Recognition

Malaysia is well-known for the diversity of medicinal herbs used from generations to generations. Tongkat Ali is one of the notorious herbs has been used widely in traditional medicine products and beverages.

There are four herbal species called as Tongkat Ali in Malaysia which are;

• Eurycoma longifolia (Simaroubaceae family)
• Eurycoma apiculata (Simaroubaceae family)
• Polyathia bullata (Annonaceae family)
• Goniothalamus sp. (Annonaceae family)

However, this article will focus on Eurycoma longifolia species because it is commonly used among others in Malaysia.

Eurycoma longifolia Jack

In Malaysia, it is also known as:

• bedara merah
• bedara pahit
• bedara puteh
• lempedu pahit
• pasak bumi
• payong ali
• petala bumi
• penawar pahit
• tongkat ali
• tongkat baginda
• setunjang bumi

Ethno botany purposes

Almost all parts of this herb are traditionally used for treatment purposes.

Nevertheless, the root is the most frequently used to relieve / treat;

• fever
• afterbirth medication
• wound
• abscess (boils)
• ulcers
• syphilis
• bleeding gums
• aches
• dysentery
• glandular swelling
• tonic

Study on Pharmacological Activity

Along with the development of health technology, various studies have been conducted to prove the usefulness of Tongkat Ali’s root in scientific terms. Its aims to collect information on chemical composition, biological and pharmacological activity, pre-clinical data (toxicology) and clinical data.

The pharmacological studies have been carried out on Tongkat Ali’s root are;

• Antimalarial activity
• Cytotoxicity activity
• Aphrodisiac activity
• Anti-diabetic activity
• Anxiolytic activity
• Anti-osteoporosis activity

Dose

For healthy people, the recommendation daily consumption of freeze dried-water extract of Tongkat Ali’s root is 50-200 mg.

Conclusion

Tongkat Ali is an herbal treasure that is nothing compared to its value. It has been used in traditional medicine to relieve various ailments for generations. It is widely used in the production of traditional medicines and a large scale of commercial beverage.

Finally, to find out the best method of traditional medications, please refer to ‘Guide to Use Traditional Medicine (including herbal supplements)’..