Togkat Ali, also known as Eurycoma longifolia Jack and eurycomanone, is a plant that originates from southeast Asia and contains bioactive compounds. Bioactive compounds can be found in small quantities in many foods and plants. They are nutritional components that vary significantly in form and function. Due to the bioactive compounds found in tongkat ali, medicines have been derived that provide many health benefits. Check with your health care provider before using tongkat ali.
Malaria Treatment
Malaria is an infectious disease that develops from the bite of a mosquito. It is most prominent in subtropical regions; symptoms include chills and fevers. In 2007, the Institute for Medical Research published findings that when Tongkat Ali is combined with artemisinin, the result is a potential treatment for malaria. Artemisinin is a drug that is isolated from the plant Artemisia annua. The researchers' modes of treatment were orally and by injection; they noted that the injection method was more potent.
Apoptosis of Cancer Cells
Apoptosis is a process whereby a cell programs its own death. When a cell undergoes division, one of the stages it completes is a checkpoint stage. If there is an error in cell division before the checkpoint stage, the cell will program its own death. In 2009, BioMed Central Ltd. published findings that eurycomanone induced programmed cell death in cancerous liver cells.
Sexual Disorders Treatment
An aphrodisiac is a drug, medicine, or any other substance that increases sexual desire. In 2009, the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia published findings linking Euryoma longfolia Jack and sexual desire. The study identified sexual behavior as being split into two catagories: motivation and performance. The results showed that the plant increased performance but not motivation. Researchers attributed this effect to an increase in testosterone levels.
References
- National Institutes of Health: Eurycoma longifolia extract-artemisinin combination: parasitemia suppression of Plasmodium yoelii-infected mice.
- National Institutes of Health: Eurycomanone induce apoptosis in HepG2 cells via up-regulation of p53
- National Institutes of Health: Influence of Eurycoma longifolia on the copulatory activity of sexually sluggish and impotent male rats.
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