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Tribugen | The Road To Making A Smoother And More Stimulating Formula

Learn everything you need to know about our enhanced Tribulus terrestris, Tribugen, and find out how it can benefit your health routine. Motivation, energy, and testosterone

In Search Of Powerful Confidence

At the beginning of 2023, we released our first Tribulus terrestris extract. This was our first foray into the world of Tribulus, and it proved to be a bit of a tricky endeavor! There are a lot of opinions on Tribulus terrestris, one of which is that the best tribulus is grown and processed in Bulgaria with the other opinion being that the highest protodioscin level is all that matters. This was our starting point for Tribulus terrestris research and bioassaying, so we sourced the best Bulgarian and high protodioscin tribulus extracts we could find. Once Paul (owner of Nootropics Depot/Natrium Health) and I (Emiel, author of this blog & product specialist) started bioassaying these extracts we were not having the best time with them! The first round of high potency Tribulus terrestris extracts were pure, undiluted edginess. Yes, the surge of energy, confidence and motivation was there, but it quickly turned ugly with edginess. We were so put off by these first bioassaying trials, that we weren’t very motivated to keep pursuing tribulus. However, in our second round of bioassaying, things started to change! We sourced lower potency and more full spectrum extracts, and within this second round, we found a few extracts that were smoother while still retaining the potent energizing, confidence boosting and motivation enhancing effects. It still provided a bit of edginess, so it wasn’t exactly a product Paul and I would be adding to our daily stacks, but it was very useful for getting lots of physical work done or as a major kick in the pants when we were low on motivation.

A Rare Newcomer In The Functional Mushroom Space

Lignosus rhinocerus, also known as tiger milk mushroom, is one of the most exciting newcomers to the functional mushroom space. This mushroom has historically been incredibly rare, with wild tiger milk mushroom being almost impossible to come by in meaningful quantities. This is largely due to the fact that tiger milk mushrooms do not grow close to each other. Instead, single mushrooms are separated by vast distances in wild jungles. This is also partially where Lignosus rhinocerus gets its ‘tiger milk mushroom’ nickname from. In folklore, it is thought that the mushroom grows on spots where drops of milk from a lactating tiger have fallen. Of course, tigers are rare and travel incredible distances everyday, so within folklore this seems like a perfectly reasonable explanation why the mushrooms grow so far apart from each other! However, this is more of an old wives tale. Tiger milk mushroom does not need to grow on the spots where a mother tiger's milk fell. Even so, the name stuck, and now everyone refers to it as tiger milk mushroom. This is very similar to how Hericium erinaceus is called lion's mane mushroom, despite not being related to lions at all. Even with tiger milk mushroom's rarity, there is a very long history of human use associated with it. Tiger milk mushroom is primarily gathered in the wild, and consumed by indigenous Malaysian people who hunt for this mushroom in the jungle. This amazing fungi is prized by many for its numerous beneficial effects!

In Search Of Powerful Confidence

At the beginning of 2023, we released our first Tribulus terrestris extract. This was our first foray into the world of Tribulus, and it proved to be a bit of a tricky endeavor! There are a lot of opinions on Tribulus terrestris, one of which is that the best tribulus is grown and processed in Bulgaria with the other opinion being that the highest protodioscin level is all that matters. This was our starting point for Tribulus terrestris research and bioassaying, so we sourced the best Bulgarian and high protodioscin tribulus extracts we could find. Once Paul (owner of Nootropics Depot/Natrium Health) and I (Emiel, author of this blog & product specialist) started bioassaying these extracts we were not having the best time with them! The first round of high potency Tribulus terrestris extracts were pure, undiluted edginess. Yes, the surge of energy, confidence and motivation was there, but it quickly turned ugly with edginess. We were so put off by these first bioassaying trials, that we weren’t very motivated to keep pursuing tribulus. However, in our second round of bioassaying, things started to change! We sourced lower potency and more full spectrum extracts, and within this second round, we found a few extracts that were smoother while still retaining the potent energizing, confidence boosting and motivation enhancing effects. It still provided a bit of edginess, so it wasn’t exactly a product Paul and I would be adding to our daily stacks, but it was very useful for getting lots of physical work done or as a major kick in the pants when we were low on motivation.

