Turkesterone vs Ecdysterone: Australia 2026 Verdict

Last updated: November 1, 2026 · Originally published: June 14, 2026 · By Eternal Elixir Editorial

On human evidence, ecdysterone is ahead of turkesterone, but not by much. Ecdysterone has one positive 10-week training trial in 46 young men, two training trials that found no benefit, and a 6 to 9-month trial of a pharmaceutical form in 233 older adults with a good safety record. Turkesterone has one human study: 11 men who took single doses, with no significant change in IGF-1 or metabolism. Neither has been shown to beat good training and enough protein, and neither changed testosterone where it was measured.

Our Turkesterone 500mg is sold out. For the strength and testosterone side of training, our in-stock pick is Tongkat Ali 200:1 Extract 2000mg, a different herb with its own trials, which we cover below.

Eternal Elixir makes Tongkat Ali 200:1 Extract 2000mg, and it is our pick for lifters whose goal is testosterone support alongside training. It is not an ecdysteroid and does not work the same way, so read it as an alternative for the same goal rather than a substitute ingredient.

Turkesterone vs Ecdysterone: What They Are

Both are phytoecdysteroids: compounds plants make that share the basic steroid ring shape. Ecdysterone, also called 20-hydroxyecdysone, is the most common. It occurs in maral root (Rhaponticum carthamoides), spinach and quinoa. Turkesterone comes from Ajuga turkestanica (Todorova et al., 2024).

Food is not a practical source. Two small studies fed people large servings of spinach and quinoa, around 900 g of spinach or about 370 g of cooked quinoa, and found only a small share of the ecdysterone came out in urine, which the authors read as poor bioavailability from food (Yuliandra et al., 2023; Isenmann et al., 2024). Supplements use concentrated plant extracts instead.

Despite the name, these are not the anabolic steroids used in bodybuilding. Laboratory work suggests ecdysterone’s effect on muscle runs through oestrogen receptor binding rather than the androgen route used by anabolic steroids (Isenmann et al., 2019). For the single-ingredient background, see our turkesterone benefits and safety overview.

Turkesterone vs Ecdysterone: The Research

Ecdysterone in people

The trial that made ecdysterone famous ran for 10 weeks in 46 young men doing strength training (Isenmann et al., 2019). Men given ecdysterone-containing supplements gained significantly more muscle mass and more one-rep-max bench press strength than those who were not. The researchers checked the supplement for anabolic steroid contamination first, and blood markers of liver and kidney strain did not rise. They concluded that ecdysterone should be banned in tested sport.

Other trials have been less kind. In an 8-week trial, 45 resistance-trained men took 200 mg a day of 20-hydroxyecdysone, one of two other supplements, or placebo (Wilborn et al., 2006). There were no differences between groups in fat-free mass, body fat, bench press, leg press or sprint power, and no change in testosterone or cortisol.

A 2025 trial gave 28 trained young men a commercial ecdysterone and diosgenin product three times a day, as the label directed, or placebo for 12 weeks (Dissemond et al., 2025). Both groups got stronger and more muscular from training, with no difference between them. When the researchers tested the capsules, they held less than 1% of the claimed ecdysterone and 10.4% of the claimed diosgenin.

The largest and longest trial used a pharmaceutical-grade 20-hydroxyecdysone called BIO101 in 233 adults aged 65 and over with low muscle strength and poor physical performance (Fielding et al., 2025). They took 175 mg or 350 mg twice a day, or placebo, for 6 to 9 months. At the higher dose, 400-metre walking speed improved by 0.07 m/s against placebo, which was not significant across everyone randomised, and by 0.09 m/s among those who completed the protocol. Treatment-related adverse events were no more common than on placebo: 16.0% on placebo, 13.3% on the lower dose and 13.5% on the higher dose.

Turkesterone in people

There is one published human study (Harris et al., 2024). Eleven healthy men, average age 23, took single doses of 1,000 mg and 2,000 mg of a turkesterone supplement, and a placebo, on separate visits. There were no significant effects on IGF-1, resting metabolic rate, or fat and carbohydrate burning. IGF-1 trended higher on turkesterone than placebo without reaching significance, and the men tolerated it well, with no problems in blood pressure, heart rate or digestion. The authors called their results preliminary and said longer training studies are needed.

