Tribulus Aquaticus Benefits

What pharmacies call Tribulus aquaticus is actually an extract of the water chestnut, the scientific designation of which is Trapa natans L. As the scientific designation implies, it grows in water. It roots itself in the soil on the bottom of ponds while its uppermost leaves float on the surface of the water. Trapa natans, alias Tribulus aquaticus, is a nutritious food and confers health benefits on those who eat it.

Source of Food

• The nuts of the water chestnut have provided nourishment for people since ancient times. Its starch content serves as an energy source. Prehistoric people of southern Germany used it regularly as food, according to Nationalmuseet Naturvidenskabelige Undersøgelser. It also provided nourishment to the ancient Greeks, as well as the ancient Romans, who named it "tribulus." Its use as food continues today.

Antioxidants

• Tribulus aquaticus contains antioxidants called polyphenols, organic compounds which contain several rings made up of six carbon atoms each. Two types of polyphenols that occur in Tribulus aquaticus are substances called flavonoids and tannins, according to Acta Poloniae Pharmaceutica. Antioxidants prevent free radicals from harming body tissues. Free radicals are ions, atoms or molecules that normally would oxidize body tissues, causing them to deteriorate. But when a polyphenol in Tribulus aquatica allows itself to be oxidized by a free radical, the free radical will no longer be able to oxidize anything else, and the tissues of the body will be safe.

Antimicrobial Activity

• In India and elsewhere, the water chestnut has long served as an Ayurvedic or folkloric medicine for a variety of ailments ranging from dysentery and leprosy to simple inflammations and swellings. According to studies by Parekh and Chanda of the Department of Biosciences of Saurashtra University, extracts from the rind of Tribulus aquaticus does show some antimicrobial activity against such pathogens as the fungus Trichosporon beigelli, which invades the blood stream, causing fever and sometimes pneumonia, and Micrococcus flavus, a bacterium which may cause infection, according to the African Journal of Biotechnology.

Benefits to Athletes

• Commercial preparations claim that Tribulus aquaticus reduces fat and builds muscles by a process somewhat similar to body-building steroids. They also claim that Tribulus aquaticus triggers the release of the hormone testosterone, which assists in the performance of vigorous sports. These claims have not been scientifically verified.