Welcome back! Last time we briefly looked at Kratom – its properties and history. Today we will be looking at another fascinating plant and product we are extremely excited about: Tongkat Ali. Although Tongkat Ali’s history or cultural lineage is a bit more obscure than Kratom’s, the idea of this blog post will be quite similar to that of Kratom’s. Regarding Tongkat Ali, we will cover what it is, what it’s for, and what you should keep in mind.
About the plant
Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia) is native to Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam, but to a lesser extent also occurs in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand. It is a flowering plant of the Simaroubaceae family with a rather distinct appearance – a slender, shrublike tree that can reach up to 10 meter (33 ft) in height. Branches growing directly from its stem have compound leaves, meaning the branches are covered with numerous leaflets. These branches can grow to be 1 meter in length, although they do not branch out further.
This small evergreen also grows little red flowers and ovoid fruits that turn dark reddish brown when ripe. Amazingly, every part of this plant can be and has been used for different medical purposes: decoction of its leaves are used to wash itches, the fruits are used to treat dysentery, the bark is mostly used as a vermifuge, but it is the roots that take the traditional medicine cake. The long twisted roots have been, and still are, very popular to treat a whole list of ailments and, not in the slightest, to improve sexual performance in men.
Fun fact: In Malaysian, Tongkat Ali literally means “Ali’s walking stick,” referring to its aphrodisiac property.
Etymology
Tongkat Ali goes by a lot of different names, which can be the cause of some confusion. In English (US) Tongkat Ali is also commonly called “long jack” or “Malaysian Ginseng”, but in Southeast Asia a lot of different names are used (besides Tongkat Ali). Here are some of the various common names for Tongkat Ali in their respective countries / languagues:
Malaysia: penawar pahit, penawar bias, bedara merah, bedara putih, lempedu pahit, payong ali, tongkat baginda, petala bumi;
Indonesia: bidara laut, pasak bumi;
Thailand: lan-don, hae phan chan, phiak, plaa lai phuenk, tung saw.
Fun fact: In their respective language, a lot of the above names refer to the medicinal use and bitter taste of the plant. The Malaysian name “penawar pahit”, for example, means “bitter charm” or “bitter medicine”.
Having various names for a plant should not be all that confusing, but the trouble is that not all of these names just refer to one plant. Tongkat Ali and pasak bumi, for example, actually refer to five different species of plants: Eurycoma longifolia, Stema tuberosa, Polyalthia bullata, Entomophthora apiculata, and Goniothalamus. Not only do these plants share a rather similar appearance, they also exert similar medicinal properties. Three of the above mentioned species (E. longifolia, S. tuberosa and P. bullata) are far more popular than the other two, and are sold worldwide simply as “Tongkat Ali”.
Although seemingly devious, this practice technically holds up, as Malay and Indonesian people indeed refer to all three as “Tongkat Ali”. However, they distinguish between the different species by simply supplementing the name “Tongkat Ali” with the color of the roots. As such, E. longifolia is refered to as “Tongkat Ali Putih” or “Tongkat Ali Kuning” (“putih” meaning “white”, “kuning” meaning “yellow”); S. tuberosa is refered to as “Tongkat Ali Merah” (“merah” meaning “red”); and P. Bullata is refered to as “Tongkat Ali Hitam” (“hitam” meaning “black”).
Tongkat Ali’s traditional use and effects
It is difficult to pinpoint since when Tongkat Ali has been used in traditional medicine, as the peoples indigenous to Southeast Asia had been using it long before it was added to a botanist’s journal. As mentioned above, the long and twisted Tongkat Ali roots are by far the most sought-after, and for good reason. In traditional medicine the extract made from these roots is used for:
“…sexual dysfunction, aging, malaria, cancer, diabetes, anxiety, aches, constipation, exercise recovery, fever, increased energy, increased strength, leukemia, osteoporosis, stress, syphilis and glandular swelling, as well as it is used as an aphrodisiac, antibiotic, appetite stimulant and health supplement.”
(Rehman, Choe & Yoo, 2016)
This whopping list of applications, however promising, still requires a lot more testing and further research. Nevertheless, some studies show fascinating results and the few clinical trials that have been conducted are at the very least in agreement about the aphrodisiac effects. Note, however, that this largely pertains to E. longifolia, as the effects of P. bullata and S. tuberosa have not yet been tested in humans. On the other hand, animal trials have shown that P. bullata and S. tuberosa also exert aphrodisiac effects. As such, as far as we can tell, it seems the science confirms that these plants indeed exert at least some of the properties for which they are used in traditional medicine by indigenous peoples.
What should be kept in mind, however, is that the lack of testing and research means that the effects and potential side-effects of Tongkat Ali are relatively unmapped. That is why we would advise everyone to first consult a physician before adding it to your diet. Also note that Tongkat Ali is not a miracle cure for any of the above mentioned ailments. It will take some time (meaning at least about 2-4 weeks) before the beneficial effects of Tongkat Ali will be noticeable. On top of that, in case of more serious illnesses, for example leukemia mentioned by Rehman, Choe & Yoo, Tongkat Ali does not constitute a substitute for modern medicine and you should never simply rely on traditional medicine in the face of diseases as such.
Still, the science behind Tongkat Ali is exciting and shows great promise, but also consists of a complex chunk of biochemistry. For the next Tongkat Ali blogpost, however, we will distill the gist to give you a simple and effective overview of what makes Tongkat Ali tick. So stay tuned for more!
Works cited
Edwards, Sarah E., et al. Phytopharmacy: An evidence-based guide to herbal medicinal products. John Wiley & Sons, 2015
Ken, Chee Cheong (8 March 2012). “Herbs in exercise and sports”. Journal of Physiological Anthropology. 31 (1): 4. doi:10.1186/1880-6805-31-4. PMC 3375032. PMID 22738233
Keng, Chan Lai; Sai, Su Tiing; Teo, Chris K.H. (2002). “A Preliminary Study on the Germination of Eurycoma longfolia Jack (Tongkat Ali) Seeds”. Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science. 25 (1): 27–34
Malaysian Herbal Monograph Technical Committee (1999). Malaysian Herbal Monograph. Vol. 1. Forest Research Institute Malaysia. ISBN 983987019X, 9789839870190
Rachman, Taufik (2015-08-14). “UMP Teliti Pasak Bumi Merah”. Retrieved 2016-04-11
Rehman, Shaheed Ur, Kevin Choe, and Hye Hyun Yoo. “Review on a traditional herbal medicine, Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Tongkat Ali): its traditional uses, chemistry, evidence-based pharmacology and toxicology.” Molecules 21.3 (2016): 331
Samy, Joseph; Manickam, Sugumaran (2005). Herbs of Malaysia. Times Editions. pp. 104–105. ISBN 978-9833001798
Vejayan, Jaya, et al. “TONGKAT ALI PLANTS OF EURYCOMA LONGIFOLIA AND STEMA TUBEROSA STIMULATE SEXUAL AROUSAL IN DOMESTIC COCKS.” MJS 39.1 (2020): 1-14.
Wyatt-Smith, J. (August 1953). “The Vegetation of Jarak Island, Straits of Malacca”. Journal of Ecology. 41 (2): 207–225. doi:10.2307/2257036. JSTOR 2257036
