Dr. Mike Jansen
Dr. Mike JansenCurious about ecdysterone side effects?
Do you want to know if ecdysterone is really safe, and how to take it for optimal results?
Then you’ve come to the right place. In this comprehensive guide, we cover all of the major side effects of ecdysterone, including whether this “legal steroid alternative” is really as safe as they say it is.
We also answer your most important questions on ecdysterone, such as:
- What is ecdysterone?
- Where does ecdysterone come from?
- Is ecdysterone really a “legal steroid alternative?”
…And much more!
We’ve taken the time to conduct a thorough investigation of all the data surrounding this promising sports supplement, so that you can get clear on all the facts and myths about it.
In this article about the side effects of ecdysterone, we’ll be going into detail about what you can expect to see as a result of taking a cycle of ecdysterone, its current legal status, where it actually comes from, and if ecdysterone is a steroid.
Let’s get started!
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What is Ecdysterone?
Whenever a sports supplement promising the world becomes more popular, it becomes necessary to take a critical look at all the scientific literature, data, and anecdotal evidence regarding it.
This is certainly true in the case of ecdysterone.
First and foremost, it’s necessary to clarify that ecdysterone is technically not a steroid – at least, not the kind that will get you arrested or prohibited from competing in professional sporting events.
It’s a naturally occurring hormone in plants, fungi, and arthropod insects, which belongs to a large family of over 200 similar substances called phytoecdysteroids [1, 2].
Generally, you’ll find that this product is sold as an over-the-counter supplement under various names, such as beta-ecdysterone, 20-beta-hydroxyecdysterone, and beta-ecdysone [3].
Ecdysterone Studies
While the hype around ecdysterone has certainly surged in the last few years, studies have been conducted on it since the 1960s – namely in Soviet Russia, with the first pharmacological tests being done on rodents to determine adverse effects of phytoecdysteroids on vertebrates.
Studies like these conducted over the years have revealed more and more evidence showing that ecdysterone and compounds similar to it, such as turkesterone, can be used as a potent alternative to anabolic androgenic steroids for bodybuilders, powerlifters, and endurance athletes alike.
This is due to multiple studies carried out on both humans and animals that point to benefits like increased stamina, strength, muscular hypertrophy, and enhanced recovery [4].
What truly sets ecdysterone apart from traditional anabolic steroids, and what makes it unique, is that it supposedly grants the user a level of overall improvement in athletic performance comparable to steroids like dianabol or trenbolone.
However, while ecdysterone can confer these anabolic effects, and while it does possess a similar molecular structure to anabolic steroids, it doesn’t bind to the same receptors for steroids found in vertebrates [5].
As a result, cycling off ecdysterone doesn’t require the use of drugs like clomid or nolvadex to restore testosterone levels to their natural baseline.
With that said, it’s easy to see why so many people are excited about the potential of ecdysterone and other phytoecdysteroids.
Ecdysterone Side Effects
One of the main concerns that people have when considering whether to take a supplement is the potential side effects.
With anabolic steroids, it’s been well documented that user can experience a variety of unpleasant conditions, depending on what kind of steroid is used, for how long, and what the dosage is.
These can be minor, such as irritability or an increased appetite.
However, other side effects can be far more serious, such as skin rashes, shrinking of the gonads, insomnia, high blood pressure, and even permanent liver damage [6, 7].
When it comes to ecdysterone, we’re happy to report that nearly all studies into the efficacy of Ecdysterone have not revealed any adverse effects from taking it.
There are two worth noting that we can draw our conclusions from:
Ecdysterone Side Effects Study #1
A study conducted in 2006 sought to determine the effects of ecdysterone and select other compounds on training adaptations for men who were already quite athletic.
Researchers took 45 male participants who had been working out at least three times a week for the past year.
One important condition of their acceptance into the study is that they were not supposed to have taken any sort of ergogenic dietary supplements six months prior to the study, like creatine, myostatin inhibitors, or pro-hormones.
The men were split up into three groups and instructed to take a daily dose of a compound while carrying out their weekly training regimen. One of those groups took just 30 milligrams of ecdysterone once per day.
In conclusion, the study found that the men were significantly stronger on mainly two lifts – the bench press, and the leg press.
No adverse side effects were reported [5].
Ecdysterone Side Effects Study #2
A second study conducted on male and female subjects in their 50s also showed that ecdysterone is not toxic for humans and produced no adverse effects.
Researchers conducted a 12-week double-blind placebo-controlled study to determine what effects a daily dose of 2000 milligrams of ecdysterone would have on these 51 subjects.
