Description

Tribulus terrestris, puncture vine or caltrop, is a prostrate, multi-branched annual herb of the family Zygophyllaceae, native to warm temperate and tropical regions across the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and sub-Saharan Africa. In India, it colonises sandy fields, roadsides, and waste ground throughout Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh. Known in Ayurveda as Gokshura and documented in the Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and Ashtanga Hridayam, the small, woody, spiny fruits have been traditionally incorporated into formulations addressing urinary tract function, renal health, male reproductive vitality, and athletic physical conditioning. The plant also appears in traditional Chinese and Arab medical literature with similar indications, testifying to its transcultural pharmacological significance.