CHAMGAP
APPROVEDReviewed and approved by the Chamgap Editorial Team (2026-07-10). The draft was written by AI, all 3 cited sources were opened and checked for existence, and the verdict passed blind grading and adversarial audit. Methodology v0.6.
Verdict No. 197 · Search date 2026-07-10 · Methodology v0.6

Ecdysterone/turkesterone,
does it really help with Muscle and strength?

30-Second Summary
C
Evidence Grade C · 45 · Safety unknown
Relative to the muscle claim, the human evidence is still thin
What the
research shows
The ingredients should be separated. For ecdysterone, Isenmann 2019 (n=46) reported signals for increased lean mass and bench press, but Wilborn 2006 (n=45) found no effect on resistance-training adaptations. Therefore ecdysterone is placed at C. Turkesterone is effectively separated in the body text as ? (no human evidence) because it has essentially no separate human muscle or strength evidence.
What the
ads claim
Advertisements mention "natural anabolic," "steroid alternative," "muscle mass," "strength," and "high-potency turkesterone." Actual human evidence centers on ecdysterone and is difficult to generalize to turkesterone.
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Useful facts when choosing a product

  • Analytical studies report that commercial products may differ between labeled content and actual ecdysteroid content.
  • Turkesterone cannot be treated as having the same human evidence as ecdysterone.
  • WADA has placed ecdysterone on its monitoring program, and prohibited status must be checked separately against the latest rules.
  • Long-term high-dose safety data are limited.
Gap Measurement · Verdict 197 · C 45
What advertising claims
What independent, higher-quality research supports
△ GAP
01

What the research actually shows

Ecdysterone: Isenmann 2019 divided 46 young men during 10 weeks of resistance training into ecdysterone supplement groups and control groups and reported larger increases in lean mass and 1RM bench press. The study found differences from the label in actual supplement content analysis and proposed the need to review inclusion on the WADA prohibited list. Wilborn 2006 reported that supplements including ecdysterone 30 mg/day did not improve body composition, training adaptations, or hormone measures in 45 resistance-trained men. Turkesterone: animal, cell, and ingredient-analysis data predominate, and evidence separated as a human RCT for muscle or strength is essentially not confirmed.

02

Why this is classified as C (45)

Ecdysterone is C at 45 points because Isenmann 2019 (n=46) positive findings and Wilborn 2006 (n=45) null findings are split and independent large-scale replication is lacking. Turkesterone is separated because separate human evidence is essentially absent.

Counterpoint. The 2019 ecdysterone study results are not extended to all turkesterone products.

Rejudgment record. Draft — For ecdysterone, Isenmann 2019 (n=46) positive findings and Wilborn 2006 (n=45) null findings coexist; turkesterone lacks separate human evidence

Cross-check — Codex and Claude

This verdict was drafted by Codex through literature review and source-existence checks, cross-checked through blind grading and adversarial audit, and settled by reapplying the methodology boundary rules. Cases with split grades were resolved through rejudgment.
03

Evidence Table

StudyDesignSampleFundingEndpointResultWeight
Isenmann E et al. 2019Randomized placebo-controlled resistance-training study46WADA-supportedLean mass and 1RM bench pressThe ecdysterone groups had greater increases in muscle mass and bench press.Core
Wilborn CD et al. 2006Randomized placebo-controlled resistance-training study45Academic/mixedBody composition, strength, and hormonesEcdysterone 30 mg/day and other supplements did not improve training adaptations.Core
Label-content analyses 2020Product analysis studyPublic/academicLabel content and ingredientsContent and labeling mismatch problems were reported for alternative anabolic supplements.Product fact
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Receipt — 3 References

Every cited source was opened and checked against the live page on 2026-07-10.

Isenmann E, Ambrosio G, Joseph JF, et al. Ecdysteroids as non-conventional anabolic agent: performance enhancement by ecdysterone supplementation in humans. Arch Toxicol. 2019;93:1807-1816. DOI: 10.1007/s00204-019-02490-x.
checked
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;3:19-27. DOI: 10.1186/1550-2783-3-2-19.
checked
Cohen PA, Avula B, Katragunta K, et al. Analysis of ingredients of supplements in the National Institutes of Health supplement database marketed as containing a novel alternative to anabolic steroids. JAMA Netw Open. 2020;3:e202818. DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.2818.
checked
Draft and rewrite: Codex (AI) · Verification: Codex blind grading and adversarial audit · Final adjudication: Claude
Reviewed and approved: Chamgap Editorial Team · Approval date: 2026-07-10 · Corrections: none

Cite this verdict

Ecdysterone/turkesterone x muscle and strength Evidence Grade C card
[Chamgap] Ecdysterone/turkesterone x muscle and strength — Evidence Grade C·45. 3 cited sources checked. Source: https://health-receipt.pages.dev/en/verdicts/sports/ecdysterone-turkesterone-muscle-strength/ · CC BY 4.0

CC BY 4.0 — free to use with attribution; do not distort grades, numbers, or verdict meaning.

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What this document does and does not do

Chamgap is an information source. It reports what research has and has not confirmed; it does not tell readers what to take or buy. That decision belongs to readers and, when needed, medical or legal professionals. This verdict reflects literature available up to the search date and may change as new research appears. Nothing here is medical advice.