This week, I want to start by appreciating those who have been sending texts asking for the seedlings of Picralima nitida (Abere) to plant in their homes. It shows my discussion on having home orchards is yielding fruits. Do you know that medication commonly prescribed for males with low sperm count called Manix capsules? Most men know it. Tribulus terrestris is part of its ingredients and that is the plant I will be discussing today. It is part of the plants I saw at the medicinal plant Gardens of the Pharmacognosy Department, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, when I went there last year. I do not have the local names but out of its many English names, I have chosen puncture vine. If you Google Tribulus terrestris, you will see images of the plant.
Permit me to share a story with you before I proceed. Someone close to me had a pelvic scan while undergoing medical checkups in 2016 because she could not achieve conception for a long time. The scan result showed a cyst on her right ovary. I commenced treatment on her with spices such as ginger, turmeric and some other things found in nature. As they say, a prophet has no honour in his own country. Our closeness must have made her doubt the treatment and she had unprotected sex when she should not. The next thing we saw was pregnancy! Yes, ovarian cysts are treatable without surgery!
Now, back to Tribulus terrestris. It is a plant in the Zygophyllaceae family. In Ayurveda, the root and fruits are used for male virility and general vitality. People with health issues and diseases such as hormonal imbalance, sexual problems, heart problems and various kidney and skin diseases use the plant. There is something important I will like to address here, despite marketing claims, the plant does not appear to increase testosterone in humans. This conclusion is based on studies in men and women of various health statuses and ages. One review analysed the results from 12 major studies on the plant’s effects in men and women aged 14–60. The studies lasted from 2–90 days and the participants included healthy people and those experiencing sexual problems. The researchers found that this supplement did not increase testosterone. Other researchers found that Tribulus terrestris may increase testosterone in some animal studies but that this result is not usually seen in humans. Some researchers found that when men with reduced sex drives consumed 750–1,500 mg of Tribulus terrestris daily for two months, their sexual desire increased by 79 per cent. Also, 67 per cent of women with low libidos experienced increased sexual desire after they took supplements of 500–1,500 mg for 90 days .So, what this means is that Tribulus enhances libido and sexual wellbeing without increasing testosterone. Sportsmen who use it to build muscles because they think it increases testosterone levels may have to search further for other testosterone boosting supplements.
Tribulus is used for kidney stones, painful urination, a kidney disorder called Bright’s disease and as a “water pill” (diuretic) to increase urination. It is used for skin disorders like eczema (atopic dermatitis), psoriasis and scabies. It is used for male sexual problems, like erectile dysfunction, involuntary release of semen without orgasm (spermatorrhea) and to increase sexual desire. It is used for heart and circulatory system problems like chest pain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and “tired blood” (anemia). It is used for problems with digestion like colic, intestinal gas (flatulence), constipation and to expel intestinal parasitic worms. It is used for pain and swelling (inflammation) of the tissue lining the mouth (stomatitis), sore throat and for cancer, especially nose tumours.
Women use tribulus to tone muscles before childbirth, to cause an abortion and to stimulate milk flow. Some people use tribulus for gonorrhea, liver disease (hepatitis), inflammation, joint pain (rheumatism), leprosy, coughs, headache, dizziness (vertigo), chronic fatigue syndrome, and enhancing athletic performance. It is also used for stimulating appetite and as an astringent, tonic and mood enhancer. Both the root and fruit of the plant have been used medicinally in traditional Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurveda medicine.
Although people often take Tribulus terrestris for its potential effects on sexual function and testosterone, it has also been studied for other important effects. Animal studies have shown that Tribulus terrestris may reduce blood sugar levels, help protect against blood vessel damage and help prevent increases in blood cholesterol. One study examined the effects of taking 1,000 mg of Tribulus terrestris per day in 98 women with type 2 diabetes, after three months, women taking the supplements experienced lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels, compared to those who took a placebo. Some studies have proved that these extracts also have cytotoxic and antimicrobial activities.
In Bulgaria, the plant is used as a folk medicine for treating impotence. In addition to all these applications, the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India attributes its cardiotonic properties to the root and fruit. In traditional Chinese medicine, the fruits were used for treatment of eye trouble, edema, abdominal distension, emission, morbid leukorrhea and sexual dysfunction. It is described as a highly valuable drug in the Shern-Nong Pharmacopoeia (the oldest known pharmacological work in China) in restoring depressed liver, for treatment of fullness in the chest, mastitis, flatulence, acute conjunctivitis, headache, and vitiligo. In Unani medicine (Arabic traditional medicine), it is used as diuretic, mild laxative and general tonic. Tribulus is also marketed as a dietary supplement to improve sexual function and for body building due to the belief that it acts like testosterone in the body.
The leaves and shoots are eaten in East Asia. The stems have been used as a thickener, added to diluted buttermilk to give it the appearance of undiluted buttermilk. The dried fruit of the herb is effective in most of the genitourinary tract disorders. It is a vital constituent of Gokshuradi Guggul, a potent Ayurvedic medicine used to support proper functioning of the genitourinary tract and to remove urinary stones.
In a Phytopharmacological overview of Tribulus terrestris Chhatre et al, the various parts of Tribulus is said to contain a variety of chemical constituents which are medicinally important, such as flavonoids, flavonol glycosides, steroidal saponins, and alkaloids. The plant has diuretic, aphrodisiac, antiurolithic, immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, absorption enhancing, hypolipidemic, cardiotonic, central nervous system, hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antispasmodic, anticancer, antibacterial, anthelmintic, larvicidal and anticariogenic activities.
Cyclophosphamide is the most commonly used anticancer and immunosuppressant drug which causes several toxic effects, especially on the reproductive system. In a study titled, “Tribulus terrestris Protects against Male Reproductive Damage Induced by Cyclophosphamide in Mice,’’ by Pavin et al, the study highlighted the role of Tribulus dry extract in ameliorating the alterations induced by CP administration in mice testes.
You can buy Tribulus terrestris in big pharmacies. I kept the shocking part till the end, Tribulus terrestris is a weed! Copyright PUNCH.
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