Tongkat Ali for Bodybuilders

Tongkat Ali raises testosterone levels in men over-fifties, it has a muscle building effect and it is a respected aphrodisiac. Its logical that many men want to buy/try this herbal compound. In this blog post I will try to show you how difficult it is to buy a real effective Tongkat ali herbal supplement and why.

Tongkat ali is one of the most expensive herbals on the market because it is rare, and it takes extremely long to grow. Therefore, any combination product is likely to save on the tongkat ali.

Unlike medicines which have to undergo proper and regular testing and trials before they can be sold by a pharmacy, supplements do not. A recent independent test done in Canada proved that a 3rd of the supplements on the market today including those which are common, are fake and often just substituted. About 60% of the products had also been adulterated.

 The only country in the world where there still are considerable resources of tongkat ali in the wild is Indonesia. The shrub once was common in Malaysia, but because searching for tongkat ali has taken on the dimensions of searching for truffles in France or Italy, tongkat ali has since been declared a protected plant in Malaysia, and forest areas where it is still found have already been guarded by forest rangers for several years.

While practically all "Malaysian" tongkat ali sold in recent years has originated from Indonesia, it is foreseeable that this supply line will also dry up in the coming years. Indonesia has inaugurated a new president, and he has declared the protection of the Indonesian forests a prime priority of his government. As in neighboring Malaysia and Thailand, the illegal exploitation of Indonesian forests is bound to become a serious crime. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono promised: "The government will take strong action on the perpetrators and will take them to court where they will receive the most severe punishment."

Tongkat ali is not a fast-growing weed like Tribulus terrrestis. You can grow tribulus terrestis as easily as potatoes, on practically any soil, and in the span of a few weeks. Tongkat ali, by contrast, takes years to reach maturity. Full size cannot be expected in less than 25 years. The effectiveness of mature tongkat ali is supposed to be far superior to that of young plants. Furthermore, tongkat ali is as difficult to grow as orchids.

Side by side, Tongkat Ali and extracts such as Tribulus are identical, the shade may sometimes vary but that is normal with both herbs. They both taste bitter and are both reported to raise libido, so to someone who has never tried real Tongkat Ali before, they would think the Tribulus was indeed Tongkat.

Because tongkat ali is so expensive, even in Malaysia where it originated, herbal traders there now find it more economical to sell herbal fillers that are laced with sildenafil (Viagra), rather than genuine tongkat ali.

The active ingredients in tongkat ali are present only in trace amounts. You’d need about 50 gram of the root for a single dosage, and athletes who want to achieve maximum results without resorting to illegal steroids will typically take 2 or 3 dosages a day.

Selling root powder or other substances in place of a real extract is very common. Some of the biggest retailers in the US, including Walmart, where been caught doing so in 2015, probably without their knowledge, probably because they buy if from a supplier who buys it from somewhere in China, home to most of the worlds counterfeit goods which their government really does not seem to be able to control, and nowhere along the supply chain was it tested.

Extract ratios are also often faked. One award winning well established Chinese company, (Naturalin Bio) actually admitted, that they lie about their extract ratios because if they did not, nobody would buy from them. The COA stated 1:200. They told me it was actually just around 1:35.

But why are fitnessers, anti-agers and bodybuilders so eager to try Tongkat ali?

It boosts testosterone, it enhances libido, it decreases cortisol, decreases estrogen, it intensifies orgasms, does not affect the testes or prostate one could call it a wonder aid, if you would believe everything what is publicized about tongkat ali.

There are a few things to be aware of in an interpretation of the results of the cited scientific study with human subjects. For example, the tongkat ali extract used in the trial has been prepared in a university laboratory. It was of controlled strength. There may be a very substantial difference between genuine university lab-extracted tongkat ali and the commercial products one finds on health store shelves. Than what are the amounts used, some studies especially animal studies use enormous doses and what are the results compared with something cheap and simple like testosterone? Not to mention that it is very difficult to find real effective tongkat ali, recently Canadian researchers tested 44 bottles of popular herbal supplements sold by 12 companies. They found that many were not what they claimed to be, and that pills labeled as popular herbs were often diluted — or replaced entirely — by cheap fillers like soybean, wheat and rice.

Tongkat Ali boosts testosterone level and muscle strength in active over-fifties

Tongkat Ali is an interesting supplement for athletes over the age of 55. Ralf Henkel of the University of the Western Cape in South African and Ruxiang Wang of the Shenyang Center for Disease Control and Prevention in China drew this conclusion after performing an experiment with 25 older cyclists. Tongkat Ali supplementation gave the cyclists more muscle power and boosted their testosterone levels.

