Tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia) is a plant from Southeast Asia whose root is used in traditional medicine. As a supplement, usually a root extract, it is marketed for libido, energy, sports performance and testosterone, and has been studied for testosterone and stress hormones.
Also known as: Eurycoma longifolia, longjack.
Tongkat ali has no intake value or upper limit, and extracts differ in how they are made and standardized. The trials in published reviews used various root extracts, so there is no single studied amount. These are study protocols, not a recommendation.
It is sold in the US as a dietary supplement. Under the 1994 dietary supplement law (DSHEA), FDA does not approve dietary supplements before they are marketed, and the maker, not FDA, is responsible for safety and labeling. There is no FDA-approved tongkat ali drug.
A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis (Leisegang) included 9 studies, 5 of them pooled, and found higher total testosterone with tongkat ali in both healthy men and men with low testosterone; the authors say more research is needed before clinical use. In a 4-week trial of 63 moderately stressed adults (Talbott 2013), a root extract lowered salivary cortisol and raised salivary testosterone compared with placebo. A 2016 review (Rehman) reported no adverse changes in liver and kidney tests at normal daily doses but says more evidence on safety is needed. If you are on TRT, your testosterone comes from your prescription; ask your prescriber before adding products aimed at testosterone.
We could not find a single published half-life or time to peak for tongkat ali that applies to a supplement dose, so we do not list one. Extracts contain many plant compounds (quassinoids, alkaloids and others) in amounts that differ by product.
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