What is Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha is a herb that belongs to the night shade family of plants. The nightshade family of plants is a very interesting one and includes a lot of vegetables that make up large parts of many diets. Notable nightshade members are potatoes, tomatoes, chili peppers, goji berries and even tobacco! Another name for the nightshade family is Solanaceae. This is where Ashwagandha gets its Latin name from; Withania somnifera. Ashwagandha is a short perennial shrub, with a large root system that develops small deep orange fruits. The fruits resemble a small cherry and the leaves look frosty due to the many tiny hairs that are on them. This one of the reasons why Ashwagandha is also referred to as ‘winter cherry’. Traditionally, the Ashwagandha root is used, however new research has found high concentrations of key components in the leaves too. Various manufacturers have taken notice of this. One of the most notable being Natreon who produce a specialized extract of Ashwagandha called Sensoril. Sensoril is made from the leaves of Ashwagandha, giving it a unique chemical composition, which produces noticeable calming effects.

Throughout history, tiger milk mushroom has piqued the interest of many individuals. Most notably, the first Western reference to this mushroom was made all the way back in 1664 in the diary of English writer, John Evelyn. In a section of his diary, he describes a collection of rarities from Asia, with one of these rarities being tiger milk mushroom.

At the time, tiger milk mushroom was referred to as ‘Lac Tigridis’, which is Latin for ‘tiger milk’:

Figure 1. Tiger’s roam great distances throughout the jungle everyday, and thus a lactating tiger would leave behind drops of milk every few kilometers. This is likely where the folklore story that inspired the “tiger milk mushroom” nickname comes from, because tiger milk mushrooms grow in the same habitat Malaysian tigers reside in, and single mushrooms are usually separated by several kilometers in the wild!

Figure 1. This is what fresh Tribulus terrestris looks like, and during the development of our first Tribulus terrestris extract, we biossayed many different types of extracts to find the best one!

Our first release of Tribulus terrestris was surprisingly met with some mixed feelings. On the one hand, lots of people responded very favorably to the smooth effects of our Tribulus terrestris extract, while others were actually missing some of the edginess we disliked in our first bioassaying rounds. There were many requests for an even more powerful Tribulus terrestris extract, and we had a bunch of these laying around still, so we tried a few more doses and were once again fairly put off by these extracts.

On the one hand, we want to release products that our customer base is interested in, so we considered releasing one of the strongest Tribulus terrestris extracts we had on hand. However, on the other hand, this felt a bit against the ethos of Nootropics Depot and Natrium Health. We want to release products that we personally enjoy and can stand behind, so there is no reason in releasing something that none of us really enjoyed.

Figure 2. We always strive to make our products as balanced as possible, thus, releasing a very edgy and unbalanced Tribulus terrestris extract did not feel right!

Figure 2. A portrait of the English writer John Evelyn. Reportedly painted in 1689 which is 25 years after he wrote about tiger milk mushroom in his diary.

This diary entry reveals two very interesting pieces of information. First of all, the name ‘tiger milk’ has been around for at least 358 years, which means that the folklore story about how tiger milk mushrooms grow has been around for a very long time! Secondly, based on the fact that tiger milk mushroom was included in a list of spectacular rarities from Asia, it is clear that it was held in very high regard, even in 1664!

Thus, back to the drawing board it was! First of all, we needed to figure out why exactly Tribulus terrestris produces its unique energizing, confidence and motivation boosting effects. Was it the protodioscin content? To test this, we looked at other protodioscin sources and found a Dioscorea nipponica extract that had a whopping 40% protodioscin content! Comparing the 40% protodioscin Dioscorea nipponica extract to a 40% protodioscin Tribulus terrestris extract we quickly discovered that a lot of the positive confidence and motivation effects were indeed coming from protodioscin. However, the strong stimulation and edginess of the 40% protodioscin Tribulus terrestris extract was pretty much absent! We really liked the Dioscorea nipponica extract, giving us almost everything we wanted from Tribulus terrestris, while being ultra smooth! However, it was missing a bit of bite and aggressiveness, so we tried combining it with our 20% protodioscin Tribulus terrestris extract. Now we were on to something! The confidence and motivation effects of the 20% protodioscin Tribulus terrestris extract was strongly enhanced, yet the effects stayed really smooth, exactly the type of effects we were personally after!