What hasn’t been shown

• No head-to-head trial. Nobody has compared turkesterone with ecdysterone in people.
• No turkesterone muscle trial. The idea that turkesterone is the more potent compound traces back to rat studies, starting with work by Syrov in 1976, as the Harris paper describes. Rat results don’t tell you what happens in a lifter.
• Reliable doses. The Dissemond trial shows a label can promise ecdysterone the capsule barely contains. Without independent testing of a specific product, you can’t be sure what dose you are taking.

For the ingredient most lifters should try first, see our comparison of turkesterone vs creatine.

Side-by-Side Comparison Table

Who each suits: ecdysterone suits lifters who want the compound with more human data and who can find a product with independent testing of its ecdysterone content. Turkesterone suits people comfortable trying something with almost no human evidence yet. Neither suits drug-tested athletes without checking the rules, or anyone pregnant, breastfeeding or under 18.

How These Compounds May Support Muscle

Most of what we know about how ecdysteroids work comes from cells and animals. In muscle cells grown in the lab, ecdysterone made the cells grow larger, and the Isenmann team linked its effect to oestrogen receptor binding. The BIO101 developers describe 20-hydroxyecdysone as an activator of the MAS receptor. None of these mechanisms has been measured directly in human muscle.

In people, the only way to judge them is by results, and those are inconsistent. One trial found extra muscle and strength, two found none, and the largest trial found a small change in walking speed in older adults. In the 2025 trial, the placebo group gained as much as the supplement group, a reminder that training and protein do most of the work.

Which Should Australians Choose?

If you want to try one, ecdysterone has the stronger case: more human trials, one positive training result and a 6 to 9-month safety record in older adults at up to 700 mg a day. Turkesterone may yet prove useful, but today there is no human trial showing it builds muscle.

Two practical points matter as much as the compound. First, product quality: pick a brand that publishes independent testing of the ecdysteroid content. Second, drug testing: if you compete, check your sport’s current rules, and read our guide on whether turkesterone shows up in a drug test. For doses and timing, see our turkesterone dosage guide and how long turkesterone takes to work.

Our in-stock pick for the same goal: Tongkat Ali 200:1

Our Turkesterone is sold out. If what you want from turkesterone is testosterone support alongside training, tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia root) has more human evidence on that specific point. A 2022 meta-analysis pooled 5 randomised trials and found total testosterone rose significantly with tongkat ali, including in men who started with low levels, while calling for more research (Leisegang et al., 2022). In one of the larger trials, 105 men aged 50 to 70 with testosterone below 300 ng/dL took 100 mg or 200 mg a day of a standardised water extract, or placebo, for 12 weeks (Chinnappan et al., 2021). Total testosterone rose more than on placebo, and fatigue scores fell. Muscle strength also rose within both extract groups, though that result was not compared with placebo. The trial was funded by the extract’s maker.

Our Tongkat Ali 200:1 Extract 2000mg is three capsules a day on an empty stomach, 2,000 mg per serve, 90 capsules to a bottle. At A$39.99 that is 30 serves, or A$1.33 a day. Put plainly, our full serve is more extract by weight than the 100 to 200 mg used in that trial, and our extract has not itself been tested in a published trial. Start with the label serve or less, and agree your amount with your GP if you take any medicines. Our tongkat ali vs turkesterone comparison covers the two side by side, and our best tongkat ali supplements in Australia guide compares local products.

Stacking an Ecdysteroid with Tongkat Ali

Some lifters pair an ecdysteroid with tongkat ali on the idea that they work through different routes. No trial has tested that combination, so there is no evidence it adds anything over either alone. If you do combine them, add one at a time so you can tell what each is doing, and learn tongkat ali’s side-effect profile first in our guide to tongkat ali side effects in Australia.

For a wider look at turkesterone products, see our best turkesterone supplements in Australia comparison, or browse our full range.

Safety, Side Effects and Who Should Take Care

The safety data so far are reassuring for healthy adults over the periods tested. In the 233-person BIO101 trial, treatment-related side effects were no more common on 20-hydroxyecdysone than on placebo over 6 to 9 months. In the 10-week training trial, liver and kidney markers did not rise. The single-dose turkesterone study found good tolerability for blood pressure, heart rate and digestion.

The bigger risk is the product itself. One commercial ecdysteroid supplement held less than 1% of its labelled ecdysterone, and the Isenmann team screened their product for anabolic steroid contamination before giving it to anyone. Buy from a brand that publishes independent testing of each batch’s contents.

