One of tongkat ali’s main touted benefits is its ability to increase testosterone levels in men. While the mechanisms in humans are relatively unstudied, there are two primary pathways by which this effect might occur. The first involves the ability of eurycomanone (the main bioactive in tongkat ali) to enhance the production of androgen precursors, including pregnenolone and DHEA. Eurycomanone also inhibits the enzyme aromatase, which converts testosterone into estrogen.[1] It may also increase testosterone by elevating the production of LH.
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2022 included a total of 9 studies which looked at the effects of tongkat ali supplementation on testosterone compared with placebo. A total of 5 studies with 232 participants were analyzed. A significant increase in testosterone was observed for tongkat ali (with a large effect size) when supplemented at a dose of 100–600 mg for a duration of between 2 weeks and 12 weeks (though one study lasted 6 months). However, significant publication bias was noted, mostly due to participants deviating from their assigned interventions or issues with the randomization process.[2]
Furthermore, when men were separated into groups with testosterone levels of more than 300 ng/dL and less than 300 ng/dL (hypogonadal men), a significant effect was only observed in the hypogonadal group (average effect of 1.9 versus a nonsignificant effect of 0.8 in the normal testosterone group).
Due to the variety of dosages used, it might be useful to look at the results of individual studies:
- 200 mg/day for 6 months increased total testosterone from 278 to 400 ng/dL.
- 100 mg/day for 12 weeks increased total testosterone from 187 to 203 ng/dL.
- 200 mg/day for 12 weeks (same study as above) increased total testosterone from 200 to 225 ng/dL.
- 600 mg/day for 2 weeks increased total testosterone from 871 to 969 ng/dL.
- Studies using 600 mg/day for 2 weeks, 200 mg/day for 6 months, 600 mg/day for 8 weeks, and 300 mg/day for 12 weeks noted no difference between tongkat ali and placebo.
Overall, it seems that tongkat ali is just increasing testosterone levels in men with low testosterone, while it doesn’t seem to benefit men with normal or higher testosterone levels as often.
It should also be noted that a majority of studies related to the effect of tongkat ali on testosterone were funded by Biotropics Malaysia Berhad, a pharmaceutical company who makes and sells Physta, the tongkat ali supplement used as the intervention, and several of the study investigators are also employees of the company.
References
- ^Low BS, Choi SB, Abdul Wahab H, Das PK, Chan KLEurycomanone, the major quassinoid in Eurycoma longifolia root extract increases spermatogenesis by inhibiting the activity of phosphodiesterase and aromatase in steroidogenesis.J Ethnopharmacol.(2013-Aug-26)
- ^Leisegang K, Finelli R, Sikka SC, Panner Selvam MK(Jack) Improves Serum Total Testosterone in Men: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials.Medicina (Kaunas).(2022-Aug-04)