Small Caltrops

In Ayurvedic medicine, Tribulus terrestris is utilized as an aphrodisiac and as a geriatric agent. This plant, also known as zama or zimpating, produces fruits that are used in Ladakh to fortify beer. The young branches and ripe fruits also are crushed and consumed in milk. High dosages (how high?) are said to produce delirium (Navchoo and Buth 1990, 319, 320*). The plant has been shown to contain steroids and sapogenin along with some five alkaloids, including harmane, harmine, and harmol (Ott 1993, 426*; Festi and Samorini 1997,26). In Baluchistan (Pakistan), 10 to 20 g of the dried fruits (ghur gan) are ground, mixed with water, and drunk to increase the sexual abilities of men. The ground fruits (gurgandako) of the closely related species Tribulus longipetalus Vivo [syn. Tribulus alatus Del.] are used as a medicinal snuff for treating stuffy noses (Goodman and Ghafoor 1992,55*).

Literature Festi, Francesco, and Giorgio Samorini. 1997. Tribulus terrestris 1. (tribolo/caltrop). Eleusis 7:24-32.