The dose was split in two – one serving of 1000 milligrams in the morning with breakfast, and the next serving of 1000 milligrams was to be taken with lunch.
Similar to the first study we mentioned, these participants were also required to train three times a week, for an hour each time. Upon analyzing their data, the researchers concluded that the participants in the group taking Ecdysterone showed a significant increase in strength and muscle mass, without any harmful side effects [8].
Overall, ecdysterone doesn’t reportedly cause the side effects normally seen with anabolic steroid use.
While there are many factors at play here, one of the main ones may be because of its molecular structure.
While it is very similar to anabolic steroids, it doesn’t bind to the steroid receptors in vertebrates.
Is Ecdysterone a Steroid?
While ecdysterone belongs to a family of substances called phytoecdysteroids, it is not technically classified as an anabolic steroid, and is therefore not subject to the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act [5].
Some consider it to be a legal steroid alternative – and it’s not hard to see why.
With the promise of numerous benefits that we see with popular steroids like dianabol or trenbolone, it’s understandable that marketers would choose to label it as a ‘natural’ steroid with incredible potency.
A wide array of numerous tests and research has yielded substantial evidence that ecdysterone induces anabolic effects in human subjects.
Benefits like increases in strength, rapidly gained muscle mass, enhanced stamina, and improved sleep quality, are just some of the many advantages that have been found in human test subjects as a result of supplementing ecdysterone on cycles ranging from 8-12 weeks.
Effects like these occur due to increased stimulation in the activity of polyribosomes, which are the cytoplasmic parts in cells where protein synthesis occurs [9].
However, it’s important that this information be presented in a crystal-clear manner. ecdysterone, and other phytoecdysteroids like turkesterone, don’t have the side effects of anabolic steroids, nor are they structurally identical to them.
All in all, there are no legal ramifications to buying ecdysterone online and using it to enhance your performance in the gym.
It is not technically a steroid and should not be misconstrued as such.
Is Ecdysterone Legal?
You’ll be delighted to learn it’s legal to purchase ecdysterone, even though there are studies claiming ecdysterone can confer anabolic effects on par with popular steroids like dianabol.
In summary, yes, it’s 100% legal to buy ecdysterone over the counter at multiple online retailers.
As mentioned above, while the chemical structure of ecdysterone and popular steroids are nearly identical, they aren’t the same thing.
Therefore, ecdysterone remains to be classified as an anabolic steroid, which means you can buy, sell, manufacture, possess, and consume ecdysterone totally within the bounds of the law in the United States [6].
Even though ecdysterone isn’t part of the Controlled Drugs and Substances List, you shouldn’t relax too early.
The police may not care that you want to order ecdysterone online and pack on some more mass in the gym, but WADA might.
Otherwise known as the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA is responsible for determining which substances can be allowed to be consumed and used in professional competitive sports, from bodybuilding to Olympic Weightlifting.
After seeing the results of a thorough study conducted in 2019 on how ecdysterone affects athletic performance, it was suggested to WADA that ecdysterone be considered to be placed on the list of prohibited substances [3].
While that hasn’t yet become a reality, they did, however, decide to put it on their watchlist of monitored substances.
Whether they’ll ban it or not remains to be seen.
In the meantime, rest assured that Ecdysterone is completely legal, and consider taking advantage of the opportunity to try it out while you can.
How to Take Ecdysterone | What You MUST Know
So far, we’ve covered how ecdysterone is completely legal to possess and consume, as well as the numerous benefits and side effects users can possibly experience.
But how do you take ecdysterone? How long should you cycle ecdysterone for?
Traditional anabolic steroids are typically administered with the use of a syringe. This can often be an uncomfortable and even expensive way to maintain a drug regimen for the purpose of performance enhancement.
While there are a few exceptions, such as the oral steroid dianabol, the required use of a syringe for administering these drugs is often a deterrent to many athletes who are looking to enhance their physique.
Fortunately, ecdysterone is ingested orally in both capsule and powder form, so there’s no need to worry about using a syringe, or always having access to them, let alone traveling with them.
In terms of how often ecdysterone can be used, the data available doesn’t provide a particularly clear picture.
A number of studies referenced throughout this article involve ecdysterone cycles lasting 8-12 weeks, with no adverse effects being reported. As such, we would also recommend users keep their cycles within this range, and to not do more than two cycles per year.
The studies referenced here also have analyzed the effects of daily ecdysterone dosages ranging from 30 mg per day, to a whopping 2 g per day [3, 8].
Since most ecdysterone supplements for bodybuilding are dosed at 500 mg per capsule, we would suggest not exceeding 1000 mg per day.
