Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat ali)
Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat ali)Latin name: Eurycoma longifolia Common name: Tongkat ali |
 |
Other names: Long jack, Malaysian ginseng, Piak or Tung Saw in Thailand , Pasak Bumi in Indonesia , Tongkat ali means "Ali's cane"
What it is: small unbranched tree or shrub, grows 8-12 meters in height
Habitat: found in jungles of Southeast Asia, in Malaysia , Singapore , Indonesia , Laos , Vietnam , and Cambodia . Now in danger of becoming extinct in Malaysia .
Parts used: nuts are used for local treatment of malaria, roots used for preparation of tonic or for supplements
Constituents: contains several compounds including beta-carboline alkaloids and quassinoid-type glycosides but it is not clear if and how these influence sexual responses
History/Traditional use: in Malaysia and Indonesia as an aphrodisiac and treatment of malaria, the root had to be brewed for many hours in order to get a bitter extract
Actions/Uses: aphrodisiac, treatment for dysentery, malaria, fever, glandular swelling. Popular in Malaysia , sold as a tea and marketed in the west as a capsule
Preparation method: powder, capsules, liquid extract
Side Effects: none known
Interactions: none known
Animal studies: a 10-day study on the libido of male rats resulted in a dose-dependent increase in mounting frequency, more erections, and more interest in females in the rats given tongkat ali as opposed to the control group
