Why such positive response to E-Bol?

[deadaim]

From what I have seen from the past 4 or so years, ECDY products have been considered useless and a waste of money.

So why is there such admiration of E-BOL on the forums?

I did a couple searches and didn't find any overwhelming results; can anyone link me to some logs or data that shows its effectiveness? Would be greatly appreciative.

[2ripp3dup]

check out the thermolife forums. lots of logs and info there.

[lovehasrisen]

From what I have seen from the past 4 or so years, ECDY products have been considered useless and a waste of money.

So why is there such admiration of E-BOL on the forums?

I did a couple searches and didn't find any overwhelming results; can anyone link me to some logs or data that shows its effectiveness? Would be greatly appreciative.

I think E-BOl is more than just Ecdy...


Here is the Ingredient profile, hope this helps. (Highlighted some stuff in the article for you!)

Turkesabol(TM) 20 mg

At the top of the list of ingredients located on the new E-BOL label is Turkesabol. This is the trademarked name of ThermoLife's HPLC-tested Ajuga Turkestanica extract. Though it has been standardized for its turkesterone content, Turkesabol also supplies ecdysterone, cyasterone and ajugasterone. These three compounds and turkesterone are known as phytoecdysteroids.

ThermoLife first learned about Ajuga and turkesterone in the early 1990s upon reviewing Russian studies such as those conducted by Syrov and Kurmukov. Their findings suggested that turkesterone was extraordinarily anabolic, even comparable to the anabolic steroid methandrostenolone- yet with no apparent androgenic side effects. Unfortunately, however, turkesterone was not commercially available at the time.

Ecdysterone is the best-known of the phytoecdysteroids and the only one that ThermoLife was able to import from Russia. Turkesterone is an analogue of ecdysterone possessing an 11-alpha hydroxyl group, a molecular feature which may contribute to turkesterone's potent anabolic properties. Russian scientists were already using ecdysterone to boost protein synthesis without negative side effects. Though turkesterone was proving to be even more anabolic, its extraction posed numerous challenges. Thus, while ThermoLife scientists used ecdysterone in their bodybuilding supplement formulas, in the background they continued trying to locate natural sources of turkesterone, determine how to extract it and develop a turkesterone standard (discussed below). This took a number of years during which considerable financial resource were consumed.

Ajuga turkestanica was the plant that ThermoLife ultimately settled on. It remains to date the highest-yielding and most cost-effective source of turkesterone discovered by their own scientists and those with whom they have collaborated. Ajuga is also the only turkesterone-containing plant shown to be anabolic in studies. Turkesabol is the identical material used in these studies.

Turkesterone occurs in a variety of other herbs, including Rhaponticum carthamoides (also found in E-BOL) and some species of mushrooms. However, no one has been able to cost-effectively extract it from these sources. So far nothing tested by ThermoLife has been found to be as rich in this anabolic phytoecdysteroid as Ajuga.

Ajuga grows in Central Asia, particularly Uzbekistan, and its exportation from this country is strictly guarded by the government. The only party with the permission to do so is the Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances (ICBS) located in the capitol city of Tashkent. ICBS scientists were the first to identify this remarkable compound and name it turkesterone. They are also the only ones who have been able to produce a legitimate raw material containing it. Importantly, the ICBS has granted ThermoLife the exclusive right to distribute Ajuga in North America for use as a dietary supplement in sports-related applications. Two species of Ajuga grow in Uzbekistan. Ajuga Turkestanica (referred to here simply as "Ajuga") is the one found in the new E-BOL formula. The phytoecdysteroids that possess the anabolic activity are extracted from the aerial (above-ground) parts of the plant.

To the best of its knowledge, ThermoLife is the only supplement company that has developed a turkesterone standard. A third-party laboratory has used this standard to confirm that each batch of E-BOL contains turkesterone. To date, when other companies' products have been tested they have been found to contain no turkesterone whatsoever, despite marketing claims to the contrary.

Developing the turkesterone standard took an entire year and cost ThermoLife thousands and thousands dollars. Each test that is performed using the standard sets them back another thousand dollars. The development of the standard was only possible because of ThermoLife's longstanding relationship with the Uzbekistani scientists who studied the anabolic properties of turkesterone. Small amounts of pure turkesterone were required to develop the standard, something the scientists were willing and able to supply ThermoLife with. Not surprisingly, costs such as these can add up very quickly, just one of the reasons why, as a percentage of sales, ThermoLife's R&D budgets have exceeded even some biotechnology companies for the last two years running. (Note that ThermoLife staff also worked with the above-mentioned laboratory in developing its ecdysterone standard in 2001-2002.)

