Home / Ingredient Directory / Ecdysterone

Reviewed by Yannis Lopez · Nutrition Industry Veteran

Last updated: September 14, 2026

Muscle & Performance Phytoecdysteroid

Ecdysterone

The plant/insect steroid hormone with an actual human RCT behind it -- and a WADA monitoring listing to match

One real human RCT with positive results

On WADA's Monitoring Program since 2020

Important: These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult your physician before starting any supplement.

Overview

Ecdysterone (20-hydroxyecdysone, sometimes labeled beta-ecdysterone) is a steroid hormone that occurs naturally in insects and in a handful of plants -- spinach and quinoa contain measurable amounts. It gets marketed as "nature's anabolic steroid," which is a chemically fair description in one narrow sense and a misleading one in another: it is genuinely a steroid molecule, but the human data suggests it works through a different receptor pathway than the anabolic-androgenic steroids people usually mean by that phrase.

What sets ecdysterone apart from most of the "natural anabolic" category is that it actually has a published, peer-reviewed human randomized controlled trial behind it -- not just cell cultures or rodent data. That single study is doing a lot of heavy lifting in the marketing, so it's worth understanding exactly what it did and didn't show.

What the Research Actually Shows

Muscle Mass & Bench Press Strength

A 10-week randomized trial in 46 young resistance-trained men found significantly greater increases in muscle mass and one-repetition bench press performance in the ecdysterone-supplemented groups compared to placebo.

A Different Mechanism Than Real Steroids

The proposed mechanism is estrogen receptor binding, not androgen receptor activation -- the pathway anabolic-androgenic steroids use. That distinction is why researchers describe it as a "non-conventional" anabolic agent.

No Liver or Kidney Toxicity Signals

The same trial screened for liver and kidney toxicity biomarkers and found no increase in either, at the doses tested over the 10-week period.

Why WADA Is Watching It

Based on this data, the researchers themselves recommended ecdysterone for inclusion on anti-doping prohibited lists. The World Anti-Doping Agency has kept it on its Monitoring Program since 2020 to track use in competitive sport -- it is not currently banned, but it is being watched closely.

Typical Dosage

Label vs. Lab: A Real Problem

200mg / 800mg labeled

Independent lab verification of the study supplement found the actual ecdysterone content was closer to only 12mg and 48mg -- a meaningful label-to-content gap

What to Look For

Third-party-tested products

Given the documented potency gap in the pivotal study's own supplement, verified actual ecdysterone content matters more here than for most ingredients

Pro Tips

This is a single-study ingredient -- promising, but not the decades-deep evidence base that creatine or protein have
If you compete in tested sports, know it's on WADA's Monitoring Program -- check your federation's current rules
Resistance training was present in the positive study -- this isn't a substitute for lifting, it was tested alongside it
Don't confuse it with turkesterone -- a chemically similar but far less studied relative often marketed interchangeably

Research Snapshot

A 2019 study by Isenmann and colleagues, published in Archives of Toxicology, ran a 10-week strength-training intervention in 46 young men, dosing different groups with ecdysterone-containing supplements. The ecdysterone groups showed significantly higher increases in muscle mass and one-repetition bench press performance than placebo, with matching hypertrophic effects seen in C2C12 muscle cell cultures. No increase in liver or kidney toxicity biomarkers was observed. Based on these findings, the study authors explicitly recommended adding ecdysterone to the prohibited substances list in sport.

Source: Isenmann et al., Archives of Toxicology (2019)

How Ecdysterone Compares

Ingredient	Human Evidence	Key Difference
Ecdysterone	One positive RCT	Only one of this "natural anabolic" category with real human trial data
Turkesterone	No dedicated human RCTs	Chemical cousin of ecdysterone; often marketed using ecdysterone's data
Laxogenin	Zero human studies	The one animal study designed to test it found no anabolic effect
Creatine	500+ studies	The actual gold standard for evidence-based muscle and strength support

These are the most common comparisons our customers ask about in-store.

Popular Stacks with Ecdysterone

Evidence-First Muscle Stack

Ecdysterone + Creatine + Whey Protein

Pairs the single-study newcomer with the two most proven muscle-building supplements available

Recovery Support

Ecdysterone + EAA + Magnesium

Amino acid and mineral support alongside a training-adjacent compound

Tested-Athlete Caution Stack

Creatine + Whey Protein (skip ecdysterone)

For anyone in a WADA-tested sport, sticking to fully-cleared basics avoids any monitoring-list ambiguity

Frequently Asked Questions

Is ecdysterone the same thing as an anabolic steroid?

No. Ecdysterone is a steroid hormone structurally, but its proposed muscle-building mechanism works through estrogen receptor binding rather than the androgen receptor pathway that anabolic-androgenic steroids use. That is also why it does not carry the same androgenic side effects.

Is ecdysterone banned in sports?

Not currently prohibited, but it has been on the World Anti-Doping Agency's Monitoring Program since 2020 specifically because of published human performance-enhancement data. Being monitored is not the same as being banned, but it signals WADA takes the evidence seriously.

How much ecdysterone should I take?

The pivotal human study tested labeled doses of 200mg and 800mg of ecdysterone-containing supplement per day. When researchers independently verified potency, the actual ecdysterone content was closer to 12mg and 48mg respectively -- a real product-quality gap between the label and the lab. This makes third-party-tested products worth prioritizing.

Sources & References

1. Isenmann, E., Ambrosio, G., Joseph, J.F., et al. (2019). Ecdysteroids as non-conventional anabolic agent: performance enhancement by ecdysterone supplementation in humans. Archives of Toxicology, 93(7), 1807-1816.

All references are peer-reviewed studies or position stands from reputable organizations.