Tribulus Terrestris (Puncture Vine Fruit)
Tribulus is an anti-depressant, body-building tonic, fertility enhancer and aphrodisiac with one of the longest ‘clinical trials’ in history!
History
Around the year 700 BC at the medical faculty of Taxila University in the Punjab, the great Ayurvedic physician Charaka (meaning the `Wanderer`) was putting the finishing touches to his great medical treatise, the Charaka Samhita. The Charaka Samhita was basically an expansion on an earlier medical text, the Agnivesa Tantra. This approach to medicine, i.e. learning from the past and adding to it with new research and experience is typical of the thorough nature of Charaka, and indeed, the meticulous Ayurvedic approach. Charaka is the Hippocrates of Ayurvedic medicine.
In this great text, Charaka describes Tribulus as being a diuretic, aphrodisiac, tonic and rejuvenating herb with the ability to build lean muscle and strength.
Later the Chinese system of medicine incorporated the use of Tribulus and classified it as an herb that ‘extinguishes wind and stops tremors’. The ‘wind’, in Chinese terms, refers to diseases that include high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease but also itchy skin diseases. The Chinese had expanded a little to the Ayurvedic use of Tribulus.
More recently, in 1847, a scientist named Fritzsche isolated a chemical from the plant called Peganum Harmala that he called harmine. Peganum harmala is used in Arabic medicine as a stimulant and aphrodisiac. Harmine is one of the active components in Tribulus terrestris.
During the 1930′s the German doctor L. Halpern studied the properties of harmine and conducted many experiments on herself with harmine noting the many and varied psychotropic effects the pure chemical had in high dosages, such as euphoria. Shortly after, harmine was made the first official drug for Parkinson’s disease as it was found to be a very effective mono-amine-oxidase-inhibitor (MAOI).
MAOI’s stop the breakdown of certain chemicals in the brain, one of which is dopamine. This is the chemical that is low in people suffering Parkinson’s disease and explains why the ancients used Tribulus for tremors. The Ayurvedics added Tribulus to another herb in the treatment of Parkinsonian tremors; Mucuna pruriens. Mucuna actually contains L-dopa, the direct precursor of dopamine in the brain. The Tribulus basically helps you absorb the L-dopa and stops its breakdown. This is exactly the same as the modern treatment for Parkinson’s, a combination of L-dopa and a MAOI.
Is nothing new under the sun?
How Tribulus works
Because the harmine in Tribulus acts as a MAOI, this leads to higher levels of dopamine in the brain. Dopamine is one of the brain’s ‘happy’ chemicals, i.e. the higher your dopamine levels the stronger, better and happier you feel. Lots of orthodox anti-depressants are in fact MAOI’s and by adjusting levels of brain chemicals like this, mood is elevated slowly and surely.
High dopamine levels in men stimulate the pituitary gland to release leutenising hormone. This in turn leads to an increase in testosterone levels. This enhances libido, increases strength and lean muscle tissue and makes you feel great.
In both the male and the female high dopamine levels lead to increased growth hormone output. This is the major body repair hormone and is currently being used in anti-ageing therapy. But why inject growth hormone when you can make more of your own with the help of Tribulus? It is quite astonishing that the ancients were so accurate about this herb.
There is also a chemical in Tribulus called a furoctanol biglycoside which enhances sperm production and motility thereby increasing male fertility. Another chemical terrestrioside -F enhances the libido in both men and women.
Another interesting modern finding is that Tribulus dilates the coronary arteries around the heart and therefore benefits heart disease sufferers. This circulatory effect is also useful for those with high blood pressure and hardening of the arteries. Again, this reinforces the traditional Chinese use, and as Tribulus increases blood flow to the kidney it is diuretic just like Charaka said.
Tribulus is also found as a pivotal ingredient in the famous Chinese eczema treatment that has been so popular in recent times. It certainly helps to relieve itching and irritation.
Cautions
Tribulus should not be taken if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. It should not be taken by anyone with a psychosis, schizophrenia or phaeochromocytoma.
Do not combine Tribulus with any other psychoactive medication; tranquillisers, sedatives, stimulants (even over the counter de-congestants such as ephedrine), anti-depressants.