Each serving of E-BOL supplies consumers with 20 mg of Ajuga, which ThermoLife scientists consider to be effective when combined with the other ingredients in the formula. This amount costs the company more than a few dollars, an enormous expense by industry standards. To the price of the raw material (i.e. the plant material itself) one must add shipping, customs, manufacturing, testing, trademark registration, packaging and other expenses. The end result is that Ajuga may cost ThermoLife an estimated 750-1000% more than some of the ingredients found in other popular supplements and nearly a 1/2 of the total cost of all of ingredients in such products. None of these ingredients contain the same chemical constituents or display the same safe and powerful anabolic properties scientifically documented for Ajuga.

Over the years a number of supplement companies have marketed products containing Cyanotis vaga and suggested to consumers that this plant is a high-yielding source of turkesterone and/or other phytoecdysteroids. Through careful investigation, ThermoLife’s scientists have found this to be untrue. Cyanotis contains mostly ecdysterone, and even its quantities have been inflated by marketers (discussed below). Furthermore, no studies have reported any anabolic activity with Cyanotis preparations; this has only been documented for Rhaponticum (also discussed below).

EcdyPure(TM) 110 mg

Appearing second on the list of ingredients is EcdyPure, the trademarked name of ThermoLife’s Rhaponticum carthamoides extract. It is standardized to contain 95% ecdysterone, a figure that has also been verified by third-party laboratory testing using HPLC.

Similar to turkesterone, a plant source of ecdysterone was chosen rather than a synthetic (pure) one. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, there are many compounds in Rhaponticum (e.g. other phytoecdysteroids, methoxyflavones) that may provide physique and performance enhancing benefits. Also, producing synthetic ecdysterone is cost-prohibitive. It requires a complex 11-step process that is so complex and expensive it has never even been attempted. Furthermore, as indicated above, Rhaponticum is what was actually shown to be anabolic in scientific studies.

While other companies have marketed supplements containing Cyanotis and suggested that they contain 95% ecdysterone, according to ThermoLife scientists these claims are typically based on inflated figures generated by tests performed with ultraviolet light (UV). “The only legitimate way to measure ecdysterone content is to use HPLC, as any qualified analytical chemist can confirm. If you obtain a result of 40% ecdysterone by HPLC, for instance, and then perform a UV test, the latter may give you a value of as high as 90 or 95%. But it will be inaccurate. ThermoLife scientists have contacted numerous raw materials suppliers and inquired as to whether or not they carry a “95% extract” of ecdysterone. Invariably the reply is “yes”. When we ask if it has been tested by HPLC, they almost uniformly tell us “No, we used UV.” The end result is that consumers are being misled and paying dearly for it.”

Based on the available research, ThermoLife selected a dose of 110 mg of Rhaponticum per serving, one they consider to be highly effective in combination with the other ingredients in the new formula. (In contrast, consumers using Cyanotis-containing products may require much much much larger doses to experience results -if results are even possible- owing to this plant’s much lower yield of the anabolically important phytoecdysteroids.)

cont..

[lovehasrisen]

Ginsentabol(TM) 333 mg

Ginsentabol, the trademarked name of ThermoLife’s Korean Red Ginseng extract, is the third ingredient listed on the label of the new E-BOL. Ginsentabol is standardized to provide a minimum of 10% ginsenoside Rd, a triterpene glycoside which is considered to be the most anabolic ginsenoside studied to date. Ginsentabol’s content of ginsenoside Rd has been verified by HPLC. The last batch tested came out at 14.8% ginsenoside Rd and 52.9% total ginsenosides.

ThermoLife tested at least five different Ginseng samples before they were able to find one that was standardized for ginsenoside Rd. Each test involved performing HPLC and consumed considerable time (several weeks per sample), not to mention money. Some of the samples tested were found to contain less than 1% ginsenoside Rd; one was only 0.01%. Ginsentabol possesses the highest content of ginsenoside Rd that ThermoLife scientists could find anywhere in the world. Each serving of E-BOL supplies what they consider to be the safest and most potent dose of this powerful extract.

Fans of the original formula will be excited to learn that Ginsentabol replaces Rhodolia rosea in the new E-BOL. Rhodiola has a calming effect; however, the exceptionally potent extract used in the original E-BOL formula (yielding the highest % of rosavins ever) may have been too effective for some users. ThermoLife scientists replaced it with Ginsentabol so that users could enjoy an immediate energy boost and other adaptogenic effects and because, like everything else in the new formula, it displays anabolic properties.

In the long history of Ginseng studies it has often been observed that some subjects experience almost nothing whereas other experience profound effects. Recently it has been proposed that this was due to the lack of proper standardization for the active compounds in Ginseng. Ginsentabol is not only properly standardized; it is also the first Ginseng extract for which the anabolic properties have been highlighted by focusing on ginsenoside Rd. The manufacturing methods used by ThermoLife ensure that it remains intact and biologically active.

