Pilot Study on the Effect of Botanical Medicine (Tribulus terrestris) on Serum Testosterone Leveland Erectile Function in Aging Males With PartialAndrogen Deficiency (PADAM)
Sameh Saleh (EG), Mohamed Roaiah (EG), Yasser Elkhayat (EG), Mohamed Abd El Salam (EG)
[Saleh] Cairo University, [Roaiah] Cairo University, [Elkhayat] Cairo University, [Abd El Salam] Cairo University
Objective: we evaluated prosexual role of tribulus terristris on aging males with partial androgen deficiency complaining of erectile dysfunction. Patients and methods: this study was conducted on 30 consecutive male patients presenting to Kasr-Al Ainy Andrology outpatient clinic complaining of manifestations of partial androgen deficiency in aging males (PADAM). Intervention: In this study (750 mg/day) of Tribulus terrestris in 3 divided doses, each of 250 mg, as an endogenous testosterone enhancer had been tried for a duration of 3 months. Main outcome measures: the evaluation of its effect had been monitored for each patient concerning its effect on serum testosterone (total and free) and luteinizing hormone (LH), as well as its impact on erectile function, which was evaluated by the International Index of Erectile Function-5 (IIEF-5) questionnaire for those patients. Results: the current study showed a statistically significant difference in the level of testosterone (total and free) and IIEF-5, but no statistically significant difference in the level of LH before and after treatment. Also, the study showed statistically significant correlation between testosterone (total and free) and IIEF-5, but no statistically significant correlation between the level of LH and the IIEF-5 before and after treatment. Conclusion: we concluded that Tribulus terrestris may be a promising herbal medicine for the treatment of aging patients with erectile dysfunction suffering from partial androgen deficiency. However, we recommend doing further studies deploying larger cohorts and changing the study design to be a double-blind randomized placebo controlled study