Now it is scientifically official: tongkat ali extract causes considerable muscle growth in men. The British Journal of Sports Medicine reported that in a double-blind placebo controlled scientific trial, the use of tongkat ali extract caused a 5 % increase in lean body mass in the treatment group, while no significant changes were observed in the placebo group. 5 % in 5 weeks is a large improvement, as becomes obvious if one calculates the increase this would mean over a course of a year (5 weeks – 5 %; 52 weeks – 50 %).

The abstract of the clinical trial with healthy men can be read at the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine:

http://bjsm.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/37/5/464

As one may expect for a scientific publication, the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine is a bit difficult to navigate. In this particular case, the abstract on the scientific trial about tongkat ali has been lumped together with a number of other abstracts. The abstracts are numbered 001, 002, 003, and so forth. The abstract that covers tongkat ali’s effect on bodybuilding has the number 007. Please be aware that the Latin, scientific name of tongkat ali is Eurycoma longifolia. For simplicity, the abstract is reproduced at the end of this article.

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. In my opinion, if the purpose of your tongkat ali usage is muscle gain, you can disregard all products that combine tongkat ali with other herbals. Tongkat ali is one of the most expensive herbals on the market because (1) it is rare, and (2) it takes extremely long to grow. Therefore, any combination product is likely to save on the tongkat ali.

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. (The Star, January 30, 2001)

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 in October 2004, Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, 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." (Agence France Press, November 5, 2004)

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. The soil needs to be sandy and must be well drained. Nevertheless, new water is needed several times a week. Tongkat ali also needs a partially shaded environment. The plant’s natural habitat is restricted to tropical jungle slopes (which obviously are naturally drained after a downpour) and which are partially shaded by the rain forest canopy while allowing some sunlight to reach the plant because of the angle of the terrain.

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 (which buyers request). (New Straits Times, April 10, 2004)

For those who take the alleged tongkat ali for its prosexual effects, the substitution may actually work (though the substitution can be life-threatening for those on nitrate drugs). However, for those who seek genuine tongkat ali for the purpose of improving the ratio between lean body mass and fat, the stretched sildenafil will do nothing (if one disregards that for them, biceps exercise on fake tongkat ali may cause temporary tissue expansion in the penis, rather than around the arms).

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. Scientifically proven effectiveness, depleting resources, and the natural difficulty of analyzing the composition of a natural medication are a dangerous mix. While they may soon measure genuine tongkat ali extract on gold scales, the demand of a growing market for ever cheaper products will definitely attract a large number of cheaters. Just as in Malaysia, they may sell sildenafil-stretched herbal fillers as tongkat ali, or they will market combination products in which tongkat ali is less than 1 percent (though on the label tongkat ali will certainly be printed in an enlarged type font).

How to protect yourself from being cheated? Look at the company from which you buy. Are they an established trader in the tongkat ali market? Where are they located? A trader in New York or New Mexico is far from the source (and the situation is no better for one in Old Mexico). 99 percent of the world’s tongkat ali comes from Indonesia, and that is were you are likely to find the best purity, and the best prices for the genuine stuff.

The farther you are from the source, and the more intermediates handle the tongkat ali before it gets to you, the larger the risk that it will not only be diluted but even substituted.

And simply, don’t trust cheap prices when looking for genuine tongkat ali.

Cited articles:

THE ERGOGENIC EFFECTS OF EURYCOMA LONGIFOLIA JACK: A PILOT STUDY

S. Hamzah, A. Yusof, Department of Exercise Physiology, Sports Centre, University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Eurycoma longifolia Jack (ELJ), which contains quassinoids such as eurycomalacton, eurycomanon, and eurycomanol, has been reported to have aphrodisiac properties and to increase testosterone levels in men. Previous studies have established that the testosterone supplementation increases fat free mass, muscle strength, and muscle mass, which are important for physical function and athletic performance. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the increase in testosterone levels, obtained by administration of ELJ, on body composition and muscle strength and size in man. Fourteen healthy men performed an intense strength training programme with initial load of 60% RM (2 sets of 10 repetitions with 1 minute rest between, for 10 stations) on alternate days for five weeks. Simultaneously, seven men were randomly selected to consume 100 mg/day ELJ water soluble extract, and seven men received placebo. The intensity of the exercise was increased by 10% RM/week. Body composition, arm circumference, one repetition maximum (1 RM), and surface electromyography (sEMG) activity were measured and recorded one day before and after the five weeks of supplementation and intervention. The lean body mass of the treatment group showed a significant increment, from 52.26 (7.18) kg to 54.39 (7.43) kg (p = 0.012), but no significant changes in fat free mass were observed in the placebo group. Percentage body fat was significantly decreased in the treatment and placebo group, from 31.30 (5.48)% to 28.44 (6.43)% (p = 0.01) and from 22.83 (2.43)% to 21.33 (2.35)% (p = 0.001) respectively. The 1RM test showed a significant increase from 73.71 (16.63) to 78.71 (17.0) kg (p = 0.006) in the treatment group and from 77.29 (8.9) to 79.43 (8.8) kg (p = 0.011) in the placebo group. The increase in strength in the treatment group was larger than in the placebo group (6.78% and 2.77% respectively). The mean frequency of sEMG on the biceps in the treatment and placebo groups decreased significantly, from 121.77 (40.0) to 90.47 (64.6) µV (p = 0.012) and from 127.95 (30.9) to 98.8 (50.1) µV (p = 0.036) respectively. The treatment produced 2.92% greater reduction in electrical activity of the muscle measured at the end of the experiment compared with placebo. The mean arm circumference of the treatment group increased significantly by 1.8 cm after the supplementation, from 30.87 (1.88) to 32.67 (1.96) cm (p = 0.011), but there was no significant increase in the placebo group. The results suggest that water soluble extract of Eurycoma longifolia Jack increased fat free mass, reduced body fat, and increased muscle strength and size, and thus may have an ergogenic effect. Further investigations are warranted.