During this R&D phase, many redditors also started experimenting with stacking Fenugreek and Tribulus. We tried this stack out a few times too, and we found that it made the effects of tribulus much more pleasant! So, with this in mind, we were curious what would happen if we added our fenugreek to the stack of Dioscorea nipponica and Tribulus terrestris. This stack really hit the sweet spot for us, it felt very smooth, energizing, confidence, mood and motivation boosting! We liked it so much that we produced a small run of capsules for ourselves and we spent a few months playing around with it with great results. One day, I was really dragging and feeling a bit adventurous, so I combined the stack of Dioscorea nipponica, Tribulus terrestris and fenugreek, with a dose of Vignatex and our Cordyceps 10:1 extract. It hit like an absolute freight train and it provided me with some of the strongest motivation enhancing effects I have ever felt! It now provided the edginess, stimulation, and aggression that everyone talks about with strong Tribulus terrestris extracts but instead of being cold and edgy, it was now warm and mood boosting, which I found to be the perfect compliment to the motivation and confidence elevating effects. I relayed the message to the rest of the team, and more people started to beta-test this full stack with fantastic results.

Figure 3. A picture of Henry Nicholas Ridley, who is often referred to as the father of the Malaysia rubber trade, and potentially made one of the first documented attempts at cultivating tiger milk mushroom

He noted that the tiger milk mushroom was very important to the health of indigenous communities in Malaysia, and with this in mind, he hoped to cultivate tiger milk mushroom. However, he was not successful, and this is because tiger milk mushrooms are incredibly hard to cultivate! In fact, it is so tricky to cultivate that it was only successfully cultivated more than 100 years after Henry Nicholas Ridley’s initial attempt.

Pretty soon, we had made another small run of capsules with this new formula for beta-testing, and it became a major tool for Paul and I when we had lots of physical work to do or needed that extra motivation and endless energy required for a proper research session with 100+ tabs that goes deep into the night! So here we are, approaching the end of 2023, with the release of our second Tribulus terrestris focused product, and we really think this is a kick ass stack!

Figure 3. It took a lot of tweaking and balancing, but eventually the Tribugen stack came together very nicely and produces excellently balanced effects!

Perhaps one of the best we have formulated so far. The effects are so perfectly balanced, it is still hard to believe what we created. So, without further adieu, let's jump into why this stack works so well!

The Pharmacodynamics Behind Tribugen

Of course, a lot of our R&D work on Tribugen was also driven by our signature scientific approach. The above story of how Tribugen was created skips a lot of these scientific details, so it may just seem like we randomly added ingredients to the stack until it performed how we wanted it to, but in reality we paid very close attention to the pharmacodynamic profile of Tribulus terrestris first. It appears that the bulk of the stimulating effects from Tribulus terrestris are coming from monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition produced by the beta-carbolines found in tribulus. This MAO inhibition mediated stimulation is then being bolstered further by the DHT synthesis promoting effects of protodioscin. After lots of testing, we determined that it is the balance of MAO inhibition and DHT elevation which gives tribulus its unique energizing, confidence and motivation boosting effects. Thus, we focused a lot of our attention on these two pathways.

The first way in which we modified the effects profile, was to put more emphasis on the protodioscin DHT effects. When we drastically increased the amount of protodioscin present with Dioscorea nipponica, while keeping the beta-carbolines/MAO inhibition at the same level, we noted a unique synergy. More robust confidence and motivation, but not enough stimulation and aggression.

Figure 4. The development of Tribugen was also highly research driven, and we spent a lot of time studying the mechanisms of action behind each ingredient and how they could interact with each other.

To tweak this in the more stimulating direction, we needed to up the amount of MAO inhibition that was occurring. We could have done this with Tribulus terrestris, however, the harman and norharman that should be present in tribulus appears to  be much more selective towards MAO-A. This MAO enzyme has a higher affinity for serotonin, but also norepinephrine and epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) when compared to the MAO-B enzyme which has a higher affinity for dopamine and phenylethylamine. While a bit reductive, the general consensus is that higher levels of norepinephrine and epinephrine could give you more of that “adrenaline rush” type of feeling while dopamine is more motivation and mood enhancing. We definitely seem to be getting a bit of that adrenaline edginess with Tribulus terrestris, so we were curious what would happen if we introduced a selective MAO-B inhibitor into the mix. To do this, we used our mung bean extract, the vitexin and isovitexin content of which acts as a fantastic and very selective MAO-B inhibitor. This ended up working much better than we could have imagined! We increased the stimulation significantly, but in a more rounded and less edgy way. It seems that a balance of both MAO-A and MAO-B inhibition, in addition to the DHT elevating effects, results in the most optimal effects.

