# STEROIDS FORUM > PCT (POST CYCLE THERAPY) >  Tribulus & ZMA,- during PCT, following PCT, or don't bother!?

## GrandmasterSpank

Hi, just wondering if there's any benefit, either during or after PCT, to supplementing with Tribulus & ZMA???

I've heard that neither will help restore HPTA during PCT? Is this true? Does that mean they'll do jack for libido also? If this is true, I'm thinking low dose Proviron might be a better bet.

What about after PCT, will Trib & ZMA help raise test levels higher, or would I be better off just running Nolva for a couple of extra weeks for example?

Cheers!

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## Aussiebb

Hcg and nolva should come first.

Trib might help with pct, its like the icing on a cake.

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## bladerunner9

Well according to my PCT i'll finish the PCT then only after a blood work i will start Ginseng, Tribulus and some garlic stuff for test and libido boost.

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## Swifto

I dont believe any herb will aid in endogenous testosterone production. That inlcuded Fadogia Agrestis, Lj100 and any form of Tribulas extract. There is no peer-reviewed solid evidence stating ANY herb increases total T. Free T? Maybe.

It seems 6-OXO or Novedex XT and PP's Testosterone stack are capable of raising total T though. 

Look into them.

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## bladerunner9

*What is Tribulus?*
Other Names: Puncture vine

Tribulus terrestris is a herb that has been used in the traditional medicine of China and India for centuries.

In the mid-1990s, tribulus terrestris became known in North America after Eastern European Olympic athletes said 

that taking tribulus helped their performance.

The active compounds in tribulus are called steroidal saponins. Two types, called furostanol glycosides and 

spirostanol glycosides, appear to be involved with the effects of tribulus. These saponins are found primarily in the leaf.
*Why Do People Use Tribulus?*

Tribulus is most often used for infertility, erectile dysfunction, and low libido. In the last decade, it has become popular to improve sports performance.

Tribulus has been marketed these conditions because research performed in Bulgaria and Russia indicates that tribulus increases levels of the hormones testosterone (by increasing luteinizing hormone), DHEA, and estrogen. The 
design of these research studies, however, has been questioned. A more recent study found that four weeks of tribulus supplements (at 10 to 20 milligrams per kg of body weight daily) had no effect on male sex hormones testosterone, androstenedione, or luteinizing hormone compared to people 

*who did not take tribulus.*

Erectile Dysfunction
Preliminary animal studies found that tribulus heightened sexual behavior and increased intracavernous pressure. 

This was attributed to increases in testosterone. There haven't been any well-designed human studies to confirm these early findings.

Body Composition and Exercise Performance
Although tribulus has become popular as a sports performance aid, one small but well-designed study found it has no effect on body composition or exercise performance. Fifteen subjects were randomly assigned to tribulus (3.21 mg per kg body weight daily) or a placebo.

After eight weeks with resistance training, there were no changes in body weight, percentage fat, dietary intake, or mood in either group. What was surprising was that muscle endurance actually improved more in the placebo group. 

Muscle endurance (determined by the maximum number of repetitions at 100 to 200% of body weight) increased for the bench and leg presses in the placebo group. The tribulus group experienced an increase in leg press strength only.

*Dosage*

Tribulus terrestris is often taken at a dose between 85 to 250 mg three times daily, with meals.

*Safety*
Pregnant or nursing women should not use tribulus.

An increase in breast size (called gynaecomastia) in a young male weight trainer was reported after he took a herbal tablet containing tribulus.

People with hormone-dependent conditions, such as breast or prostate cancer, should not use tribulus. Tribulus terrestris has a toxic effect in sheep. It has been found to cause a chronic, progressive, irreversible 

disorder in the dopamine circuits of the nigrostriatal complex in the brain, resulting in impaired muscle function 

and weakness in the hindquarters, eventually leading to death.

*Sources*
_Antonio J et al. "The effects of Tribulus terrestris on body composition and exercise performance in 

resistance-trained males". International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism. 10.2 (2000):208-15.

Bourke CA. "A novel nigrostriatal dopaminergic disorder in sheep affected by Tribulus terrestris staggers". 

Research in Veterinary Science. 43.3 (1987):347-50.

Gauthaman K et al. "Sexual effects of puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris) extract (protodioscin): an evaluation 

using a rat model". Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 9.2 (2003):237-65.

Gauthaman K et al. "Aphrodisiac properties of Tribulus Terrestris extract (Protodioscin) in normal and castrated 

rats". Life Sciences. 71.12 (2002):1385-96.

Jameel JK et al. Gynaecomastia and the plant product "Tribulis terrestris". Breast. 13.5 (2004):428-30.

J Ethnopharmacol. 2005 Oct 3;101(1-3):319-23. Links Neychev VK and Mitev VI. The aphrodisiac herb Tribulus 

terrestris does not influence the androgen production in young men. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 101.1-3 

(2005):319-23.

Phillips OA et al. "Antihypertensive and vasodilator effects of methanolic and aqueous extracts of Tribulus 

terrestris in rats". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 104.3 (2006):351-5._

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## bladerunner9

i got to sleep now...

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## Swifto

Tribulas may boost sex drive, but not androgen levels in men.

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## bladerunner9

> Tribulas may boost sex drive, but not androgen levels in men.


YEah for androgen you are right but it *DOES* increase sex drive. I used it myself for 3 week and was like 18 years again. It depends upon the dose also. I took 750mg twice a day (1400mg a day) and it started giving me results after the first week. Pretty good.

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