• Pregnant or breastfeeding: don’t take either. We found no human safety data for either group.
• Under 18: don’t take either.
• On prescription medicines or with a long-term health condition: talk to your doctor or pharmacist first, because interaction data are limited.
• Drug-tested athletes: check your sport’s rules before taking either compound.

Turkesterone vs Ecdysterone FAQ

Is turkesterone stronger than ecdysterone?

Not in anything shown in people. The idea comes from rat studies. In humans, turkesterone has one single-dose study with no significant effects, while ecdysterone has several training trials with mixed results. No trial has compared them directly.

Is turkesterone actually beneficial?

It hasn’t been shown to be yet. The only human study gave 11 men single doses of 1,000 mg and 2,000 mg and found no significant change in IGF-1 or resting metabolism. It was well tolerated, but there is no human trial showing it builds muscle.

What does ecdysterone do for your body?

In one 10-week trial in 46 young men, it went with larger gains in muscle mass and bench press strength during training. An 8-week trial at 200 mg a day found no difference from placebo, and in older adults a pharmaceutical form produced a small change in walking speed. It did not change testosterone in the trial that measured it.

Are you still natty if you take turkesterone?

Turkesterone is not an anabolic-androgenic steroid, and many lifters consider it natural. But the authors of the main ecdysterone trial argued that ecdysterone should be banned in tested sport, and supplements can be contaminated or mislabelled. If you compete in a drug-tested sport, check your sport’s rules before taking either.

Can you take turkesterone and ecdysterone together?

Some products combine them, but no trial has tested the pair. There is no evidence that mixing them beats one well-tested product.

Does Eternal Elixir sell turkesterone?

Our Turkesterone 500mg is sold out. For testosterone support alongside training, our in-stock pick is Tongkat Ali 200:1 Extract 2000mg, 90 capsules for A$39.99.

Add Tongkat Ali 200:1 to cart · $39.99

Sources

• Isenmann E, Ambrosio G, Joseph JF, et al. Ecdysteroids as non-conventional anabolic agent: performance enhancement by ecdysterone supplementation in humans. Arch Toxicol. 2019;93(7):1807-1816. PubMed 31123801
• Wilborn CD, Taylor LW, Campbell BI, et al. Effects of methoxyisoflavone, ecdysterone, and sulfo-polysaccharide supplementation on training adaptations in resistance-trained males. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2006;3(2):19-27. PubMed 18500969
• Dissemond J, Havers T, Held S, et al. How reliable is the labeling of a commercial phytosteroid product? A 12-week randomized double-blind training study. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2025;22(1):2540408. PubMed 40781783
• Fielding RA, Dao MM, Cannon K, et al. BIO101 in sarcopenic seniors at risk of mobility disability: results of a double-blind randomised interventional phase 2b trial. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2025;16(2):e13750. PubMed 40026058
• Harris DR, Chapman-Lopez T, Machek SB, et al. The effects of multiple acute turkesterone doses on indirect measures of hypertrophy and metabolic measures: a preliminary investigation. Muscles. 2024;3(4):364-375. PubMed 40757520
• Todorova V, Ivanova S, Chakarov D, et al. Ecdysterone and turkesterone: compounds with prominent potential in sport and healthy nutrition. Nutrients. 2024;16(9):1382. PubMed 38732627
• Yuliandra T, Touvleliou K, de la Torre X, et al. Urinary excretion of ecdysterone and its metabolites following spinach consumption. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2023;67(14):e2200518. PubMed 37161586
• Isenmann E, Yuliandra T, Touvleliou K, et al. Quinoa as phytopharmaceutical? Urinary elimination of ecdysterone after consumption of quinoa alone and in combination with spinach. Arch Pharm (Weinheim). 2024;357(6):e2300689. PubMed 38400693
• Leisegang K, Finelli R, Sikka SC, Panner Selvam MK. Eurycoma longifolia (Jack) improves serum total testosterone in men: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Medicina (Kaunas). 2022;58(8):1047. PubMed 36013514
• Chinnappan SM, George A, Pandey P, et al. Effect of Eurycoma longifolia standardised aqueous root extract (Physta) on testosterone levels and quality of life in ageing male subjects: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled multicentre study. Food Nutr Res. 2021;65. PubMed 34262417