Our experimentation with MAO inhibition also revealed to us that a bit of extra dopamine in the mix can really elevate the effects to where we want them, smooth yet powerful. Now all of a sudden, the unique synergy between fenugreek and tribulus started to make a lot more sense too. This is due to the fact that fenugreek contains trigonelline, which acts as a dopamine releasing agent. Together with the mung bean extract, fenugreek really dialed in the mood boosting and motivation enhancing effects of Tribugen. Furthermore, trigonelline also appears to act as a fairly significant NMDA antagonist. This certainly plays nicely with the stimulating effects of tribugen, and helps further glue the stack together!

The first way in which we modified the effects profile, was to put more emphasis on the protodioscin DHT effects. When we drastically increased the amount of protodioscin present with Dioscorea nipponica, while keeping the beta-carbolines/MAO inhibition at the same level, we noted a unique synergy. More robust confidence and motivation, but not enough stimulation and aggression. Last but certainly not least, was our Cordyceps 10:1. This is where the science started to get a bit fuzzier, and we were very much effects focused at this point.

Figure 5. Elevating dopaminergic activity with mung bean extract and fenugreek helped enhance the stimulation and motivation enhancing effects, while keeping the overall effects profile on the smoother and more mood boosting side.

Tribulus terrestris is most commonly used for physical activities and at this point in our formulation we had really dialed in the mental effects, but the physical effects now were not as pronounced. To fix this imbalance, we went with our Cordyceps 10:1 which for most people is very physically stimulating.

Figure 6. Our potent Cordyceps 10:1 extract helped further boost the physical energy effects of Tribugen, which makes it a fantastic stack for all kinds of physically demanding activities!

Why this is the case, we are not entirely sure yet, but we are doing some research in the background which may help answer why this is the case, fairly soon. What we can reveal, is that it doesn’t seem to be due to the cordycepin content, although cordycepin certainly plays a role. The cordyceps 10:1 really glued the stack together, and gave us that last little bit of physical performance enhancement we were after!

When To Use Tribugen?

With the majority of our supplements, we would just recommend taking them daily. However, Tribugen is a bit of a special case due to how powerful the effects can be. I personally only take Tribugen on an as-needed basis. Which to be honest, is fairly regularly, about twice a week on average. I treat it as a bit of a “boost button”, if I really need to dial up my mental or physical endurance. Tribugen can definitely be taken on a daily basis too, and I have experimented with daily dosing too.

Figure 7. Tribugen produces potent effects, and thus it is important to pay special attention to when you take Tribugen.

However, I personally have no need to feel as amped up as I feel on Tribugen every single day. Where I see Tribugen working great as a daily supplement, is for bodybuilders who do heavy workouts multiple times a week. The extra physical energy and DHT boosting effects of Tribugen can really help support your heavy workouts, while leaving you with plenty of energy afterwards. Daily Tribugen would also work well for those of us who work very physically demanding jobs, such as construction workers. Overall, the trend here is that if you exert a lot of physical energy on a daily basis, then daily Tribugen is ideal. If, on the other hand, you spend a lot of time behind a computer at an office job, then daily Tribugen may be a little bit too much, unless you can sneak away during your lunch break to go throw some heavy weights around!

It goes without saying of course, that Tribugen should not be taken close to bedtime. It will certainly keep you up, and make it very hard to sleep. This of course does come in handy if you need to stay up to do a studying all-nighter, or if you are planning on a long night out. The effects of Tribugen seem to last about 6-8 hours for most, so with an average bedtime of around 10-11 PM, we would advise not to take Tribugen any later than about 3-4 PM. We like to take Tribugen at around noon, as an alternative to a caffeinated beverage. This provides fantastic energizing effects that last into the early evening. Speaking of caffeine, it is also important to note that Tribugen can drastically potentiate the effects of caffeine, so definitely be mindful of this synergistic effect! Tribugen is synergistic with a lot of other supplements too, so let's dive into some stacks now.

"Research has shown that magnesium levels are decreasing in most foods... With the magnesium content decreasing in crops and the increase in the consumption of processed foods, magnesium deficiencies in the population are becoming more prevalent."

