Tongkat Ali: Everything You Need To Know
What is Tongkat Ali?
Tongkat ali is a tall plant native to Southeastern Asia, known locally as Eurycoma longifolia, malaysian ginseng or pasak bumi . The roots of a mature Tongkat ali plant are ground into a paste and boiled in water, the liquid brew is then consumed as a traditional medicine for its testosterone boosting properties.
What Is Tongkat Ali used For
Tongkat ali is commonly used in plant extract form, taken in capsules as a health supplement or added to food and beverages to boost natural testosterone production. In extract form Tongkat ali has gained notoriety as a safe, powerful testosterone booster used to alleviate the symptoms of low testosterone in men, and also for those looking to push their testosterone levels to the maximum for building muscle and decreasing body fat.
Why Is Tongkat Ali Better Than Other T-Boosters
Tongkat ali stimulates natural testosterone production rather than introducing testosterone to the body through injections or patches. By encouraging the body to produce testosterone naturally, you avoid the side effect known as "shut-down" that can cause an hormonal imbalance to occur.
Tongkat Ali Vs Tongkat Ali Root Extract
If you're new to Tongkat ali, you are probably wondering what the extract version is, and why it is more popular than chipped root.
Tongkat ali root extract is a fine water-soluble powder that contains a concentrated amount of the active testosterone boosting ingredients found within the roots of the plant.
Tongkat ali extract is more popular than chipped root because it comes in capsule form at a consistent strength, making it easy to use and safer. In contrast, chipped root requires a time-consuming mix of boiling water and chipped root, stewing over a long period to achieve a brew of undetermined strength.
What Does Tongkat Ali Extract Look Like
Tongkat ali root extract is a fine water-soluble powder that contains the active quassinoids found within the roots of the plant. Tongkat ali extract can vary in color from light sandy brown to a dark reddish-brown depending on the roots selected for use, and the production methods used during the extraction process .
Standardized Tongkat ali extract tends to be lighter brown as it has fewer impurities, a well-produced traditional extract will often have a slightly darker tan color sometimes with a reddish tint. In some cases you may come across dark brown extracts, these have been overheated in the drying phase, if this is the case the extract will have a charcoal smell and characteristics.
How Tongkat Ali Works
To fully understand how Tongkat ali extract works, it is helpful to know how testosterone is regulated in the body. The amount of testosterone manufactured by the body is controlled by a process called The Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Gonadal axis (HPG axis).
When Testosterone Levels Are Low
When your testosterone levels are low Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is produced by the Hypothalamus, which in turn stimulates the Pituitary gland to release Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and Luteinizing hormone (LH) these two hormones activate the Leydig cells to produce testosterone and stimulate sperm cell production [R], playing an important role in sexual function [R].
When Testosterone Levels Are High
If your testosterone level peaks at your natural high, your hypothalamus stops releasing GnRH, creating a negative feedback loop acting on the pituitary to inhibit the release of FSH and LH, reducing the activity of the Leydig cells and in turn, lowering the production of testosterone.
How Tongkat Ali Increases Testosterone Naturally
When an individual takes Tongkat ali the Hypothalamus gland releases GnRH regardless of the existing testosterone levels in the body; this new release of GnRH then switches on natural testosterone production, gently pushing your testosterone levels up higher and higher.
By taking Tongkat ali at regular intervals, this bump of testosterone can be repeated and repeated, steadily increasing the user's testosterone level. When the desired testosterone level is reached. More substantial pauses between the dosages and short brakes of one to two days per week can be introduced to hold testosterone at the desired level.
When using Tongkat ali root extract in this manner, you can increase or regulate your natural testosterone levels depending on the dosage used and the length of times between each dose.
Tongkat Ali Benefits
Tongkat ali root extract is used by thousands of men worldwide to increase their testosterone levels safely. We have highlighted two of the most common reasons for using tongkat ali extract below.
Hypoandrogenism (Low Testosterone)
After age thirty, most men begin to experience a gradual decline in testosterone levels, if testosterone levels fall below 250 ng/dL this is diagnosed as low testosterone (Hypoandrogenism). Tongkat ali extract is commonly used by men suffering from Hypoandrogenism to increase the natural production of testosterone, reversing the symptoms of low testosterone.
If you find yourself suffering from the symptoms of low testosterone such as erectile dysfunction/low sex drive, fatigue or depression, using standardized tongkat ali root extract is an excellent way to help steadily increase your testosterone back up to a healthy level.
What To Expect When Using Tongkat Ali For Low Testosterone
Depending on your initial testosterone level and how well you respond to tongkat ali extract it can take from one to three weeks for a sufferer of Hypoandrogenism to fully feel the positive effects of their tongkat ali.
Users who begin taking TKA1:200 tongkat ali extract to treat the symptoms of low testosterone typically report an increased sex drive finding themselves more easily aroused with stronger erections and more energy day to day. Tongkat Ali users who suffered from depression have reported bouts of depression becoming mild and infrequent, or disappearing completely.
Bodybuilding / Fitness
TKA1:200 is very popular amongst men looking to push their natural testosterone levels to the maximum as safely as possible, taking full advantage of the muscle building benefits that go hand in hand with a raised level of free testosterone and intense workouts.
What To Expect When Using Tongkat Ali For Bodybuilding
Week (1) On your first week you will not notice a massive change in your body as your testosterone level will be steadily increasing from its original level, but steadily increasing with each day of usage.
Week (2) By week two you should begin to notice an increase in strength and slightly faster recovery rate after training. (An increased sex drive is often reported in week 2.)
Week (3) During week three you should experience your strength increasing further, plus a heightened sense of well-being, you may also notice a slight increase in aggressiveness towards your workouts.
Week (4) By week four you should have seen an increase in lean muscle mass, and depending on your diet and workout technique you may have noticed a reduction in body fat. Your general feel-good factor and confidence levels should be significantly higher than usual.
Week (5) & (6) During weeks five and six your testosterone levels will be substantially higher; this is when you will notice the most significant benefits from your TKA1:200, gaining lean muscle mass and feeling stronger with every workout.
*PLEASE NOTE: At a chosen point between weeks three and six you may want to adjust your dosage to maintain a high level of testosterone, rather than continuing to push it up further, this is up to the user to decide, see our dedicated Tongkat Ali Dosage page for more information.
Why Buy High-Quality Tongkat Ali Root Extracts
Genuine Indonesian Tongkat ali root extract is the market-leading free-testosterone boosting supplement, but it is costly to produce.
Because of this, many existing supplement retailers decided they could buy extracts from China dirt cheap and advertise these as Genuine Tongkat ali root extracts.
Must Be Root Extract
Tongkat ali extracts with the ability to boost free testosterone are produced using the roots of the Tongkat ali tree, as the tree matures, the active compounds build up within the roots making older trees a better choice.
Avoid Cheap Chinese Extracts
If the trees are grown in an area with contaminated soil, these contaminants can be absorbed into the roots over the growing period. So avoid Chinese produced extracts from Malaysian sources, as documented here.
Buy From A Tongkat Ali Specilist
Since Tongkat ali was featured on the Joe Rogan podcast in 2021, a large number of existing supplement retailers decided it would be good to add Tongkat ali to their existing stock, but with little experience, they ordered the cheapest extract they could purchase from China and flooded the market with fake or sub-standard extracts that only serve to tarnish the reputation of Tongkat ali for its free-testosterone boosting capabilities.
We recommend that you purchase from a retailer that specialises in Tongkat ali products rather than a company that sells many supplements, one of them being Tongkat ali.
To learn more about the plan extraction process, certification, and the difference between standardised and traditional extracts, please visit our Plant Extracts Page