Tongkat Ali
What is Tongkat Ali?
This week I will continue the discussion on herbal supplementation by talking about tongkat ali. Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma Longifolia), commonly known as “long jack,” is a green shrub that grows in predominantly in Malaysia and other parts of Southeast Asia.
In the 1100s, Malaysian locals discovered that the roots of this common plant had medicinal properties. They began to use tongkat ali to treat common illnesses, like the flu and cold, and even as an aphrodisiac. Modern Malaysian locals still use it as an additive to coffees and teas and as a treatment for minor ailments.
Nowadays, in western societies, tongkat ali is more accessible through world trade although it still primarily grows in Malaysia and other Southeastern Asian countries. The plant requires five years to grow to full maturity before it can be harvested and distributed.
What does Tongkat Ali do?
Tongkat ali has many different health benefits, including: increasing fertility in males, testosterone levels, and muscle mass; decreasing stress, anxiety, and frequency of erectile dysfunction; and having many antioxidant properties.
Testosterone
Many natural testosterone-boosting supplements today contain large quantities of tongkat ali. Tongkat ali’s ability to improve testosterone is one of its most researched side effects. One study observed that in 63 individuals (32 men and 31 women), tongkat ali increased testosterone by 37% compared to the placebo group. In another study, after 1 month of tongkat ali supplementation, 90.8% of 320 elderly men with clinically low levels of testosterone returned to normal testosterone levels. Tongkat ali has an impressive impact on testosterone, especially compared to other natural supplements.
Tongkat ali directly improves testosterone levels but also boosts male fertility characteristics, including spermatogenesis, increased libido, sperm motility, and decreased frequency of erectile dysfunction. A study of couples who had fertility difficulties found that having the males supplement with tongkat ali increased fertility rates by 14%. Tongkat ali is a good supplement to improve testosterone levels for males with clinically low levels of testosterone or struggling with infertility.
Muscle mass and Performance
Ergogenic aids (supplements to increase performance) are becoming more popular amongst men and women of all ages. Individuals take ergogenic aids to stay competitive in professional or collegiate athletics, improve aesthetics, or stay competitive for jobs - amongst many other reasons. Current research is showing the dangers of taking many of the synthetic supplements that are available on the market. To avoid these risks, people are turning to supplements like tongkat ali to naturally increase performance.
Tongkat ali has been shown to have a significant impact not only on testosterone levels, but also directly on muscle mass and performance. Research shows that Tongkat ali can increase muscle mass in males and females by approximately 16% and 13% respectively. Some studies have also shown that tongkat ali has the potential to improve cyclic performance.
The improvement in muscle mass and performance could be a secondary effect of the increased testosterone or a direct impact of tongkat ali consumption. More studies need to be conducted to determine the exact way that tongkat ali improves performance.
Stress
Testosterone is not the only hormone tongkat ali impacts. Tongkat ali also has a significant impact on cortisol levels. Cortisol is the primary hormone related to stress. The higher the cortisol levels, the more stressed someone feels. Tongkat ali supplementation decreases both saliva cortisol levels and subjective measures of tension, confusion, and anger by roughly 15%. Objectively and subjectively, tongkat ali supplementation could improve stress levels.
Antioxidant Properties
Just like many other herbal supplements, tongkat ali has antioxidant properties (protects cells from free radical degradation). Tongkat ali has quassinoids, as well as many other bio-active components, which are antioxidants. Quassinoids are bioactive compounds that are found in the family of plants related to Eurycoma Longifolia. There are over 150 different quassinoids. Recently, researchers discovered that quassinoids not only have antioxidizing characteristics but are also anti-inflammatory and antileukemic. There has also been a lot of recent research into the efficacy of using quassinoids to prevent and treat cancer.
What dose of Tongkat Ali is safe?
In the United States, tongkat ali is considered relatively safe. The average dose of tongkat ali is anywhere from 200 to 500mg, but could reach doses up to 1000mg. Short-term studies have shown that tongkat ali can be consumed in quantities of 300mg for 12 weeks with no negative side effects. Limiting consumption to 1.2g per day is recommended but has not been tested in humans. A lethal dose of tongkat ali in mice is upwards of 3,000mg per kg of body weight - which is the equivalent of a 175lb human consuming 240,000 mg of tongkat ali at once.
Overall, Tongkat Ali is a safe herbal supplement that increases testosterone and decreases cortisol levels. It has been used in traditional medicine for almost 1,000 years to treat common illnesses and as an aphrodisiac. It is safe for both men and women to consume. If you are a male looking for a slight increase in performance in the gym or bed, tongkat ali might be the herbal supplement for you.
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