Ashwagandha is a herb that belongs to the night shade family of plants. The nightshade family of plants is a very interesting one and includes a lot of vegetables that make up large parts of many diets. Notable nightshade members are potatoes, tomatoes, chili peppers, goji berries and even tobacco! Another name for the nightshade family is Solanaceae. This is where Ashwagandha gets its Latin name from; Withania somnifera. Ashwagandha is a short perennial shrub, with a large root system that develops small deep orange fruits. The fruits resemble a small cherry and the leaves look frosty due to the many tiny hairs that are on them. This one of the reasons why Ashwagandha is also referred to as ‘winter cherry’. Traditionally, the Ashwagandha root is used, however new research has found high concentrations of key components in the leaves too. Various manufacturers have taken notice of this. One of the most notable being Natreon who produce a specialized extract of Ashwagandha called Sensoril. Sensoril is made from the leaves of Ashwagandha, giving it a unique chemical composition, which produces noticeable calming effects.

Figure 1. Mycelium on an agar plate, where the fabled erinacine A is rumored to be hanging out!

Figure 1. This is what fresh Tribulus terrestris looks like, and during the development of our first Tribulus terrestris extract, we biossayed many different types of extracts to find the best one!

Our first release of Tribulus terrestris was surprisingly met with some mixed feelings. On the one hand, lots of people responded very favorably to the smooth effects of our Tribulus terrestris extract, while others were actually missing some of the edginess we disliked in our first bioassaying rounds. There were many requests for an even more powerful Tribulus terrestris extract, and we had a bunch of these laying around still, so we tried a few more doses and were once again fairly put off by these extracts. On the one hand, we want to release products that our customer base is interested in, so we considered releasing one of the strongest Tribulus terrestris extracts we had on hand.

Figure 1. Mycelium on an agar plate, where the fabled erinacine A is rumored to be hanging out!

Figure 2. We always strive to make our products as balanced as possible, thus, releasing a very edgy and unbalanced Tribulus terrestris extract did not feel right!

However, on the other hand, this felt a bit against the ethos of Nootropics Depot and Natrium Health. We want to release products that we personally enjoy and can stand behind, so there is no reason in releasing something that none of us really enjoyed. Thus, back to the drawing board it was! First of all, we needed to figure out why exactly Tribulus terrestris produces its unique energizing, confidence and motivation boosting effects.

Was it the protodioscin content? To test this, we looked at other protodioscin sources and found a Dioscorea nipponica extract that had a whopping 40% protodioscin content! Comparing the 40% protodioscin Dioscorea nipponica extract to a 40% protodioscin Tribulus terrestris extract we quickly discovered that a lot of the positive confidence and motivation effects were indeed coming from protodioscin. However, the strong stimulation and edginess of the 40% protodioscin Tribulus terrestris extract was pretty much absent! We really liked the Dioscorea nipponica extract, giving us almost everything we wanted from Tribulus terrestris, while being ultra smooth! However, it was missing a bit of bite and aggressiveness, so we tried combining it with our 20% protodioscin Tribulus terrestris extract. Now we were on to something! The confidence and motivation effects of the 20% protodioscin Tribulus terrestris extract was strongly enhanced, yet the effects stayed really smooth, exactly the type of effects we were personally after!

During this R&D phase, many redditors also started experimenting with stacking fenugreek and tribulus. We tried this stack out a few times too, and we found that it made the effects of tribulus much more pleasant! So, with this in mind, we were curious what would happen if we added our fenugreek to the stack of Dioscorea nipponica and Tribulus terrestris. This stack really hit the sweet spot for us, it felt very smooth, energizing, confidence, mood and motivation boosting! We liked it so much that we produced a small run of capsules for ourselves and we spent a few months playing around with it with great results. One day, I was really dragging and feeling a bit adventurous, so I combined the stack of Dioscorea nipponica, Tribulus terrestris and fenugreek, with a dose of vignatex and our cordyceps 10:1 extract. It hit like an absolute freight train and it provided me with some of the strongest motivation enhancing effects I have ever felt! It now provided the edginess, stimulation, and aggression that everyone talks about with strong Tribulus terrestris extracts but instead of being cold and edgy, it was now warm and mood boosting, which I found to be the perfect compliment to the motivation and confidence elevating effects. I relayed the message to the rest of the team, and more people started to beta-test this full stack with fantastic results.

Figure 1. Mycelium on an agar plate, where the fabled erinacine A is rumored to be hanging out!