Tongkat Ali, an extract of the roots of the Eurycoma longifolia bush, contains the compounds eurycomanone and 13-alpha (21)-expoxy-eurycomanone. These boost testosterone production in a way that seems to indicate that there's an anti-estrogenic mechanism at work.

In Asian countries Tongkat Ali has been a popular remedy for complaints associated with aging especially among elderly men. Sponsored studies confirm its effectiveness. Tongkat Ali boosts the testosterone level of men in their fifties who have low testosterone production – by a small amount. These men did not all have the same level of fitness, however. The researchers wanted to know whether Tongkat Ali would also have a positive effect on older athletes – so they performed an experiment with 13 male and 12 female amateur cyclists aged between 57 and 72. All were members of a cycling club in Shenyang, China.

The researchers gave their subjects two capsules containing 200 mg Tongkat Ali extract daily for a period of five weeks. They used Physta extract, manufactured by Biotropics Malaysia Berhad – and yes, this company happened to also sponsor the study.

The researchers measured the concentrations of DHEA, cortisol and IGF-1 in the subjects' blood, but observed no noticeable effects. Not much happened to the SHBG either. But Tongkat Ali did have an effect on the subjects' testosterone levels.

The first figure left, shows that Tongkat Ali boosted both the total testosterone level and the level of free testosterone in the men. The second figure shows the same but for the women.

If androgen levels rise, you'd expect muscle strength to increase too. This was indeed the case, as the researchers discovered when they measured the force with which the subjects were able to operate a handgrip.

The subjects were enthusiastic about the effects of the supplement. When the researchers asked them whether they thought that Tongkat Ali was good for their health and whether they would want to continue using the supplement, they all gave an affirmative response.

The majority also responded positively to the question whether Tongkat Ali had increased the subjects' desire to exercise or their physical endurance capacity.

"This observational study on the effect of a standardized water-soluble extract of Tongkat Ali has shown that the herbal supplement had no adverse effects and is acceptable to the senior recreational athlete as a form of health supplement for general well-being", the researchers conclude. "The study has affirmed the ergogenic benefit of Tongkat Ali for physically active seniors and has the potential to assist the elderly to exercise, thereby enhancing health and wellness, through enhanced muscle strength."

The effect of Tongkat Ali on healthy men

Tongkat Ali, or Eurycoma longifolia, gave a slight boost to the testosterone production in men in their fifties with a low testosterone level, according to a study. But does Tongkat Ali have the same effect in men with normal testosterone levels? A clinical trial from the Universiti Sains Malaysia suggests it doesn't.

The Malaysian study tested a standardised Tongkat Ali supplement marketed by Biotropics Malaysia as Physta. The Kuala Lumpur based Biotropics also financed the trial.

The researchers used 109 healthy, married men aged between 33 and 55. Half of the men were given a placebo for 12 consecutive weeks; the other half were given 300 mg Tongkat Ali daily: 150 mg Tongkat Ali at lunch and another 150 mg at supper.

The Tongkat Ali had no effect on the men's testosterone level. "During the trial the mean values of total testosterone level are in the range of 15.079 nmol/L to 16.604 nmol/L in subjects on the herbal product and in the placebo group these values range from 18.120 nmol/ to 19.051 nmol/L", the researchers write.

Tongkat Ali had little effect on sexual arousal or pleasure during sex. There was nothing wrong with the men's sexual health in the first place.

The researchers also asked the men about their daily functioning. Those who took Tongkat Ali found moderately intensive and intensive exertion easier: they had fewer problems with stair climbing, bending, kneeling, walking and other daily physical activities. In addition, the men who used Tongkat Ali felt more energetic.

During the trial the researchers subjected the men to fitness tests. Tongkat Ali had no effect on the results of these tests. Tongkat Ali did improve the sperm quality of the subjects. Sperm motility increased, especially in the men whose sperm had low motility at the start of the trial.

According to the study, Tongkat Ali had no side effects. That's interesting, as many people who take Tongkat Ali notice within a few days, and some even within a few hours, that start to feel more aggressive and impatient. After a couple of days some people also notice a deterioration in sleep quality.

In the conclusion to their article the researchers are more positive about Tongkat Ali than you might be from reading the article. Then again, you haven't just had your bank balance boosted by a stack of money from Biotropics.

"For the first time a placebo-controlled clinical trial demonstrated for a freeze-dried water extract of the roots of Eurycoma longifolia, significant improvements in libido, sexual performance, satisfaction, and physical functioning", they write. "Eurycoma longifolia has a strong impact on seminal fluid parameters, for example, semen volume and sperm motility. The daily dose of 300 mg of Eurycoma longifolia extract for three months is well-tolerated and safe compared to placebo."

