Ecdysterone -The Russian Secret Natural anabolic

Back in the 1970's the Soviet sports teams were caught using numerous different steroids. However, in 1976 Soviet scientists discovered two substances that had traditional historical use behind them. One was a plant called Rhaponticum carthamoides, the other, and now more familiar, was rhodiola rhosea also known as «arctic root». The active ingredient in Rhaponticum carthamoides is called beta-ecdysterone. The Soviets manufactured a synthetic version of this powerful substance for their athletes with great success. Soon after, the U.S. version called Mesobolin circulated on the underground market for a long time. In back-to-back studies with animals, the Rhaponticum extract was actually superior to synthetic steroids like Dianabol at inducing endurance and muscle cell growth (Syrov et al. 1976, 1992).

The examination of the difference in action between beta-ecdysterone and synthetic steroids revealed that the latter go directly to the nucleus of a cell to tell the blueprint, the DNA, to produce more RNA. Then the RNA tells the ribosome to produce more protein. Beta-ecdysterone, on the other hand, goes directly to the ribosome and increases what is called translation, the rate at which new protein is being made (Syrov et al. 1984).

Rhaponticum carthamoides - A Powerful Natural Anabolic

Active constituents responsible for specific anabolic effect of Rhaponticum carthamoidesis a mixture of compounds called, "leuseins". Leuseins represents a complex of more than 10 ecdysterones including 20-beta-ecdysterone, makisterone C, 24-dehydromakisterone A, carthamosterone, polypodyne B and ajugasterone C.

Russian researchers conclided that the Leuzea extract stimulates muscle protein synthesis by increasing the activity of the polyribosomes. Polyribosomes are the cellular compartments where the actual protein synthesis takes place. Researchers extracted and purified various ecdysteroids from Leuzea and found that the ecdysteroids increased the mass of the developing quails in a dose-dependent manner, with the rate of increase proportional to the ecdysteroids content. It was evident that the plethora of growth-promoting, vitamin-like effects induced by Leuzea is mediated by ecdysteroids.However it is important to point out that the mixture of ecdysterones was found to be responsible for enhancement of muscle protein synthesis. The research indicated that the whole extract of Rhaponticum carthamoidescontaining mixture of leuseins possess much superior physiological activity compared with the activity of purified individualconstituents (Seifulla 1999). Ecdysteroids are hormones controlling cell proliferation, growth and the developmental cycles of insects and other invertebrates. They are occasionally present in various unrelated plants for no apparent reason; no phytohormonal function has yet been identified. In certain cases, ecdysteroids are accumulated to high levels in leaves, roots or seeds. Some ecdysteroids-containing plants have been known as medicinal plants for centuries. A pharmacological preparation from this plant, "Ekdisten", is already available as a commercial preparation for its anabolic, tonic and other physiological effects. It remained problematic, however, whether ecdysteroids were truly responsible for these effects, because Leuzea contains a number of other biologically active compounds in addition to ecdysteroids

Leuzea extract considerably increases the working capacity of tired skeletal muscles and increases their content of glycogen, ATP and Creatine Phosphate (Petrov et al. 1984). The most popular sports formula traditionally includes the extracts of Leuzeaand Rhodiola rosea(Seifulla 1999). Several Leuzea based phytomedicines "Leveton", "Elton", "Ecton" and "Adapton" registered and protected by over a dozen patents known are the most popular among professional athletes, including Olympic and World champions as well as among ordinary Russians. A drug prepared from Leuzea and Rhodiola rosea could with benefit be more widely used not only by professional athletes, but also in the everyday life of healthy persons as a tonic for increasing intellectual and physical work capacity.

From more than 80 species of plants containing phyto-ecdysterones only Leuzea extract was proved to be safe for humans at high dosages. The extract did not produce mortality after administration of very large doses (up to 4 g/kg). After administration of relatively high doses above 10 g/kg, there occurred some functional changes in CNS, manifested by weakening of some reflexes, a decrease in muscle tone, an increase of the narcotic effects of chloral hydrate and a tendency towards impaired learning and memory. It is always a good idea to remember that taking more is not always good for you.

This is a summary of an article written by Dr. Zakir Ramazanov at the National Bioscience Corporation, Chester NY 10918, USA