Figure 2. It took a lot of tweaking and balancing, but eventually the Tribugen stack came together very nicely and produces excellently balanced effects!

Pretty soon, we had made another small run of capsules with this new formula for beta-testing, and it became a major tool for Paul and I when we had lots of physical work to do or needed that extra motivation and endless energy required for a proper research session with 100+ tabs that goes deep into the night! So here we are, approaching the end of 2023, with the release of our second Tribulus terrestris focused product, and we really think this is a kick ass stack! Perhaps one of the best we have formulated so far. The effects are so perfectly balanced, it is still hard to believe what we created. So, without further adieu, let's jump into why this stack works so well!

The Pharmacodynamics Behind Tribugen

Of course, a lot of our R&D work on Tribugen was also driven by our signature scientific approach. The above story of how Tribugen was created skips a lot of these scientific details, so it may just seem like we randomly added ingredients to the stack until it performed how we wanted it to, but in reality we paid very close attention to the pharmacodynamic profile of Tribulus terrestris first. It appears that the bulk of the stimulating effects from Tribulus terrestris are coming from monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibition produced by the beta-carbolines found in tribulus. This MAO inhibition mediated stimulation is then being bolstered further by the DHT synthesis promoting effects of protodioscin. After lots of testing, we determined that it is the balance of MAO inhibition and DHT elevation which gives tribulus its unique energizing, confidence and motivation boosting effects. Thus, we focused a lot of our attention on these two pathways.

Figure 1. Mycelium on an agar plate, where the fabled erinacine A is rumored to be hanging out!

Figure 3. The development of Tribugen was also highly research driven, and we spent a lot of time studying the mechanisms of action behind each ingredient and how they could interact with each other.

The first way in which we modified the effects profile, was to put more emphasis on the protodioscin DHT effects. When we drastically increased the amount of protodioscin present with Dioscorea nipponica, while keeping the beta-carbolines/MAO inhibition at the same level, we noted a unique synergy. More robust confidence and motivation, but not enough stimulation and aggression.

To tweak this in the more stimulating direction, we needed to up the amount of MAO inhibition that was occurring. We could have done this with Tribulus terrestris, however, the harman and norharman that should be present in tribulus appears to  be much more selective towards MAO-A. This MAO enzyme has a higher affinity for serotonin, but also norepinephrine and epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) when compared to the MAO-B enzyme which has a higher affinity for dopamine and phenylethylamine. While a bit reductive, the general consensus is that higher levels of norepinephrine and epinephrine could give you more of that “adrenaline rush” type of feeling while dopamine is more motivation and mood enhancing. We definitely seem to be getting a bit of that adrenaline edginess with Tribulus terrestris, so we were curious what would happen if we introduced a selective MAO-B inhibitor into the mix. To do this, we used our mung bean extract, the vitexin and isovitexin content of which acts as a fantastic and very selective MAO-B inhibitor. This ended up working much better than we could have imagined! We increased the stimulation significantly, but in a more rounded and less edgy way. It seems that a balance of both MAO-A and MAO-B inhibition, in addition to the DHT elevating effects, results in the most optimal effects.

Our experimentation with MAO inhibition also revealed to us that a bit of extra dopamine in the mix can really elevate the effects to where we want them, smooth yet powerful. Now all of a sudden, the unique synergy between fenugreek and tribulus started to make a lot more sense too. This is due to the fact that fenugreek contains trigonelline, which acts as a dopamine releasing agent. Together with the mung bean extract, fenugreek really dialed in the mood boosting and motivation enhancing effects of Tribugen. Furthermore, trigonelline also appears to act as a fairly significant NMDA antagonist. This certainly plays nicely with the stimulating effects of Tribugen, and helps further glue the stack together!

Figure 1. Mycelium on an agar plate, where the fabled erinacine A is rumored to be hanging out!

Figure 4. Elevating dopaminergic activity with mung bean extract and fenugreek helped enhance the stimulation and motivation enhancing effects, while keeping the overall effects profile on the smoother and more mood boosting side.

The first way in which we modified the effects profile, was to put more emphasis on the protodioscin DHT effects. When we drastically increased the amount of protodioscin present with Dioscorea nipponica, while keeping the beta-carbolines/MAO inhibition at the same level, we noted a unique synergy. More robust confidence and motivation, but not enough stimulation and aggression.

