Tongkat Ali extract 100:1 | Eurycoma longifolia

Tongkat Ali extract 100:1 | Eurycoma longifolia

Properties: We present another one of the “ginseng” family of herbs, this time the Malaysian ginseng. Although Tongkat Ali systematically has nothing to do with ginseng (Panax ginseng), the wide spectrum of its activity meant that in the colloquial language it has been compared with the “king of adaptogens”. Why is that?

Of the many various traditional uses of Tongkat Ali, the sphere of sexuality is perhaps the most researched. Eurycoma longifolia has been used as an aphrodisiac for centuries. And not an average one – it not only adds willingness, but also definitely improves the performance! It has been proven during clinical trials that taking E.longifolia extract increases the frequency of erections, as well as their duration and penile stiffness. If we care about the “effectiveness” of intercourse, Tongkat Ali is also the right choice as it significantly improves sperm quality.

The pro-libido properties of Malaysian ginseng are related to its scientifically proven ability to increase testosterone levels. This, in turn, increases the endurance and strength of the muscles. Supplementation with E.longifolia will therefore help to maintain (or gain) your dream figure, because it will not only facilitate the performance of training, but will also help to achieve the goal – through anabolic (support for building muscle tissue) and metabolic (increasing fat burning) effects.

So, with Tongkat Ali the gentlemen are slim and athletic, and the ladies are happy, but it’s not as great as ginseng, right? Well, that’s not all about Tongkat Ali! If we study further the main uses of this herb, we can find out that it has other interesting properties. It has been proven that it can help fight both disease (by supporting the immune system) and stress. It also has a positive effect on the circulatory system and exhibits significant antioxidant properties. It’s probably enough to prove the validity of the comparison with Panax ginseng. And that does not conclude the list of Tongkat Ali properties, of course.

Occurrence: “Malaysian ginseng” (Eurycoma longifolia) is an evergreen, slender shrub that belongs to the Simaroubaceae family of plants. It occurs naturally in South-East Asia where it grows up to 10 meters in height. It can be found mainly in lowland forests of Malaysia and Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and also in Laos. As the cultivation of this plant is relatively difficult, it does not occur outside these countries. The specific feature of this plant are very large leaves, growing up to 80 cm in length, mostly umbrella-like at the ends of the branches. Each leaf consists of 20 to 30 pairs of opposite, ovate-lanceolate leaflets.

In traditional natural medicine of Asian countries, both the root and leaves of Eurycoma longifolia have been used for healing purposes for generations. It was mainly applied as an effective body strengthening and revitalizing agent that can even fight malaria and fever. It was believed that supplementing the plant also improves appetite and sexual performance (since it is a strong aphrodisiac). Therefore, the plant is commonly called “Malaysian ginseng”, although it is in no way related to the common ginseng (Panax ginseng).

Biochemistry: The substances that give “Malaysian ginseng” its properties are mainly phenolic compounds. So far, it has been possible to isolate and study 65 different phenolic compounds of Tongkat Ali which have been divided into several classes due to their specific structure. The most important are: quassinoids (eurycomanol, eurycomanone), eurylactones (eurycomalactone, laurycolactone, longilactone) and squalene derivatives (eurylene, teurilene, longylene peroxide). Apart from them, the plant also contains β-carboline alkaloids (harmine, harmaline), eurypeptides and glycosaponins.

Fun fact: Eurycoma longifolia in Southeast Asia is known by many common names such as “tongkat ali”, “penawar pahit” (Malay names) or simply “Malaysian ginseng”. Many of these names refer to the properties and uses of this herb. For example, the name “penawar pahit” means literally “bitter medicine”.