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Is there a lot of fake Turkesterone on the market?

Fake Turkesterone on the European market

In brief: AND! Unfortunately, the fitness industry is known for contaminating supplements with synthetics and simply selling fake products. Turkesterone is, partly due to the hype that has arisen, also subject to this fraud. Many manufacturers and web shops claim to sell 10% Turkesterone, but in reality these are no more than placebo capsules, or simply an inferior supplement. These fake supplements are often cheaper than the real Turkesterone, making them attractive to consumers looking for a cheap supplement.

*We always recommend doing your own research on the authenticity and quality of products, even after reading this blog. 

In this article we will explain how you can distinguish real 10% Tureksterone products from fake 10% Tureksterone products. In this article we explain why the Ajuga Turkestanica plant, the source of 10% Turkesterone, can only grow in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and therefore cannot come from China. We also discuss the price of real 10% Turkesterone in Uzbekistan and how you can conclude from the price in the Netherlands and Europe that a product can be real or fake. Finally, we briefly discuss the common Turkesterone Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin and why this is questionable.

 

What is Turkesterone?

As many already know by now, Turkesterone is a naturally occurring steroid hormone found in high abundance in the Ajuga turkestanica plant. Unlike testosterone which is produced in our body and stimulates muscle growth through androgen receptors, Turkesterone stimulates Estrogen receptors to stimulate muscle growth. Real Turkesterone improves performance in athletes and stimulates muscle growth in bodybuilders. Because of these properties, this plant extract has become a popular supplement among bodybuilders and athletes.

There are several ways to tell if a turkesterone supplement is real or fake. First of all, you should pay attention to the origin of the supplement. Real turkesterone is extracted from the Ajuga Turkestanica plant, which only grows in Uzbekistan and occurs to a lesser extent in Tajikistan. The Ajuga Turkestanica plant is only found in the Pamir Alay mountain area, growing on clay, stony slopes, rocks and taluses up to 2500 meters altitude. The area is described in detail in “Phytochemical, pharmacological and biological properties of Ajuga turkestanica(Rgl.) Brig (Lamiaceae)”.

ajuga turkestanica plan Uzbekistan Apexnutrition

 

Can the Ajuga Turkestanica plant be grown locally in Europe or China?

Growing the plant is very difficult, as the natural range of the plant implies, and does not result in the quality required for 10% Turkesterone. This is also described in the study, among other things: 'Ecdysteroids: production in plant in vitro cultures.' In addition, it is often economically unprofitable to grow certain types of plants and fruits in greenhouses. A few examples of plants and fruits that we grow little or not at all in the Netherlands are:

  • Bananas
  • Mangoes
  • Pineapple
  • Avocados
  • papaya

Now some of these species are grown in greenhouses in the Netherlands, but this is purely because the Dutch government offers various subsidies for the preservation of the environment. It is better for the environment to grow locally than to transport it around the world by ship and plane. An example of one of these subsidies is the Greenhouse Energy Performance Stimulation Scheme (SEK), which is intended to improve the energy efficiency of greenhouses. This scheme allows growers to receive a subsidy for investments in energy-saving measures, such as the use of heat pumps, LED lighting and insulation material. These measures can reduce production costs and increase crop yields. The exact offer and conditions of the subsidies vary depending on the type of subsidy and the crop for which it is provided. However, the Ajuga Turkestanica plant does not fall under this type of subsidy.

Financially it is therefore only possible to produce 10% Turkesterone in places with a climate where the Ajuga Turkestanica plant can grow naturally. Are you trying to grow the plant in a different country or climate? Then the plant will simply not grow, or the extract is nowhere near the quality to produce 10% Turkesterone. So does the plant have a different origin? Then it is almost certainly a fake product.

 

China

There are numerous suppliers from China who offer 10% and even 40% Turkesterone. Since from a scientific point of view there is no known source from which 40% Turkesterone can be extracted, we will focus on the 10% Turkesterone that is offered from China.

As we just mentioned, if the supplement you're buying comes from a different source, such as a different plant or country, there's a good chance it's a fake.

The Ajuga Turkestanica plant, the only source for an extract that can scientifically contain 10% Turkesterone, does not grow in China because China does not have the right climate and environment for this plant.

 

Price of 10% Turkesterone in Uzbekistan vs China

Concluding from a highly secure benchmark in Uzbekistan, we know that 1 KG of 10% Turkesterone from Uzbekistan costs an average of 1000 to 1500 dollars when a minimum of 10 KG is purchased. Depending on the Euro Dollar exchange rate, this amounts to approximately 944 to 1420 Euro excluding delivery. Now delivery costs can vary per KG, but let's take into account 70 euros per KG. That amounts to 1014 to 1490 Euro per KG. Then the product has not yet been tested, encapsulated, filled, and labeled in a jar and etc.

A search for 10% Turkesterone from the “Ajuga Turkestanica” plant in China resulted in an average price of 65 to 150 Euros per KG. The plant does not grow in China and cannot be grown in greenhouses financially. Plants grown in greenhouses, with climate control, moisture regulation and etc. versus plants grown outdoors, an extract from a plant grown outdoors results in a lower price. It only takes a low to no investment to grow the plants.