Last but certainly not least, was our Cordyceps 10:1. This is where the science started to get a bit fuzzier, and we were very much effects focused at this point. Tribulus terrestris is most commonly used for physical activities and at this point in our formulation we had really dialed in the mental effects, but the physical effects now were not as pronounced. To fix this imbalance, we went with our Cordyceps 10:1 which for most people is very physically stimulating.

Figure 1. Mycelium on an agar plate, where the fabled erinacine A is rumored to be hanging out!

Figure 4. Our potent Cordyceps 10:1 extract helped further boost the physical energy effects of Tribugen, which makes it a fantastic stack for all kinds of physically demanding activities!

Why this is the case, we are not entirely sure yet, but we are doing some research in the background which may help answer why this is the case, fairly soon. What we can reveal, is that it doesn’t seem to be due to the cordycepin content, although cordycepin certainly plays a role. The cordyceps 10:1 really glued the stack together, and gave us that last little bit of physical performance enhancement we were after!

When To Use Tribugen?

Figure 1. Mycelium on an agar plate, where the fabled erinacine A is rumored to be hanging out!

Figure 4. Tribugen produces potent effects, and thus it is important to pay special attention to when you take Tribugen.

With the majority of our supplements, we would just recommend taking them daily. However, Tribugen is a bit of a special case due to how powerful the effects can be. I personally only take Tribugen on an as-needed basis. Which to be honest, is fairly regularly, about twice a week on average. I treat it as a bit of a “boost button”, if I really need to dial up my mental or physical endurance. Tribugen can definitely be taken on a daily basis too, and I have experimented with daily dosing too.

However, I personally have no need to feel as amped up as I feel on Tribugen every single day. Where I see Tribugen working great as a daily supplement, is for bodybuilders who do heavy workouts multiple times a week. The extra physical energy and DHT boosting effects of Tribugen can really help support your heavy workouts, while leaving you with plenty of energy afterwards. Daily Tribugen would also work well for those of us who work very physically demanding jobs, such as construction workers. Overall, the trend here is that if you exert a lot of physical energy on a daily basis, then daily Tribugen is ideal. If, on the other hand, you spend a lot of time behind a computer at an office job, then daily Tribugen may be a little bit too much, unless you can sneak away during your lunch break to go throw some heavy weights around!

It goes without saying of course, that Tribugen should not be taken close to bedtime. It will certainly keep you up, and make it very hard to sleep. This of course does come in handy if you need to stay up to do a studying all-nighter, or if you are planning on a long night out. The effects of Tribugen seem to last about 6-8 hours for most, so with an average bedtime of around 10-11 PM, we would advise not to take Tribugen any later than about 3-4 PM. We like to take Tribugen at around noon, as an alternative to a caffeinated beverage. This provides fantastic energizing effects that last into the early evening. Speaking of caffeine, it is also important to note that Tribugen can drastically potentiate the effects of caffeine, so definitely be mindful of this synergistic effect! Tribugen is synergistic with a lot of other supplements too, so let's dive into some stacks now.

"Research has shown that magnesium levels are decreasing in most foods... With the magnesium content decreasing in crops and the increase in the consumption of processed foods, magnesium deficiencies in the population are becoming more prevalent."

Stacking With Tribugen

While we think Tribugen is a perfectly balanced stack, we also think that we can tease out certain effects a little bit more in order to perfectly tailor Tribugen to your needs. For example, a few people on reddit have mentioned that Tribugen may be a little bit over the top in terms of stimulation, but they like the overall effects profile a lot. For these individuals, it would be nice to stack Tribugen with a slightly calming supplement such as L-Theanine or lemon balm. On the other hand, there are even some stimulant connoisseurs out there, who want even more stimulation out of Tribugen! In this scenario, we can take advantage of Tribugen’s MAO inhibitor properties to potentiate other stimulants like caffeine or dynamine. We can also incorporate Tribugen into androgenic focused stacks, and this is likely where Tribugen will really shine for bodybuilders! So without further adieu, here are three of our extra enhanced Tribugen stack ideas!

The Extra Smooth Tribugen Stack

Tribugen + Cyracos Lemon Balm

Some people may still find tribugen to be a touch too edgy, and thus, smoothing the effects out just a bit more can really dial in the effects for them. In order to smooth out the effects of Tribugen even further, while not dampening the energizing effects too much, we decided to stack it together with our most uplifting lemon balm extract, Cyracos! This stack simply shaves off that last little bit of edge that Tribugen retains, whilst also boosting the mood enhancing effects a bit more.

