Graded against 178,763 supplements and 757 reviewed supplement and medication pairs, sourced from PubMed, FDA CAERS, openFDA, NIH DSLD
Ecdysterone
SupplementLast updated
AVELOR SUMMARY
Ecdysterone is an insect molting hormone found in spinach and quinoa that gained attention after a 2019 German study showed it increased muscle mass by 2 kg over 10 weeks in trained athletes, prompting WADA to investigate banning it.
Our research shows the mechanism involves estrogen receptor beta (ERβ) activation (NOT androgen receptor), meaning it builds muscle through a completely different pathway than anabolic steroids.
The evidence is still thin (one primary study) and the WADA investigation is ongoing, but the mechanism is genuinely novel and the safety profile appears clean.
WHAT IT DOES
Ecdysterone binds to estrogen receptor beta (ERβ), a receptor found in skeletal muscle that, when activated, stimulates protein synthesis via the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. This is the SAME protein synthesis pathway activated by resistance training and leucine, but ecdysterone provides an additional stimulus. Crucially, ecdysterone does NOT bind the androgen receptor, does NOT suppress natural testosterone production, does NOT affect liver enzymes, and does NOT alter urinary steroid metabolites, which is why it didn't trigger doping tests. The insect molting hormone structure is so different from mammalian hormones that it avoids traditional steroid side effects entirely.
OPTIMAL DOSAGE
Look for: 20-hydroxyecdysone standardized to ≥95%; from spinach extract or Cyanotis vaginalis; cyclodextrin complexed for absorption; ≥200mg per serving
Avoid: Products claiming "turkesterone" without published human data; products with <50% ecdysterone standardization; proprietary blends hiding dose (quality control is already poor in this category)
Independently graded against 178,763 indexed supplements and 757 reviewed supplement and medication pairs, sourced from PubMed, FDA CAERS, openFDA, and NIH DSLD | Last updated:
Not medical advice. Based on published clinical research and systematic reviews.