Coincidentally, there are 2 types of plants, which contain Ecdysteroids, that occur naturally in China. Namely, the Achyranthes bidentata and the Cyanotis arachnoidea. These 2 plants are rich in 20-Hydroxyecdysone which gives a similar effect to Turkesterone but is unfortunately inferior to Turkesterone. Turkesterone has been proven to be a much stronger Ecdysteroid.

Suppliers from China claim to offer a 10% Turkesterone. However, we advise you to ask for a 3rd party lab test document that states the name of the independent lab. Contact the lab and verify that the lab results document is genuine. It wouldn't be the first time, and certainly won't be the last time, that a lab has reported that the document has been tampered with. Unfortunately, this is common in the fitness industry.

 

Price of 10% Turkesterone in the Netherlands

Many providers tout 10% Turkesterone in capsules with 500mg extract per capsule and 60 capsules per bottle. This amounts to 30 grams of extract per jar. 10% Turkesterone either comes directly from Uzbekistan, or the extract has been imported by China, for example, and should logically be sold for a higher price than in Uzbekistan. For the sake of argument, let's assume that these suppliers import their “Turkesterone” directly from Uzbekistan.

We have already concluded that the price of 1KG Turkesterone including delivery to the Netherlands is 1014 to 1490 EU, with a minimum purchase of 10KG. With a simple calculation we can see that the extract in the jar alone costs 30 EU when a jar contains 60 capsules of 500mg (30 grams / 1000 grams = 0.03 x 1014 EU per KG = 30.42 EU). This calculation is based on the lowest price and we have not included the costs of encapsulation, the jar, the label and sales tax. A 29.95 EU sales price for 30 grams per pot is therefore remarkable.

We advise you to be careful when such “10% Turkesterone” is offered in this quantity for such a price.

fake fact blocks

 

Turkesterone complexed with Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin.

One of the best known brands regarding 10% Turkesterone complexed with Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin, is Gorillamind. Gorrillamind is not the first supplier of 10% Turkesterone, but it is the first with this complex. Gorillamind was set up by 'Derek' of the well-known Youtube channel 'More plates more dates' and he is partly responsible for the worldwide hype surrounding Turkesterone. Gorillamind offers this complex / mix for 60 dollars, which is about 56.60 EU. A jar of 10% Turkesterone from Gorillamind contains 60 capsules, each with 500mg complex. Now this seems a lot for the cost price that we calculated earlier, but this concerns a complex with Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin.

Turkesterone is met Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin complexed to improve the body's absorption of Turkesterone. However, there is no scientific evidence that this is actually the case. What has actually been investigated is that the solubility in water is increased. However, there are financially better substances such as 'Succinic Acid' or 'Amberkick' that have the same effect on Turkesterone.

Research has shown that Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin Must be complexed '1 to 1' or '2 to 1' with Turkesterone for best results. This means that per capsule of 500mg Turkesterone complex there is a maximum of 250mg Turkesterone per capsule. This is described in detail in the study: 'Bioavailability and structural study of 20-hydroxyecdysone complexes with Cyclodextrins'. We can therefore conclude with certainty that Gorillamind contains a maximum of 15 grams of Turkesterone per jar. The cost price of Turkesterone comes to 15.21 EU, which is already a lot more plausible for this sales price.

The process of complexing with Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin is very time consuming and costly. Both Turkesterone and the Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin is entered separately ethanol dissolved and then stirred together at a constant temperature of 5 degrees for 50 hours. After 5 hours, the complex turns into one freeze drier dried and crystallized. The complex method is described in detail in the study'PREPARATION AND ANALYSIS OF THE NMR SPECTRA OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL SUBSTANCE OOSE-11, -12, -13'.

This complex method is very expensive if you don't have your own lab. Extract manufacturers don't have this kind of equipment in-house and hiring a lab is too expensive. In addition, it is simply a very time-consuming process.

However, the owner of Gorillamind has easy access to several labs and staff himself as he also has multiple TRT and testing clinics. He already has the resources and people to produce this complex (cheaply). This makes Gorillamind the only provider that really offers one Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin complex can offer.

It can be stated with high certainty that other providers of this complex do not offer a real complex, certainly not with a price lower than Gorillamind. In addition, there are providers who offer a different complex ratio than described above, which cannot be an effective complex either.

 

Conclusion

Unfortunately, there are many providers on the market that most likely do not offer genuine 10% Turkesterone and none real Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin offering complex. China flooded the market with counterfeit Turkesterone. Most likely she offers another Ecdysteroid and labels it as Turkesterone, which is of course fraud. When verifying lab test documentation at reformed labs, we conclude that such documentation is often forged or lab test documentation is not shared by the supplier.

Having Turkesterone tested in Europe with HPLC method to determine the percentage of Turkesterone is very expensive. Start-up costs quickly go towards 70,000 EU. Follow-up tests are lower: around 2000 EU per test. Unfortunately, this is not a solution for the consumer.

An advice that we can give to you as a consumer is to take a good look at the price, origin of the product, reviews and finally the mix of the product. Hydroxypropyl-Beta-Cyclodextrin complexes are most likely fake. If something seems too good to be true, it often is.

Check out our product page for Turkesterone here!

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