What is Turkesterone?
Turkesterone is an extract of Ajuga Turkestanica, belonging to the ecdysteroid group which is a naturally occurring hormone found in plants and arthropods. The jury however is still out on whether or not turkesterone actually works to improve performance. This is because of the debated mechanism of action.
How does Turkesterone work?
Turkesterone is an ecdysteroid. What does that mean? It is what plants and insects use to grow. Ecdysteroids are very similar in structure to their human counterparts for example: Turkesterone is very similar in structure to testosterone, see image1. This means Turk is not a SARM, prohormone, myostatin inhibitor, or cholesterol based steroid. When people typically think of an oral steroid they think SARMS, selective androgen receptor modulators, turk does not interact with your androgen receptors which when stimulated are known to have an anabolic effect; increasing both muscle mass and strength. SARMS and cholesterol based steroids like those of testosterone work by stimulating the androgen receptors allowing you to put on more contractile tissue than you would be able to naturally. Turk’s mechanism of action is thought to be increasing protein synthesis because of one study showing that in rats and other animals it increased liver protein synthesis. Which should be noted is not the same thing as muscle protein synthesis.
There have been studies showing that Turk is an adaptogen, meaning it helps your body deal with stress and adapt to stressful situations; I.E weight training. There is no literature supporting its use as a PED or strong muscle builder.
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