Vasil Zlatev is an aeronautical engineer, IT specialist, fitness freak and co-owner of VemoHerb dietary supplements since 2005. In this interview, he will tell us more about himself and how he deals with business, supplements and sports,  about the VemoHerb quality and which are the most interesting and exotic supplements in the VemoHerb portfolio. Vasil will surely dispel some myths surrounding the popular Bulgarian herb Tribulus terrestris. Let’s ask some questions.

Sports and business? How are they connected?

Vasil: As a person who does business with sports supplements and who works out regularly, I can say that the two activities combine perfectly. Needless to say, I use VemoHerb supplements and can speak about their effects from my own experience.

The other vital connection between sports and business is the role of sports in building discipline and focus – these are very important qualities for business – to be persistent, not to give up, to have a goal, will, focus and discipline. Sports teach this. Sports helps to focus and concentrate on daily tasks because it clears the mind and tones the body. A person can think and act more adequately when he feels physically well, and sport is health – physical and mental.

Strength training should be part of a healthy routine for many more people. A lot of people do cardio, but strength training has serious health benefits. We are not just talking about building massive muscles, but improving musculoskeletal functions as well as the nervous system. There are already studies proving that strength training has a much greater role in extending life than cardio.

I am glad that I can combine my strength training with VemoHerb supplements for active people and athletes. They also help me recover from the stress that my job often involves. I feel great and even greater when knowing that I am doing the best for myself and for many people taking  VemoHerb supplements.

What makes VemoHerb products different and better than others?

Vasil: We have specialized in the production of very high-quality plant extracts and active pharmaceutical substances. Quality means effective. Why and how are they effective?

• First, because we put the best raw material into them. Yes, we don’t just encapsulate, we manufacture our extracts from the raw herb.

• Second – we have developed our unique technology for processing the raw material and extracting the bioactive substances from it. This is a technology that guarantees the maximum concentration of active substances in our products.

• Third, our extracts are standardized. Not everyone knows what that means, but we really recommend that people looking for quality and effectiveness in their supplements look for standardized extracts. These are highly purified extracts that have a consistent quantity, quality and concentration in each capsule and each batch. That means that it does not matter what the harvest was and whether it rained enough during the year. The user, buying our product, can be sure that he is getting the optimal dose of effectiveness from each package.

Producing standardized extracts is a more difficult and slow process because it requires multiple consecutive extractions to get the best out of the product. Not every company can afford this resource. We value quality and have been in business for over 20 years. We would never disappoint our users with anything less than the best.

• Fourth thing that sets us apart – our maxim: less is more. This is the principle of highly concentrated, standardized extracts – they are in small doses, i.e. each capsule may contain fewer milligrams compared to other brands, but in our case it is more, because our extract contains only the highly purified active substances , without all accompanying ballast substances that slow down the body and reduce the effect. This guarantees effectiveness with optimal doses of bioactive substances.

• Fifth – our products are tested in our in-house laboratory. We keep a history of each batch and we are 100% aware of its content. In fact, it is completely transparent to our consumer because it is on the product label. Needless to say, our products are completely doping-free. So, if professional athletes are hesitating about what to take in order to be OK with their doping tests, we can assure them that with VemoHerb products they will have no problem. In our production facilities, we only work with natural nutritional supplements, so there is no risk of accidental, unintentional contamination, as can happen in laboratories where medicines are also manifactured.

As a long-standing manufacturer of Tribulus extract, surely you can tell me: Are there any myths, legends and misconceptions about the herb that we can now debunk?

Vasil: Yes, one thing is that people are not aware of the bioactive substance in Tribulus and that it is the furostanol saponins, not the general saponins.

Another myth is that Tribulus is a testosterone booster. This is serious gender discrimination going on with this herb and people are not aware that Tribulus terrestris is an exclusive product for women too.

It is an adaptogen – it adapts to its environment and acts accordingly. In men, Tribulus supports male sex hormones, and in women, female hormones. There are already many studies that confirm Tribulus terrestris increases libido in both sexes. Our extract is also excellent for women, it is also taken for reproductive problems. It also affects menopause in women and relieves its symptoms.

