Ecdysterone vs Turkesterone
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
The plant steroid with a positive human trial against a dummy, and the one that outsells it with no human trial at all. Turkesterone's reputation is borrowed from ecdysterone. The authors of ecdysterone's trial recommended adding it to the doping ban list.
- Ecdysterone people
- 233
- Ecdysterone nulls
- 1
- Turkesterone people
- 0
- Turkesterone nulls
- 0
Dose
No human dose established
Amounts that were given in studies sit in Human evidence on this page. None of them is a personal dose.
3 completed trials, 233 people given it
Dose
No human dose established
No published study on this page has given this compound to people and reported a result.
no study cited on this page yet
First-hand reports are counted on each profile and never added together. This page sets two published records side by side. It does not pick a winner.
Column A
EcdysteroneEcdysterone (20-hydroxyecdysone), plant and insect ecdysteroid
In a study in people, those taking ecdysterone gained more muscle and lifted more on the bench press. The researchers thought the effect was strong enough that sport should ban it.
Column B
TurkesteroneTurkesterone, ecdysteroid from Ajuga turkestanica
The best-selling supplement in this family, and the one with no study in people at all. Its reputation is borrowed from a related molecule that was actually tested.
Side by side, on the facts we can check
| What we compare | Ecdysterone | Turkesterone |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Muscle & Performance | Muscle & Performance |
| FDA status | Sold as a dietary supplement in the United States. Not an approved drug. Its drug version, BIO101, is investigational, meaning still being tested. | Sold as a dietary supplement. Not an approved drug, and not approved for any use. |
| Half-life | Short, with oral bioavailability generally reported as poor, which is the main obstacle to translating cell and animal results. No single agreed human figure was resolved in the sources loaded. | Not asserted. No human pharmacokinetic data for turkesterone was resolved in the sources loaded. |
| Molecular weight | 480.6 Da. A polyhydroxylated steroid, not a peptide. | 496.6 Da. An ecdysteroid, not a peptide. |
| How it works | Ecdysterone is shaped like a steroid, but it does not attach to the testosterone receptor. That is why people say it builds muscle without steroid side effects. The best supported idea is that it works through a different receptor, one of the estrogen receptors. That switches on the signals that tell muscle to build protein. The drug company that tested it describes a second route through a different receptor, called MAS, which is part of a system that guards against muscle loss. Two believable explanations for one molecule is a sign nobody has settled how it works. | Turkesterone comes from a plant called Ajuga turkestanica. It is almost the same shape as ecdysterone, with one small extra piece. The idea is the same as for the rest of the family. It is meant to work through one of the estrogen receptors and tell muscle to build protein, without touching the testosterone receptor. Nobody has checked whether it does that in people at doses you can take. Most of a swallowed dose of this family never reaches the blood. Nobody has measured blood levels of turkesterone in people, so we do not even know if enough gets in. |
| Studies in people | 3 | 1 |
| Evidence | Moderate: 3 completed trials, 233 people given it | None: no study cited on this page yet |
| Legal status, US | Sold as a supplement | Sold as a supplement |
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Ecdysterone and Turkesterone?
Ecdysterone: In a study in people, those taking ecdysterone gained more muscle and lifted more on the bench press. The researchers thought the effect was strong enough that sport should ban it. Turkesterone: The best-selling supplement in this family, and the one with no study in people at all. Its reputation is borrowed from a related molecule that was actually tested.
Which has stronger research evidence, Ecdysterone or Turkesterone?
Each compound gets a band worked out from facts we counted, with the math shown. Ecdysterone is Moderate (3 completed trials, 233 people given it). Turkesterone is None (no study cited on this page yet). That counts how much has been done in people. It does not rate whether either one works, and neither one is called the winner.
Are Ecdysterone and Turkesterone FDA-approved?
Ecdysterone: Sold as a dietary supplement in the United States. Not an approved drug. Its drug version, BIO101, is investigational, meaning still being tested.. Turkesterone: Sold as a dietary supplement. Not an approved drug, and not approved for any use..
Reviewed Sep 2026. This page puts two published records side by side. It is for learning, and it is not medical advice. When this site shows a dose, it is the dose a trial or a clinic actually used, or what people say they did, with the source attached. None of it tells you what to take.