Turkesterone Ingredients: What’s Inside Your Favorite Fitness Supplement
Turkesterone is a hot topic in bodybuilding and fitness circles. This emerging natural supplement promises impressive muscle growth and performance benefits without harmful side effects. But before you jump on the turkesterone bandwagon, you must understand what’s in the fitness supplement. The list of turkesterone ingredients gives you insight into the potency and safety of the supplement.
Read on as we uncover the ingredients to help you decide if you should include a turkesterone supplement in your fitness regimen.
Main Active Turkesterone Ingredients
Ajuga Turkestanica Extract (turkesterone)
One of the main turkesterons ingredients is the turkesterone hormone, responsible for increased muscle mass and athletic performance. It’s sourced from the Ajuga turkestanica plant, though you can find it in some foods, such as spinach and yams.
Essentially, you should look for a supplement with at least 10 percent turkesterone extract, which is the maximum potency for any genuine turkesterone supplement available. While at it, be cautious of turkesterone versions marketed as Ajuga Turkestanica 20:1 extract since they’re less potent and may yield less improvement in your muscle mass.
Other Ingredients
Turkesterone ingredients include other naturally occurring substances like:
1. Microcrystalline Cellulose (MCC)
MCC, one of the turkesterone ingredients, comes from high-grade plant fiber cellulose. Cellulose is an organic substance present in all plants’ cell walls. It converts to an inert, white, crystalline powder when processed with mineral acids (acid hydrolysis). Hence, the name microcrystalline cellulose.
MCC acts as a filler in turkesterone capsules because of its binding performance. It gives volume to the turkesterone extract, making it easy to ingest. Even better, it doesn’t pass through the intestinal wall and gets eliminated from the body undigested, making it safe for your health. The Food and Drug Administration has approved it, proving its safety.
2. Hydroxypropyl Beta Cyclodextrin
Drugs or supplements must be water-soluble to produce the desired effects since human cells contain around 65 percent water. Oral drugs must dissolve in the aqueous gastric fluid before entering the bloodstream. Once in the bloodstream, they travel via systemic circulation to the site of action.
The more soluble a drug is, the higher the amount absorbed in the bloodstream. But turkesterone is hydrophobic, which means it doesn’t dissolve in water. Its poor aqueous solubility slows down its absorption rate, reducing its bioavailability. Thus, increasing turkesterone’s solubility is necessary. And that’s where hydroxypropyl beta-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) becomes one of the most important turkesterone ingredients.
HPβCD acts as a complexing agent, creating a cavity and enclosing turkesterone inside. Because of its high water solubility, it increases the dissolution rate of the poorly soluble turkesterone. HPβCD also acts as a water-soluble medium carrying turkesterone through the aqueous stomach environment before absorption.
3. Magnesium Stearate
Have you ever noticed the smooth coating on turkesterone capsules? Well, it’s because of an additive called magnesium stearate, which comes as a powder.
Magnesium stearate is a simple salt that combines stearic acid and magnesium minerals. It stops the turkesterone ingredients from sticking together. This additive also slows the digestion and absorption of the supplement. This way, absorption occurs in the correct section of your bowel.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has endorsed using magnesium stearate as a supplement additive. This guarantees its safety for human consumption.
4. Silicon Dioxide
Silicon dioxide is one of the turkesterone ingredients that’s often misunderstood. Its name might be off-putting and could cause suspicion or hesitation.
Silicon dioxide as one of the turkesterone ingredients is a mineral comprising the natural compounds silicon and oxygen. The dietary version of silica works as an additive in supplements. This type of silica is water-soluble and ingestible and differs from the dangerous crystalline silica.
In turkesterone supplements, silica prevents the powdered ingredients from clumping together. No studies have proved any harmful effects of consuming dietary silica. And the FDA recognizes it as a safe additive.
5. Phosphatidylcholine
Phosphatidylcholine (PC) is a phospholipid sourced from non-GMO sunflowers. As one of the turkesterone ingredients, PC helps break down body fats.
It’s instrumental in reducing the size of lipomas, benign fatty tumors that can be painful. PC attacks the fat cells in lipomas, reducing their size and easing the discomfort they cause.
Some of its other benefits include:
- Support brain health
- Maintain liver function
- Promote optimal cholesterol levels
6. MicroActive PQQ (Pyrroloquinoline quinine)
Microactive PQQ is a safe dietary turkesterone ingredient in green tea, potatoes, and green peppers. It supports mitochondrial health, cellular energy production, and oxidative stress relief.
