Tongkat ali, also known as Eurycoma longifolia jack, is a tree native to Malaysia and Indonesia where its roots have been used in medicinal remedies for thousands of years. More recently, it has become popular as a libido-enhancing supplement, and can be purchased online. This supplement is not regulated by the FDA, and its results are not guaranteed. Consult your physician before taking tongkat ali, as it can be stimulating.
Libido
Tongkat ali has been used in southeast Asia for its aphrodisiac qualities, states an article published in "Fitoterapia" in April 2010. Recent studies suggest that this particular benefit may be accurate. The "Journal of Ethnopharmacology" published an article in November of 2009 describing the herb's effects on "sexually sluggish and impotent male rats." The article states that tongkat ali increased testosterone levels as well as improved sexual performance. It did not increase motivation in sluggish rats, however. Although these results suggest that tongkat ali can be helpful in increasing sexual performance, talk to your doctor before trying this herb.
Male Infertility
The "Asian Journal of Andrology" printed an article in May 2010 that discussed tongkat ali's ability to increase sperm quality. Patients at the Damai Service Hospital in Malaysia were given tongkat ali for three months. The results showed that all semen parameters improved, leading to 14.7 percent spontaneous pregnancies.
Malaria
Malaria is a common problem in southeast asia, and tongkat ali was used in traditional medicine throughout the area to treat the disease. "Tropical Biomedicine" published an article in June of 2007 describing the use of tongkat ali as well as artemisia in the treatment of malaria. The results showed that tongkat ali, in combination with artemisia, had an 80 percent effectiveness in suppressing the infection. Toxicity of tongkat ali is a concern; studies have also been performed to isolate specific compounds in the herb to test for their toxicity and effectiveness. The journal "Planta Medica" published a Malaysian study in October 2005 that discovered the most toxic compound, eurycomanone, in the herb. Compounds that were less toxic and still showed effectiveness against malaria included synthesized acylated eurycomanones. The researchers concluded the latter substances may warrant further study in the fight against malaria.
Cancer
Some studies have also found tongkat ali to be beneficial in inhibiting cancer cell growth. In May of 2005, "Anticancer Research" published an article that discussed the herb's abilities to kill breast cancer cells. Researchers from the National University of Malaysia concluded that tongkat ali extracts induced apoptosis, or cell death, in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Although promising, tongkat ali should not be used as an adjunct treatment for cancer. More data is needed to ensure its safety and efficacy.
References
- "Journal of Ethnopharmacology"; Influence of Eurycoma longifolia on the copulatory activity of sexually sluggish and impotent male rats; Zanoli, P, et al.; November 2009
- "Fitoterapia"; Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia Jack): A review on its ethnobotany and pharmacological importance; Bhat, R and Karim, AA; April 2010
- "Asian Journal of Andrology"; Eurycoma longifolia Jack in managing idiopathic male infertility; Tambi, MI and Imran, MK; May 2010
- "Tropical Biomedicine"; Toxicological and antimalerial activity of eurycomalactone and Eurycoma longifolia Jack extracts in mice; Mohd Ridzuan, MA, et al.; June 2007
- "Planta Medica"; Semisynthetic 15-O-acyl- and 1,15-di-O-acyleurycomanones from Eurycoma longifolia as potential antimalarials; Chan, KL, Choo, CY and Abdullah, NR; October 2005
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