Does Tongkat Ali Work? Evidence, Potential Benefits, And Dosage
In the world of nutrition there’s always a new supplement promising to become the new Creatine and absolutely revolutionise your progress in the gym.
The current supplement in the spotlight is Tongkat Ali. Thanks to people like Andrew Huberman (professor at Stanford and host of the Huberman lab podcast) it’s gained a lot of traction recently, but does the evidence base live up to the hype?
Here we’ll explain exactly what Tongkat Ali is, what it promises to do and wether or not it does. As always we’ll be using peer reviewed studies and taking a true evidence based approach.
What Is Tongkat Ali?
Kicking things off with what actually is Tongkat Ali?! It’s a herb commonly found in southeast Asia and Is also known as Malaysian Ginseng although is not related to Panax ginseng which is another supplement commonly used.
The extract of the plant has historically been used in an attempt to increase testosterone in men, which is the focus for most of the recent claims about the supplement. But there’s not a huge amount of evidence to suggest it actually works.
How Does Tongkat Ali Work?
Seen as we don’t know if Tongkat Ali actually works, to be honest the mechanisms of action around Tongkat Ali are not fully known but there are two potential pathways that are currently being studied.
One theory is that a bioactive component in Tongkat Ali, something called eurycomanone, may enhance production of certain precursors to testosterone, and thus increase production of testosterone itself. The precursors in general are pregnenolone and DHEA, it is also believed that eurycomanone may inhibit a specific enzyme which converts testosterone to estrogen, which again would lead to increased levels of testosterone, which in theory would improve training performance, lean muscle mass and energy levels.
There’s also a theory that Tongkat Ali may increase production of Luteinizing Hormone (LH), which may in turn increase testosterone levels due to the role LH plays in regulation of the endocrine system. Again leading to the benefits you would normally see from increased testosterone. But as stated before, these mechanisms of action are NOT confirmed, and neither are the proposed benefits of Tongkat ali.
Taken from the incredible team at Examine.com
What Does The Current Evidence Say?
At present, the research does seem to suggest that Tongkat Ali may increase testosterone levels. This particular paper carried out a systematic review and meta analysis of clinical trials involving Tongkat Ali. Of the 9 studies included, 5 studies showed a statistically significant increase in testosterone when Tongkat ali was supplemented. However this effect was most profound in participants with low testosterone levels to begin with which means it may not be of worth to anyone with normal levels of testosterone.
The quality of the research is not necessarily the best, as a number of participants across these studies deviated from their initial interventions, and several of the studies were actually funded by the pharmaceutical company that makes the supplement used in the studies. This means there’s a significant amount of bias in the studies so I currently recommend that people wait till more information is known before supplementing with Tongkat Ali.
Is Tongkat Ali Safe?
Because there’s not a huge amount of data on Tongkat Ali, there’s not a huge amount known about it’s safety as well as it’s efficacy. Due to it primarily being sourced and created in Malaysia, some people have voiced concerns around contamination with heavy metals such as lead and mercury in supplements. These concerns should be listened to but are likely unfounded, that being said it’s still likely not worth the risk.
Some studies have been carried out in rodents to identify safety and found that 3000mg/kg lead to death in 50% of the test animals. They also noted that it affected liver function in the rats at a dose equivalent to 1200mg daily in humans, but no issues have been found with regards to human liver function with the doses mentioned above.
The Side Effects Of Tongkat Ali
Some potential side effects that have been seen in humans are gut upset and itching, but these seem to be rare and may vary from person to person.
As with all supplements it may also impact the affect of certain medications and health issues, but we simply don’t have the research on this at this point in time, which is yet another reason as to why i’m hesitant to recommend supplementing with it.
What Is The Recommended Dosage Of Tongkat Ali?
Of the studies mentioned above in the review, the dosage ranged from 100mg/day for 12 weeks to 600mg/day for 8 weeks. At present we have no idea as to an optimal dose or timeframe for Tongkat Ali.
A dosage of 200-400mg is what most people are recommending at this point in time, but we don’t currently know if there’s an optimal dose or if it’s worth splitting the dose into two. Thus the recommendations on dosage are largely unfounded.
My Recommendations for Tongkat Ali
Due to the lack of information on the safety and efficacy of Tongkat Ali, i’m not currently recommending it to my clients or to anyone that asks.
That being said, some of the research is potentially promising. If you know you have low testosterone levels from blood tests, there are other things that you can do to increase these such as optimise sleep, training and recovery. If you want to give Tongkat Ali a go and you notice a difference then happy days! Congratulations but that anecdotal evidence will not be enough for me to recommend to all. I’m still waiting until the evidence base is more robust, especially considering the lack of information we have on the safety of it.
As with all supplements if you do try it, ensure it’s from a trusted source, potentially look into the dangers of heavy metal contamination and ensure the supplement you use is of good quality and be sure to reflect on it’s impacts.
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