1 Ismail MTM. Proceedings paper: Asian Congress of Sexology. 2002.

2 Bhasin S, Storer TW, Berman N, et al. The effects of supraphysiologic doses of testosterone on muscle size and strength in men. N Engl J Med 1996;335:1–7.

3 Brodsky IG, Balagopal P, Nair KS. Effects of testosterone replacement on muscle mass and muscle protein synthesis in hypogonadal men: a Clinical Research Center Study. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1996;81:3469–75.

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The Star (Malaysian newspaper), January 30, 2001:

Department to root out 'tongkat ali' pilferage

By V. Chandrasekaran

GURUN: The demand for tongkat ali, the plant reputed to have aphrodisiac properties, is causing rampant encroachments into forest reserves.

The raids have become so frequent that the Forestry Department is worried that the plant species may become extinct if immediate steps are not taken to stop the wanton uprooting.

The department's director-general Datuk Zul Mukhshar Md Shaari said there was a big market for the plant extract, as evidenced by the number of factories set up by public listed companies to process tongkat ali into capsules for export…

"Now you can find tongkat ali teh tarik being sold in every nook and corner,'' he said after opening the Jeniang / Sik Forest Ranger office in Jeniang near here yesterday…

"If this continues, we fear the plant might become extinct,'' he said.

He said directives had been given to the respective forestry departments to deploy a ranger to take charge of two areas in the forest reserves where tongkat ali was extensively found.

"By doing this, we may at least help preserve some areas,'' he added.

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Agence France Press, November 5, 2004

Indonesian president pledges 'strong action' on illegal loggers

JAKARTA (AFP) - Newly-installed Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono pledged to take "strong action" against illegal loggers decimating his country's forests, promising they will be severely punished.

Yudhoyono described widespread deforestation -- much of it done with the complicity of corrupt government officials -- the hunting of protected wildlife and maritime pollution as "serious" problems.

"The government will take strong action on the perpetrators and will take them to court where they will receive the most severe punishment," he said.

"We will not let this greed continue," he told guests attending a ceremony marking the national wildlife and animals day.

Yudhoyono, who took office on October 20, pledging broad reforms to clean up government, also said the use of dynamite for fishing in many remote provinces was damaging Indonesia's famed coral reefs.

Widespread deforestation has been blamed for causing deadly floods and landslides in many parts of the Southeast Asian country, as well as killing wildlife. Forest fires started by loggers also contribute to air pollution.

The involvement of army and police officials in illegal logging is common across much of the huge archipelago.

A 2002 report by the World Resources Institute, Global Forest Watch, and Forest Watch Indonesia Reports said Indonesia was losing nearly two million hectares of forest annually -- an area half the size of Switzerland.

Forest cover fell from 162 million hectares in 1950 to 98 million hectares in 2000, they said.

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New Straits Times (Malaysian newspaper), April 10, 2004

Ministry warns of illegal sex stimulants

Datuk Che Mohd Zin Che Awang, director of the Health Ministry's Pharmaceutical Services Division, said … his division seized almost RM15 million worth of unregistered drugs in the first two months of this year compared to RM7 million and RM4 million for the whole of 2003 and 2002, respectively.

Speaking at a press conference, he said the increase in the amount confiscated this year was due to the division's campaign against unregistered drugs.

The press conference was called to alert the public against buying "Shitek Tongkat Ali 400mg" and "Longeria Capsule", which have been found to be adulterated with tadalafil (Cialis).

Similar to sildenafil (Viagra) and vardenafil (Levitra), Cialis is an antierectile dysfunction drug that is available by prescription only. It also interacts with drugs taken by heart patients which contain nitrates and nitroglycerine, and therefore should not be prescribed to them.

Most of these illegal drugs are smuggled by air into the country, mainly from China and India.

"These drugs are easy to carry because they are small, light and can be hidden in bags or even pockets. Because of that, we will work more closely with Customs in monitoring the arrival of visitors from these two countries." He said the "Shitek Tongkat Ali 400mg" and "Longeria Capsule" were manufactured locally and that legal action had been initiated against the companies involved.

It is believed these illegal drugs were marketed through direct selling companies as it was difficult to obtain them retail.

He called on those who have purchased these medicines to hand them to the authorities.