Description

Tribulus terrestris, gokshura or puncture vine, is a prostrate annual herb of the family Zygophyllaceae, widely distributed across the warm, sandy soils of the tropical and subtropical regions of the Indian subcontinent, southern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia. The small, hard, four-spiked dried fruits — Gokshura in Sanskrit — are documented in the Charaka Samhita and Ashtanga Hridayam as primary drugs of the Mutravirajaniya (urinary stimulant) group and in the Vajikarana (aphrodisiac) context for male reproductive formulations. Containing furostanol saponins including protodioscin, the fruits have attracted extensive phytochemical and pharmacological research globally, driving a substantial sports nutrition and male vitality supplement industry. Listed in the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. India — particularly Rajasthan — is the primary commercial production source, with large quantities also sourced from Bulgaria for the European supplement market.