Tongkat Ali boosts testosterone levels in endurance exercise

Cortisol: -33 percent. Testosterone: +16 percent. These are the effects of an extract of Tongkat Ali on the hormone levels of male thirty participants in a 24-hour mountain bike event. One half of the men were given a placebo - the P-group - and the other half with a supplement hundred milligrams Tongkat Ali extract - the E-group.

Simplified quote from the abstract: "Cortisol levels were 32.3% lower (0.552 versus 0.816 microgr / dL) Testosterone levels were 16.4% higher in E Compared to P (86.72 versus 72.47 pg / mL).." The values ​​are a bit weird, but that's because the researchers have determined hormones in saliva.

The extract of Tongkat used, was made by HP Ingredients. HP Ingredients also paid the study - as it has paid most of the other studies of Tongkat Ali or Eurycoma longifolia.

In a press release the director of HP Ingredients, Annie Eng, says she is delighted with the results. "These results emphasize the utility of Eurycoma longifolia for men who enjoy endurance exercise and competition and reap the benefits of healthier recovery by decreasing the catabolic state and actually promoting a higher anabolic state by raising testosterone to healthy levels. Overall, this study can give manufacturers or sports nutrition dietary supplements a whole new category."

How Eurycoma longifolia boosts testosterone levels

Researchers at the Universiti Sains Malaysia have worked out how extracts of Eurycoma longifolia – a plant you probably know by the name Tongkat Ali – boost testosterone levels. The extracts contain the compounds eurycomanone and 13-alpha (21) epoxy-eurycomanone, and these boost the production of the hormones LH and FSH.

The researchers used methanol to make an extract of Eurycoma longifolia and further purified it, separating it into to four fractions. The researchers discovered that one of the fractions increased the weight of the testes of the lab animals more than the others. This was the extract that consisted of 32 percent quassinoids. The two most important of these were eurycomanone and 13-alpha (21) epoxy eurycomanone.

A dose of 25 mg per kg bodyweight of the active Eurycoma longifolia extract caused a considerable rise in rats' testosterone levels over a period of 52 days. This increase was accompanied by a rise in LH and FSH levels, and a decrease in the amount of estradiol in the rats' blood.

When the researchers gave their lab rats the Eurycoma longifolia quassinoids separately, both eurycomanone and 13-alpha (21) epoxy eurycomanone boosted the rats' testosterone levels.

The results of this study are not completely unexpected. In 2011 researchers from the same university published the results of a study in which they showed that eurycomanone had an anti-oestrogen effect comparable to that of tamoxifen, the active ingredient in Nolvadex.

Aphrodisiac Tongkat Ali boosts testosterone level

In an experiment with rats, researchers from the Italian University of Modena and Reggio Emilia found out how Tongkat Ali actually works.

The researchers wanted to know whether Tongkat Ali can help men with problems of impotence. They started by introducing male rats to sexually receptive females. The Italians then continued their work with the male rats that had not attempted to mate with the female, considering these animals to be suitable models for human males with impotency problems.

The researchers gave their rats 500 mg Tongkat Ali extract per kg bodyweight (!!), for 6 or 12 days in a row. Human equivalent: 4-6 grams/day. The researchers administered the extract dissolved in water through a tube directly into the lab animals' stomach. Rats in the control group were given water containing no active ingredients. Three-quarters of an hour after the last dose had been administered, the researchers put the rats into the cage with the sexually receptive females.

The figure below shows the percentage of the rats that, after 6 [subacute] or 12 [subchronic] days of Tongkat Ali supplements, mounted the females [M] and ejaculated [E]. So Tongkat Ali works.

If a scientist observes that male lab animals mate more frequently than the first thing he thinks of is a raised testosterone level, and the Italians were no exception. When they measured the concentration of testosterone in the blood of the rats that had been given Tongkat Ali for six days, they saw that the concentration had risen.

The sports supplements business has already discovered Tongkat Ali, as is evidenced by the growing number of products available that contain extracts of this plant. It's not really possible to use the results of this study to say anything about the effectiveness of the sports supplements, however. A daily dose of 4-6 grams extract per kg bodyweight is pretty high.

A 2013 study demonstrated that Tongkat ali can also help regulate chronic stress. Researchers screened 32 men and 31 women for moderate stress. After taking an extract of Tongkat ali daily for four weeks, participants exhibited a 16% reduction in cortisol and a 37% increase in testosterone. Tongkat ali reduced tension by 11%, anger by 12%, and confusion by 15%. The research states:

“These results indicate that daily supplementation with tongkat ali root extract improves stress hormone profile and certain mood state parameters, suggesting that this “ancient” remedy may be an effective approach to shielding the body from the detrimental effects of “modern” chronic stress, which may include general day-to-day stress, as well as the stress of dieting, sleep deprivation, and exercise training.”