Bulgarian Tribulus by VemoHerb is a mandatory supplement for people – men and women who are over 40 years old, because then the production of sex hormones in both sexes normally begins to decrease. The herbal extract, especially with this quality, is an excellent hormone levels regulator and has anti-aging properties – enhances vitality, muscle strength and the overall health of the body.

What makes VemoHerb Bulgarian Tribulus different and what advice can you give about how to choose a quality extract?

Vasil: For Tribulus terrestris extract to be effective, it must first be of Bulgarian origin and second: it must contain bioactive saponins – furostanol saponins and protodioscin.

• Many people probably know, and others may not, that according to all the research done, the herb Tribulus terrestris, which grows in our latitudes, is the most potent. Bulgarian Tribulus has unique phytochemistry and the highest content of bioactive substances. These bioactive substances are not just saponins or so-called “general saponins”, but furostanol saponins and more specifically – protodioscin.

• The second important thing is that the extract must contain furostanol saponins, precisely because they determine the effect of Tribulus, not general saponins. Our VemoHerb Bulgarian Tribulus is standardized to 60% furostanol saponins (such as protodioscin), representing more than 1800% total saponins. The most common case on the market is an extract standardized to 90% total saponins. Clearly there is a difference. But it becomes clearest when one takes product. In most cases, the effect is felt and our customers come back to buy again.

• The third important thing is that the extract is standardized. Yes, this is the most difficult process for the manufacturer. The raw material goes through dozens of complex and precise extractions, a specialized scientific team is involved, etc., but if a company wants to offer premium products to its customers, it works with standardized extracts. I give an example with our Bulgarian Tribulus – 1 kg of extract is obtained from 50 kg of raw material. We really extract the most essential from the herb, we do not dilute the extract and purify it from ineffective substances as much as possible.

• And another thing that makes our Tribulus terrestris different – it is patented as VemoHerb Tribuscin™. Standardized to furostanol saponins and protodioscin, it contains the full bouquet of phytosteroids that support and enhance each other’s effectiveness. It’s worth protecting, because there is no other such extract on the market.

Apart from Bulgarian Tribulus, what are the other interesting products in the VemoHerb portfolio?

Vasil: We have natural anabolic stimulants. These are Ecdysterone and Turkesterone. There is a lot of information about both supplements in English on the Internet, but in Bulgaria they are still more exotic and not widely popular. Therefore, it is worth saying something about them. Many studies have been done with Ecdysterone, the latest one from 2019 in Germany proving the action of Leuzea extract, reporting several times higher sports results and an increase in muscle strength in athletes taking Ecdysterone.

These supplements contain phytosteroids or ecdysteroids, specifically ecdysone, beta-ecdysterone and turkesterone. They are natural – extracted from plants, and do not have the side effects of synthetic steroids. The structure of these compounds closely resembles the structure of testosterone and they have a similar effect on the human body – they act as anabolic stimulants for muscle strength and growth, they also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. In addition, they are excellent adaptogens and help with the resistance and rapid recovery of the body after intense training, as well as after taking synthetic steroids.

It is a must to try really good Ecdysterone and Turkesterone supplements if one works out and is physically active. Guaranteed more power for longer workouts, with shorter recovery intervals and, accordingly, tangible results with products that are not only absolutely harmless, but on the contrary extremely useful for health.

Adaptogens are the other very interesting and perhaps not so popular products. Such are VemoHerb Rhodiola Rosea, BemoHerb Eastern Adaptogen and VemoHerb Cordyceps. Adaptogens will become increasingly relevant because they help the body adapt to stress.

They work with any type of stress – physical, mental, emotional. They act in a very curious way – they adapt to the needs of the body at any given moment in relation to its current state and circumstances. Adaptogens thus have a relaxing effect if we are tense and an energizing effect if we are tired.

They are used both in astronautics due to the extreme stress of the environment to which astronauts are subjected, and by athletes and sportsperson because they provide a lot of energy, strength and endurance, while also aiding recovery.

They are also used by people who do not exercise and are not cosmonauts, but who are burdened with mental work – these are people in offices. Adaptogens are very promising extracts and, like the phytoecdysteroids Ecdysterone and Turkesterone, are yet to be rediscovered by the Bulgarian consumer.

Thanks for the interview and the interesting information! Good luck!