Official name: Puncture wine

Latin name: Tribulus terrestris L.

Description: Tribulus terrestris L. is an annual herbaceous plant of the Zygophyllaceae family. The root of the herb is relatively thin, spindle-shaped. The stems are numerous creeping branches, with sparse erect hairs, green to brown-violet, reaching 1 - 2 m. in length. The leaves are compound, pinnate, alternate, 3-5 cm. long, 1-2 cm. wide, with 4-7 pairs of leaflets that are up to 1 cm. long. They are elliptic, slightly asymmetrical, dark green above, whitish below, with white hairs. The flowers are small, single, located in the axils of the leaves. After ripening, the fruit is divided into 5 nuts. Blooms and bears fruit in July - October. In Bulgaria, the medicinal plant is found in warmer regions, in sandy and stony places, as a weed in vineyards. The uniqueness of the Bulgarian plant puncture wine is due to the specific climate, relief and geographical location, as well as the specificity of the method and time of collection. It has been proven that the wide spectrum and high content of active substances in Bulgarian puncture wine are not found in any plant growing elsewhere in the world.

Part of the herb used: the aerial part (Herba Tribulus Terrestris) of the puncture wine

Harvest time: The stalks of the plant are harvested from July to September and the leafy stems of the plant are cut off during flowering. The shelf life of the dried herb is three years.

Chemical composition/Content and properties: The medicinal plant Tribulus terrestris has a rich chemical composition, which includes stepoid phypoctan and cpipoctan saponins, sapogenin diosgenin, hypogene and xlopogenin, stigmasterol and ĸampectopol; the flavonoids ĸemphepol, astragalin, tribol, tibyloside and phytin; sampan-type alkaloids; fatty oil. The root and fruit have the highest content of active ingredients.

Medicinal action and application: In folk medicine, the Tribulus is used to purify the blood and for hemorrhoids, as a diuretic and anti-constipation. The fruits are used to treat eye problems, edema, high blood pressure and heart disease. A number of Bulgarian and international studies have proven the effectiveness of puncture wine for increasing libido, for problems with the prostate and reproduction, for lowering cholesterol levels, for reducing blood pressure, for the beneficial effect on inflammation, for increasing appetite, etc. Bulgarian Tribulus terrestris have properties that have a good effect on the hormonal balance in women with premenstrual syndrome and menopause.

Possibilities to offer at the customer's request:

Vesselino Ltd. offers their customers the plant in the following varieties:

• herb (Herba Tribulus terrestris) - dried whole, loose, cut to a certain size at the customer's request, ground into herbal powder/flour

• a dried herb mixture with a low stalk content and a high fruit and leaf content