Disclaimer: None of the information in this article constitutes medical advice, and is just the opinion of the writer(s). We recommend that patients follow their doctor’s guidance in regard to over-the-counter (OTC) supplements.
Turkesterone is a steroid-like compound derived from a plant called Ajuga turkestanica that’s taken as a dietary supplement. Brands claim it can cause steroid-like effects in regard to muscle building and fat loss without the harsh side effects of steroids.
But has turkesterone been studied in legitimate medical research, and was it shown to cause muscle growth and other benefits? Does the compound cause any side effects? Is it legal in the US? And how do real turkesterone users rate and describe its effects?
In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze medical studies on turkesterone to give our take on whether it’s likely to be effective or if it’s a waste of money.
We’ll document side effects of the supplement, explain its current legality and feature real, unsponsored turkesterone user reviews.
Is Turkesterone Proven to Work?
Turkesterone has been studied in clinical trials, although not as many as we would expect given how popular this supplement is.
A 2021 clinical trial found that an Ajuga turkestanica extract rich in turkesterone did not have anabolic effects on muscle in mice.
Another animal study published in the Nutrients journal found that turkesterone supplementation increased grip strength.
Turkesterone has also been studied for other health effects.
A 2012 medical review reported that turkesterone has a “pronounced hypoglycemic effect” in animal studies, suggesting that it may have favorable effects on blood sugar in individuals with diabetes or pre-diabetes.
A clinical trial published in a Russian medical journal suggested that turkesterone may have a protective effect on liver function, which is the opposite of anabolic steroids.
Overall, based on the available research, we consider turkesterone potentially effective for improving muscle mass and strength, but believe it’s far too early to say so definitively because of the lack of human trials.
We cannot identify one single trial on turkesterone for strength, body composition or hormonal changes with human participants, and the few clinical trials on its anabolic effects in animals were inconclusive.
But is turkesterone dangerous? We’ll review side effects after sharing a video with a famous neuroscientist discussing turkesterone with Joe Rogan.
Turkesterone Discussed on Joe Rogan Show
Andrew Huberman is a Stanford neuroscientist and famous researcher. He’s been featured discussing turkesterone supplementation at length on the Joe Rogan Experience:
Is Turkesterone Dangerous?
As referenced in the previous section, we cannot identify any studies on turkesterone in humans.
This means using the supplement involves significant risk in our opinion, because without extensive safety data there’s no way to ensure that turkesterone supplementation won’t be harmful to human health, as we dicussed in our Gorilla Mind reviews article on a popular supplement brand that sells turkesterone.
A medical review published in the Archives of Toxicology journal examined the safety of ecdysteroids, a class of compounds that includes turkesterone.
The researchers concluded that no toxic effects were noted after testing liver and kidney biomarkers. However, this review did not examine turkesterone specifically; just compounds that are chemically similar.
It seems illogical in our opinion to use supplements that aren’t safety tested in humans.
But how do real users rate and describe the effects of turkesterone? We’ll review in the next section.
Real, Unsponsored Turkesterone User Reviews
A fitness YouTuber and popular influencer named Jesse James West tried turkesterone for 30 days and included before and after images in a video with over 2 million views:
A YouTube creator named “joeytalks” shared his experience after supplementing with turkesterone for two months:
Is Turkesterone Legal in the US?
At the time of publishing this article, turkesterone appears to be legal for use in the US.
It is not on the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and we cannot find any information from the FDA or DEA suggesting that this supplement is illegal.
In the US, drug ingredients are publicly-listed as illegal, but not listed as legal (presumably because there are so many legal ingredients that it would be inefficient and this is just assumed to be the standard).
As we documented in our review of the steroid Anadrol, all anabolic steroids are currently illegal in the US, but since turkesterone is not an anabolic steroid, it appears to be excluded from this policy.
Pros and Cons of Turkesterone
Here are the pros and cons of turkesterone supplementation in our opinion:
Pros:
- May be safer than anabolic steroids
- Doesn’t appear toxic based on early research
- Some positive results from animal studies
Cons:
- Doesn’t appear tested in humans at all
- No convincing proof of efficacy
- Unclear side effects
- Many brands make unproven health claims about this supplement
- Waste of money in our opinion