As was the case with turkesterone and ecdysterone, using synthetic (pure) ginsenoside Rd in E-BOL would have been cost-prohibitive. Doing so would require HPLC purification, an expensive process. In addition, it is important to give consumers the other active compounds present in Ginsentabol since they also have beneficial effects (e.g. as on endurance, mood, cognitive function, insulin sensitivity, glucose tolerance and nitric oxide). Ginsenoside Rd has been highlighted in E-BOL for its anabolic effects, but it certainly not the only compound that matters.

Somniferabol(TM) 100 mg

Next on the list of ingredients is Somniferabol, the trademarked name of ThermoLife’s Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) extract standardized for 2.5% withanolides. Somniferabol is manufactured using a unique method of extraction that makes it even stronger than the material used in the popular original formula, which yielded 1.5% withanolides. As expected, HPLC tests have been performed to verify the withanolide content of ThermoLife’s material. The last batch was found to yield 3.1%.

Like every other plant extract in the new formula, Ashwagandha been added on the basis of its dual adaptogenic-anabolic properties. Ashwagandha has been in medicinal use for over three millennia, including as a treatment for exhaustion, sleep disturbances, low immunity and anxiety –all of which can impact one’s anabolic potential. It also modulates nitric oxide activity and displays neuroprotective properties. The bruised leaves of the plant are used to reduce inflammation, for which it is regarded as highly effective. One of the withanolides, known as Withaferin A, inhibits NF-KB, a complex of cellular proteins involved in the regulation of muscle atrophy, among other things.

Ionobol 100 mg

Ionobol is the trademarked name of ionol, also known as 4-hydroxy-3, 5-di-tert-butyltoluene, or, more commonly, butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT). Ionol is a synthetic antioxidant with lipophilic properties. It is frequently used in fragrances and flavors. Studies have shown that Ionol displays anabolic and anti-catabolic properties. (Scientists in England recently reported that BHT inhibits muscle protein degradation.)

Ionol also helps maintain the potency of the rest of E-BOL’s ingredients. The amount supplied in each serving of has been selected on the basis of studies documenting its anabolic properties.

Rostanabol 20 mg

Rostanabol is the trademarked name of (25 R)-5alpha-spirostan-2alpha, 3beta, 5alpha-triol-6-OH, also known more simply as 6-keto diosgenin. ThermoLife was the first company to introduce this substance to the bodybuilding supplement marketplace. Their scientists chose to add it to the new E-BOL formula in light of its powerful anabolic properties and notable lack of androgenic side effects. These properties have been documented in studies published by the same scientists at the Institute of the Chemistry of Plant Substances who studied and named turkesterone. To its knowledge, ThermoLife is the only supplement company that has a copy of the English-translated study on this compound and actually maintains contact with the scientists who conducted it.

The amount of Rostanabol supplied in each serving of E-BOL was chosen based on the original Russian studies. According to ThermoLife scientists, there is no indication that 6-keto diosgenin will stop working after a period of time. Thus, users can get results as long as they continue to supplement their diet and training with E-BOL.

Vitamin C 333 mg

Vitamin C has been added to E-BOL to provide its ingredients with further antioxidant protection and increase the half life (the time a compound stays active) of the active ingredients in E-BOL. Vitamin C has the unique ability to order make one's urine more acidic. This is important because when the urine becomes acidic it will decrease the ionized percent of acidic compounds (like the ecdysteroids found in E-BOL), thus increasing their re-absorption from the urine in the intestine and increasing their half life (the time they stay active in the body). This is a method used in medicine with success, like in the case of aspirin with vitamin C but never before applied to sports supplements. Sometimes just a little understanding of how compounds work and some common sense can go a long way to making a product just that much better. Thankfully ThermoLife scientists thought of everything when developing E-BOL!

Btw, what is your definition of "overwhelming results"? something like.. 25lbs+ gains on one bottle..?

also.. "search" Mixelflick.. He has some great posts on ecdy..

[shadar]

From what I have seen from the past 4 or so years, ECDY products have been considered useless and a waste of money.

So why is there such admiration of E-BOL on the forums?

I did a couple searches and didn't find any overwhelming results; can anyone link me to some logs or data that shows its effectiveness? Would be greatly appreciative.

E-Bol is far more than just Ecdy.

Also, from what I've read Ecdy must be a very pure extract to work well. Taking 200mg of a 47.5% extract is not equal to taking 100mg of a 95% extract it seems.

Everyone that takes E-Bol seems to love it, thus it gets lots of admiration.