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Limited evidencePhysical performance

Ecdysterone

Ecdysterone's reputation rests almost entirely on a single small German trial that reported surprisingly large lean-mass and strength gains. That result has not been independently replicated, the mechanism is unresolved in humans, and analyses show commercial products frequently contain a fraction of the labelled dose.

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What the science says

  • Lean mass and strength gains with resistance training Limited evidence

    The key study assigned 46 young men to 10 weeks of resistance training with ecdysterone or placebo and reported significantly greater increases in lean mass and bench press 1RM in the supplemented groups. It is a single small trial, and critically the authors found the commercial capsules contained roughly a tenth of the labelled ecdysterone, so the actual effective dose is unknown.

  • Proposed anabolic mechanism Limited evidence

    The leading hypothesis is estrogen receptor beta activation increasing muscle protein synthesis, supported by rodent and cell-culture work. No human study has demonstrated this pathway, and ecdysterone does not bind the androgen receptor, so the natural-anabolic framing is mechanistically unproven in people.

  • Label accuracy of commercial products Limited evidence

    LC-MS profiling of ecdysteroid-containing dietary supplements found substantial deviation from declared content across products. In practice this means you often cannot know what dose you are taking, which makes both efficacy and safety hard to reason about.

  • Anti-doping status Moderate evidence

    Following the 2019 findings, ecdysterone was placed on the WADA Monitoring Program, meaning it is not currently prohibited but its use in sport is being tracked. That status could change, so competitive athletes should check the current list before use.

Dosage & safety

Studied doseNo evidence-based dose exists. The main trial administered up to 800 mg/day of labelled ecdysterone for 10 weeks, with actual delivered content far lower. Marketed products typically supply 200-500 mg/day. Treat all of these figures as arbitrary.
SafetyShort-term trials found no adverse changes in liver or kidney markers, but the entire human safety database is a few dozen participants over 10 weeks, which is not reassurance about long-term use. Effects in women, adolescents, and with prolonged use are unstudied, as are drug interactions. Because label content is unreliable, contamination and adulteration risk is real. Regulatory note: on the WADA Monitoring Program, so permitted for now but actively tracked.

How to take it

TimingTiming does not matter, and no schedule has been tested.
With food?With food; there is no absorption data to suggest anything better.
Worth knowingAnalyses have repeatedly found products contain far less ecdysterone than the label claims, so you cannot know what dose you are actually taking.

Frequently asked questions

Does ecdysterone build muscle?

The evidence for ecdysterone is limited: it rests on a single small trial in 46 young men that reported greater lean mass and bench press gains over 10 weeks, which has not been independently replicated. The capsules in that trial contained roughly a tenth of the labelled dose, so the effective dose is unknown.

Is ecdysterone a natural steroid?

Ecdysterone does not bind the androgen receptor, and the proposed estrogen receptor beta mechanism comes from rodent and cell work, not humans. The natural-anabolic framing of ecdysterone is mechanistically unproven in people.

Is ecdysterone banned by WADA?

Ecdysterone is not currently prohibited but has been on the WADA Monitoring Program since the 2019 findings, meaning its use in sport is being tracked. Competitive athletes should check the current list before use, since that status could change.

How much ecdysterone should I take?

No evidence-based dose of ecdysterone exists: the main trial gave up to 800 mg/day of labelled ecdysterone and products typically supply 200-500 mg/day, but all these figures are arbitrary. Analyses also show products often contain far less than the label claims.

Scientific references

Where to buy

Double Wood Supplements, Beta Ecdysterone, 120 Capsules (250 mg per Capsule)

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