Micro PQQ also promotes transport across the digestive tract system and cell walls and boosts the full absorption of turkesterone.
7. 5-Methyl-7-Methoxyisoflavone
5-methyl-7-methoxy-isoflavone is a chemical compound that belongs to a family called flavonoids or isoflavones. It works synergistically with turkesterone to help increase protein synthesis in the muscles.
8. B-ecdysterone
Beta ecdysterone is a natural steroid hormone sourced from plants and insects. It works similarly to turkesterone by binding to the estrogen receptor-beta (ERβ) to increase protein synthesis and positive nitrogen balance, which are precursors to muscle growth, energy, and endurance for athletic performance.
Why Turkesterone Has Fewer Health Risks
Turkesterone supplements have become popular in the fitness community due to their potential to promote significant gains while having minimal adverse health effects. Here are some reasons to back up this claim:
1. Natural Origins
Turkesterone is a naturally occurring hormone found in plants and insects. It has a chemical structure that resembles natural testosterone but doesn’t act like it.
Since turkesterone ingredients are all natural, you can say that this supplement is a natural compound. Thus, the body recognizes it and processes it in the same way it does with other natural substances. This reduces the likelihood of adverse reactions occurring in the body, making turkesterone a safer option for supplementation.
2. All-Natural Ingredients
All the turkesterone ingredients that make up the supplements are all-natural. The key ingredient, the turkesterone extract, comes from the Ajuga turkestanica plant.
All the other ingredients like microcrystalline Cellulose, magnesium stearate, B-ecdysterone, and Microactive PQQ, come from nature. These natural compounds are relatively safe for human consumption.
3. Low Toxicity
Several animal studies conducted to assess the toxicity of turkesterone reveal promising results. Turkesterone-rich extract shows no toxic effects on rats, even at higher doses, which may be due to the natural turkesterone ingredients. The results suggest that the extract may have a wider safety margin in humans.
4. Mechanism of Action
Turkesterone doesn’t bind to androgen receptors because it’s not a derivative of testosterone. Instead, it acts as an estrogen receptor beta agonist and activates the estrogen receptor beta, which promotes skeletal muscle growth and repair. Additionally, the plant extract stimulates various anabolic pathways, such as the p13 or Akt signaling pathway, to produce anabolic effects.
One of the significant advantages of turkesterone’s mechanism of action is it doesn’t interfere with the body’s hormonal system or increase testosterone levels. Hormonal imbalances are often a precursor to unwanted side effects seen with synthetic anabolic steroids. The side effects include acne, infertility, liver toxicity, high blood pressure, and virilization symptoms. Turkesterone doesn’t cause these side effects because they don’t activate androgen receptors.
How to Use Turkesterone
If you decide to take turkesterone, it’s essential to know how to use it properly to achieve the desired results. Follow these simple guidelines:
1. Dosage
No matter the turkesterone ingredients, the ideal daily dosage of turkesterone is between 500mg and 1,000mg. This dose range will guarantee the best gains in lean muscle mass and strength.
While smaller mg capsules seem economical, they are costlier per 500mg serving. And for accurate dosing, you should opt for capsules over powdered supplements.
Remember that it’s best to take turkesterone after meals, since taking it on an empty stomach may lead to side effects such as:
- Nausea
- Stomach upset
- Dizziness
- Weakened memory
2. Cycle Length
How long should you run turkesterone? Many people use it for between 6-12 weeks. Because it’s a natural compound without harmful effects, you can run it for the entire 12-week cycle.
The good news is you don’t need post-cycle therapy (PCT) after completing the cycle. The supplement doesn’t ramp up your testosterone levels or cause your body to shut down its natural testosterone production in response to raised androgen levels.
After completing the cycle, take a break of two or three weeks to evaluate the fitness goals you have achieved. You can then start another cycle if desired. Though some turkesterone users claim that you won’t need post-cycle therapy, it’s still better to stay safe by taking a break from the turkesterone supplement.
The Bottom Line
The quality and potency of this supplement can vary depending on the turkesterone ingredients used. That’s why it’s essential to check each ingredient on the label and make sure the supplement has at least 10 percent turkesterone extract. Always go for quality brands from reputable sources so you get all the benefits of increased muscle mass, endurance, and overall athletic performance.
Remember, turkesterone isn’t a magic pill. It can help with muscle growth, increasing energy, and improving stamina because of the turkesterone ingredients, but it can’t do the work for you. You still need to exercise and eat right to see optimal results.