The Extra Stimulating Tribugen Stack*

Tribugen + Dynamine

On the opposite side of the spectrum, we have also heard that some people want even more of a kick with Tribugen. In order to achieve this, we have decided to stack it together with dynamine in order to really dial Tribugen in as a great pre-workout supplement. The reason we went with dynamine, is because it kicks in very quickly, which means you could take this stack as little as 15 minutes before a workout. Dynamine also has unique mood boosting properties which we find synergize well with the mood boosting properties of Tribugen!

The Extra Androgenic Tribugen Stack*

Tribugen + Tongkat Ali 10% + Cistanche tubulosa + Pregnenolone

One of the main appeals of Tribugen, is that its protodioscin content can enhance DHT synthesis. DHT is synthesized from testosterone, and thus, elevating testosterone levels while taking Tribugen, could result in even more DHT synthesis! To pull this off, we stacked Tribugen with three of our favorite testosterone boosting supplements, Tongkat Ali 10%, Cistanche tubulosa and pregnenolone!

Stacking With Tribugen

While we think Tribugen is a perfectly balanced stack, we also think that we can tease out certain effects a little bit more in order to perfectly tailor Tribugen to your needs. For example, a few people on reddit have mentioned that Tribugen may be a little bit over the top in terms of stimulation, but they like the overall effects profile a lot. For these individuals, it would be nice to stack Tribugen with a slightly calming supplement such as L-Theanine or lemon balm. On the other hand, there are even some stimulant connoisseurs out there, who want even more stimulation out of Tribugen! In this scenario, we can take advantage of Tribugen’s MAO inhibitor properties to potentiate other stimulants like caffeine or dynamine. We can also incorporate Tribugen into androgenic focused stacks, and this is likely where Tribugen will really shine for bodybuilders! So without further adieu, here are three of our extra enhanced Tribugen stack ideas!

The Extra Smooth Tribugen Stack

Tribugen + Cyracos Lemon Balm

Some people may still find Tribugen to be a touch too edgy, and thus, smoothing the effects out just a bit more can really dial in the effects for them. In order to smooth out the effects of Tribugen even further, while not dampening the energizing effects too much, we decided to stack it together with our most uplifting lemon balm extract, Cyracos! This stack simply shaves off that last little bit of edge that Tribugen retains, whilst also boosting the mood enhancing effects a bit more.

The Extra Stimulating Tribugen Stack*

Tribugen + Dynamine

On the opposite side of the spectrum, we have also heard that some people want even more of a kick with Tribugen. In order to achieve this, we have decided to stack it together with dynamine in order to really dial Tribugen in as a great pre-workout supplement. The reason we went with dynamine, is because it kicks in very quickly, which means you could take this stack as little as 15 minutes before a workout. Dynamine also has unique mood boosting properties which we find synergize well with the mood boosting properties of Tribugen!

The Extra Androgenic Tribugen Stack*

Tribugen + Tongkat Ali 10% + Cistanche tubulosa + Pregnenolone

One of the main appeals of Tribugen, is that its protodioscin content can enhance DHT synthesis. DHT is synthesized from testosterone, and thus, elevating testosterone levels while taking Tribugen, could result in even more DHT synthesis! To pull this off, we stacked Tribugen with three of our favorite testosterone boosting supplements, Tongkat Ali 10%, Cistanche tubulosa and pregnenolone!

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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**SCOOPS: Nootropics Depot does not provide scoops or spoons with any of our products. Scoops are highly unreliable for accurate measuring. Mama didn't raise no fool! Scoops measure volume rather than weight, which is problematic because all powders have different densities. You wouldn't use a spoon to weigh yourself, would you? A milligram scale is needed to accurately measure powder products. Tools set us apart from the animals.

WARNING: Keep all supplements out of reach of children. Kids are short and stupid, so that should be easy for you. Do not take any supplement if under the age of 18, pregnant or nursing a baby (or an adult for that matter), or if you have any known or suspected medical conditions, and/or taking prescription drugs or over the counter medications.

*DISCLAIMER: Always consult with a qualified health physician before taking any new dietary supplement. If you can't find a qualified one, try an unqualified one. The products and statements found on this page are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases. You hear that FDA? We are not talking about diseases! These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, nor would we want them to.

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