Tongkat Ali

Last Updated: November 18 2022

Eurycoma longifolia (aka longjack and tongkat ali) has a decent amount of evidence for aphrodisiac and profertility effects. Some evidence suggests antiestrogen and proerectile effects, too, but the evidence for “testosterone boosting” is not convincing.

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Tongkat Ali is most often used for

Summary

Eurycoma longifolia Jack is the herb name for what is more commonly known as Tongkat Ali, Malaysian Ginseng, or Longjack.

The aphrodisiac effects of Eurycoma are quite reliable and appear to span a large variety of animal models, limited evidence in female rats but it appears to affect these to a similar extend as in males. It is difficult to do a comparative analysis between other herbal aphrodisiac to assess potency, but Eurycoma is anecdotally one of the better ones.

In addition to the aphrodisiac effects, Eurycoma can also increase sperm production and may directly act as a proerectile agent. At least one molecule in Eurycoma (9-hydroxycanthin-6-one) is associated with both a delay in ejaculation as well as pro-erectile properties (although the ability of this molecule to act via consuming Eurycoma extract is not known).

Hormonally, Eurycoma appears to have remarkable anti-estrogenic effects in vitro and has a potency similar to Tamoxifen when the active ingredient is injected. Promising, but no human studies exist on it currently or studies assessing oral intake of Eurycoma Extract. On the testosterone side of things, the literature appears to be needlessly promising. No peer-reviewed evidence currently establishes Eurycoma as a testosterone booster in otherwise healthy persons or rats but many studies are quick to cite presentations by an M.I Tambi claiming these boosts in testosterone. None of Dr.Tambi's research presented in conferences appears to be indexed in Medline and the claims expressed cannot be proven.

What else is Tongkat Ali known as?
Note that Tongkat Ali is also known as:
  • Longjack
  • Tongkat Ali
  • Malaysian Ginseng
  • Longjax
  • Cay Ba Binh
  • Pasak Bumi
  • Langir Siam
  • Tung Sawa
  • Eurycoma Longifolia
Dosage information

The standard dosage of eurycoma longifolia jack is 200-300mg of a 100:1 extract (the concentration is based on the eurycomamone content), which at least in regards to eurycomamone is as effective as 20-30g of the dry root of the plant.

This dose tends to be taken in 1-2 doses throughout the day, and it is unsure if this is the optimal dose.

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References
2.^Saadiah Abdul Razak H, Shuid AN, Naina Mohamed ICombined Effects of Eurycoma longifolia and Testosterone on Androgen-Deficient Osteoporosis in a Male Rat ModelEvid Based Complement Alternat Med.(2012)
3.^Chua LS, Amin NA, Neo JC, Lee TH, Lee CT, Sarmidi MR, Aziz RALC-MS/MS-based metabolites of Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali) in Malaysia (Perak and Pahang)J Chromatogr B Analyt Technol Biomed Life Sci.(2011 Dec 15)
4.^Miyake K, Tezuka Y, Awale S, Li F, Kadota SQuassinoids from Eurycoma longifoliaJ Nat Prod.(2009 Dec)
8.^Chiou WF, Wu TS9-Hydroxycanthin-6-One Induces Penile Erection and Delays EjaculationJ Sex Med.(2011 May 13. doi: 10.1111/j.1743-6109.2011.02296.x. {Epub ahead of print})
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