Those Damn Goatheads

Having lived on the east coast of the US all my life, I got used to dealing with various environmental hazards when out in nature, like poison ivy, ticks and chiggers. After moving out to the New Mexican desert, I am happy not to have to deal with these annoyances, especially the ticks. But alas! New Mexico has plenty of menaces of its own, from huge centipedes and roaches to an abundance of spiny cactus. The most annoying of these perils is the ubiquitous goathead, the oh-so painful nutlets of the invasive tribulus terrestris plant.

These spiny burrs are everywhere, and they hurt like hell if you step on one or mistakenly grasp them. They also can puncture bicycle tires, leading to many local bikers abandoning normal air-filled tires with the solid, airless variety. I really have to be careful where I walk my dogs, who find them just as painful and annoying as I do.

Tribulus terrestris is a low-growing, speading perrenial weed, that is invasive to North America. A member of the aptly named caltrop family, it is also known as bindii, bullhead, puncture vine, devil's thorn, tackweed and many other unfriendly sounding names. Originally found in southern Europe, south Asia, Africa and Australia, it has found a suitable home in arid regions of North America as well, where it has proven to be very difficult to eradicate.

The plant has some very interesting properties, however, as I discovered when trying to figure out what it is. In India and China, the plant has been used for centuries to treat urinary tract infections, urolithiasis, dysmenorrhea, and edema. In powder form it is thought to aid in physical and sexual strength, and is often used as a diuretic.

Studies in rats and other small mammels indicate that extracts of the plant can stimulate androgen receptors in the brain, and produce increases in testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone levels. While such extacts don't seem to increase testoterone levels in male humans, some research indicates improvement of libido for women suffering from hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Eating the plant also causes tribulosis in sheep, leading to liver damageand a buildup of phylloerythrin in the blood.