In any case, new research is always being carried out, and so experimenting with a relatively new supplement like ecdysterone should be done responsibly.
Best Ecdysterone Supplements | 2023 Edition
While it’s great to have freedom of choice in this day and age, when there are over 150 different ecdysterone supplements available to buy online, it can be pretty overwhelming to choose which one is actually going to give you the best bang for your buck.
In addition, you want to be sure that you’re getting the purest product available, without any fillers or potentially harmful ingredients.
That’s why we took the time to comb through stores offering ecdysterone capsules, so that you can rest assured you’re getting the best ecdysterone supplements available right now.
There are two online vendors that we highly recommend you check out.
Both of them have an array of high-quality supplements, plenty of shipping options, stellar customer service, and above all, lab-tested, pure, premium ecdysterone supplements available at competitive prices.
Our first recommendation for a trusted source to buy ecdysterone from would be Huge Supplements. Here’s why:
- Higher-quality products. What really caught our eye about this company, is that their products are manufactured in an FDA-approved facility in the United States. Other vendors may be making their products in unregulated facilities, or with cheaper ingredients.
- Great shipping. Huge Supplements offers free domestic shipping for orders over $100, as well as worldwide shipping options (except for countries within the European Union). On top of that, Huge Supplements’ customer service was phenomenal.
- Excellent customer service. No matter what, when we had an issue or question, we were always able to speak to a knowledgeable representative without a lengthy waiting period.
- Better product absorption. In addition, the ecdysterone sold at Huge Supplements contains an ingredient called cyclodextrin – a polysaccharide which expedites and enhances absorption of the ingested ecdysterone into the body.
It’s easy to see why Huge Supplements is our #1 recommended source to buy a quality ecdysterone supplement online.
You can visit them here to purchase a bottle of 98% pure ecdysterone capsules:
Our second recommended vendor to purchase ecdysterone supplements from is Intelligent Elephant.
If you prefer to pay for your order with cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum, then you can absolutely do that at Intelligent Elephant. They also have worldwide shipping, and offer the option to track your package.
If you’re ready to buy Ecdysterone capsules from Intelligent Elephant, you can visit their site here:
Ecdysterone Benefits
As we touched on briefly earlier in this article, there’s a lot of hype surrounding ecdysterone.
Not only does it not induce serious side effects that can often be encountered with commonly used steroids like dianabol and trenbolone, such as elevated blood pressure, rashes, or high liver toxicity, but it’s been reported to match their beneficial effects… and possibly even exceed them [3, 10].
More specifically, ecdysterone has been found to increase lean muscle mass, improve strength, enhance endurance and stamina, and even speed up recovery time.
For starters, the increase in lean muscle mass and strength can be attributed to greater levels of protein synthesis [9].
Ecdysterone usage in some human test subjects has even revealed elevated levels of protein synthesis as much as 20%. Also, as mentioned before, the amount of lean mass and strength gained from a cycle of ecdysterone can be compared to what steroids such as dianabol could produce in human subjects [7, 9].
We also have sources which point to greater endurance and stamina while cycling ecdysterone.
This is potentially good news not only for bodybuilders or strength athletes, but also for swimmers, track runners, or any athlete that could use more energy while competing [11].
A study providing evidence of this was conducted by Russian scientists, where two groups of runners were watched closely for a period of twenty days. One group was given a daily dose of dianabol, and the other group of runners took ecdysterone.
At the end of the study, the data indicated that the stamina of the athletes taking ecdysterone increased between 10-15% [10].
Additionally, both human and animal test subjects who cycled ecdysterone showed faster recovery times from intense exercise, as well as deeper sleep, which goes hand in hand with the gains in muscular hypertrophy mentioned earlier [4].
Is Ecdysterone Safe? | Overall
In conclusion…
Ecdysterone is one of the safest and most effective “legal steroid alternatives” on the market today. All of the latest studies show that ecdysterone has virtually zero side effects – especially when taken at the recommended dose of 500 mg per day.
Of course, ecdysterone is also extremely effective for building muscle mass.
Recent studies show that ecdysterone can increase muscle protein synthesis by as much as 20%! Other studies show that ecdysterone is actually more effective than many anabolic steroids.
This makes ecdysterone an ideal choice for bodybuilders and athletes who want to gain an extra edge, without having to worry about the adverse effects of using anabolic steroids.
Ready to get started with ecdysterone?
If so, we strongly recommend the online vendor Huge Supplements. They manufacture their ecdysterone product in FDA-approved facilities, so you know you are getting a product that produces real-world results.
So what are you waiting for?
Get a bottle of Huge Supplements ecdysterone today and watch your gains shoot through the roof!