males to help in sexual development but later studies have proved that the extract can rather be a disaster for the body as well as is negatively advised for its use in both the cases of sexual enhancement and bodybuilding and so is prohibited to be used in sports-related concerns by Australian institute of sports.
Although it has been tested to prove that the dietary supplement from this plant increases libido that regulates the sexual desires in a human’s body to a whopping big amount which is 79 percent in males and 69 percent in females.
Even so, tests are currently still in action to find the potential benefits of this plant several tests have found that it may act as a pain relief pill while also as a cure for cancer and studies have proved that it can reduce blood sugar levels in the body with a drastic amount.
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Phytochemistry
Studies have shown that the phytochemicals of Tribulus Terrestris do include steroidal saponins
Conclusion
Now coming to the conclusion it is clearly discussed that this plant is very unstable whereas tests are still being conducted to find out any potential benefit of this plant to provide for any kind of big medical revelation yet.