Herb library · Herb · Tribulus terrestris
Tribulus
A spiny, low-growing weed whose fruit and root are used in Ayurveda and Chinese medicine and sold today for sexual function and athletic training. Trials suggest it may help erectile function a little; they have not found that it raises testosterone or strength.
Traditional use
A common weed of dry places across Asia, Africa, Australia and the Americas, named puncture vine for the sharp spines on its fruit. It has been used for centuries as an aphrodisiac and general tonic. In Ayurveda it is gokshura, one of the ten roots of the Dasamula decoction. Dutt's 1877 compilation from Sanskrit medical works records that Hindu physicians used the whole plant, and above all the fruits, for painful urination, stones and other urinary complaints, and also called it Trikantaka for its three spines. It appears in Chinese materia medica as chi-li. Today it is sold for erectile dysfunction, low sex drive in women, fertility, menopause and body building.
Traditional energetics
Ayurveda
Potency (virya): cooling. Pharmacographia Indica (1890), vol. 1, p. 243 (opens in a new tab)
What studies show
- Limited
Erectile function: a 2025 review of eight studies found that tribulus scored better than placebo on erectile-function questionnaires. Another 2025 review of trials in men rates the evidence as low, because half of the studies were of low quality.
- Limited· shows no benefit
Testosterone: most trials in men found no change in testosterone levels; the 2025 review found no robust evidence that tribulus raises them, and LiverTox says the hormone effects seen in animals have not been reproduced consistently in people.
- Limited· shows no benefit
Strength and body composition: controlled trials in resistance-trained men and rugby players found no difference from placebo in strength or body composition.
- Limited
Sexual desire and function in women: several small trials have mixed results; some found more improvement than placebo, and others found both groups improved about equally.
Be careful of
Cautions
- ConditionLiverTox has not convincingly linked tribulus extracts to liver injury in people, but it notes isolated reports of kidney and liver injury in young men, and advises that high doses be considered potentially harmful, especially for people with liver disease or cirrhosis.
- NoteThe whole plant causes liver injury and sun sensitivity in grazing sheep. Extracts are reported to be well tolerated in people, but can cause stomach discomfort, nausea or indigestion.
- AmountLiverTox gives the usual dose as 250 to 750 mg a day, in 250 and 500 mg tablets and capsules. It is also an ingredient in many multi-ingredient products for sexual function and body building.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“The entire plant but more particularly the fruits are used in medicine. They are regarded as cooling, diuretic, tonic and aphrodisiac and are used in painful micturition, calculous affections, urinary disorders and impotence.”
“This plant is the Gokshura and Ikshugandha of Sanskrit writers; the first of these names signifies “cow’s hoof” from the resemblance of the cocci when adhering together in pairs, as is frequently the case, to a cloven hoof, the second alludes to the aroma of the plant.”
“The seeds of the ordinary kind are considered to be diuretic, tonic, abortifacient, galactagogue, alterative, and anthelmintic.”
Sources
- Tribulus (LiverTox) (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Tribulus terrestris for management of patients with erectile dysfunction: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Effects of Tribulus (Tribulus terrestris L.) Supplementation on Erectile Dysfunction and Testosterone Levels in Men-A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.