The short answer
Not known in people. In a placebo-controlled trial in Bengaluru, two months of gokshura (gokhru) fruit powder lowered blood pressure in adults whose readings were slightly high. Memorial Sloan Kettering's herb database warns that tribulus may add to the effect of blood pressure medicines, though how much this matters in practice is not known.
We found no study of gokshura taken with any blood pressure medicine. If you take one, such as telmisartan or amlodipine, tell your prescribing doctor before you start gokshura, and ask whether your blood pressure should be checked more often. Rare reports of liver and kidney injury after tribulus products are another reason to mention it.
Common blood pressure medicines in India include Telma (telmisartan), Amlong (amlodipine) and Cardace (ramipril).
At a glance
| What was seen | How it may work | Direction | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower blood pressure with gokshura alone[1] | Not established | Could add to blood pressure medicines | RCT |
| Possible extra fall in blood pressure[4] | Proposed: widening of blood vessels and ACE inhibition | Blood pressure may fall further than expected | Theoretical by mechanism |
| Liver and kidney injury after tribulus, not linked to any medicine[2][3] | Not established | Harm to the person, separate from the drug | Case report |
No listing is not a clearance. A missing interaction here never means a combination is safe.
The evidence, study by study
Trial in prehypertension, Bengaluru, 2021 RCT
Adults with prehypertension, blood pressure a little above normal, took 6 g a day of dried gokshura fruit powder or a matching placebo for two months at the National Institute of Unani Medicine. Blood pressure fell by about 7.7/5.5 mmHg with the powder and 1.9/0.2 mmHg with placebo. The abstract does not say how many people took part, and nobody in the trial was on blood pressure medicine.[1]
Case report, 2015 Case report
A young, healthy man developed severe jaundice (hyperbilirubinaemia) and then kidney failure after taking tribulus. Memorial Sloan Kettering describes him as a 30-year-old bodybuilder who had taken tablets daily for months. The summary does not say whether he took a blood pressure medicine, and other causes could not be ruled out.[4]
Case report, Iran, 2010 Case report
A 28-year-old man drank tribulus herbal water for two days to prevent kidney stones. He then had seizures, with sharply raised liver enzymes and creatinine, a marker of kidney function. He improved after he stopped. This report is about the herb alone, not an interaction.[4]
What your doctor may watch for
- Blood pressure, and dizziness or light-headedness when standing up.[4]
- Liver and kidney blood tests if anything seems wrong. In the reported cases, injury showed up as jaundice and a rising creatinine.[4]
What to tell your prescribing doctor
You can read this out, or show them this page:
“I am taking, or planning to take, gokshura or a tribulus product (name of product, dose) along with my blood pressure medicine. Gokshura lowered blood pressure in one trial. Should my blood pressure be checked more often, and do I need any liver or kidney tests?”
Withheld until review
Questions people ask
Related
Gokshura (gokhru) and lithium
Tribulus may act as a diuretic, and lithium levels rise when the body loses water or salt. We found no study of the two together.
InteractionGokshura (gokhru) and metformin
A tribulus extract lowered blood sugar in one trial, so it could add to metformin. We found no study of the two taken together.
InteractionGokshura (gokhru) and testosterone or hormone therapy
We found no study of gokshura with hormone therapy. A 2025 review found no strong evidence that gokshura raises testosterone.
Sources
- Siddiqui MA, Itrat M, Mobeen A, Khan MI. Efficacy of Khar-i-khasak (Tribulus terrestris Linn.) in prehypertension: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. J Complement Integr Med. 2021;18(4):783-789. PMID 33793146.
- Ryan M, Lazar I, Nadasdy GM, Nadasdy T, Satoskar AA. Acute kidney injury and hyperbilirubinemia in a young male after ingestion of Tribulus terrestris. Clin Nephrol. 2015;83(3):177-183. PMID 25295577.
- Talasaz AH, Abbasi MR, Abkhiz S, Dashti-Khavidaki S. Tribulus terrestris-induced severe nephrotoxicity in a young healthy male. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2010;25(11):3792-3793. PMID 20667992.
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. About Herbs: Tribulus terrestris.
Updated 4 November 2026
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