Tongkat ali, otherwise known as Eurycoma longifolia or malaysian ginseng, translates to
Ali’s walking stick. It seems to be a promising remedy for boosting testosterone, increasing
male fertility, performance, and stress. The plant is indigiginous to malaysia, indonesia,
and vietnam and has become wildly popular these days in the west, as some have found it to be an
aphrodisiac and an adaptogen by some herbalists. In this video, we will look at what exactly
is tongkat ali, how it works for testosterone boosting and sexual function in men. Ill also
be going over, what you need to know in order to get the most benefits from this supplement,
including side effects and dosing, so you dont want to miss this, stay tuned till the end.
If you guys are new here, this channel is all about helping you make informed decisions as
well as be in the know when it comes to your health and wellness, and I would love for you
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for you all to subscribe as well to stay up to date with new weekly videos. Now without
wasting anymore time, lets get straight into it. Lets start out with what is tongkat ali. Well,
its A medium size slender shrub and it reaches about 10 m or 33 feet. And most
of the supplementation comes from the roots of this plant which is reported to be rich in
bioactive compounds, which should be the focus, such as the quassinoids, canthin-6-one alkaloids,
your β-carboline alkaloids, squalene derivatives, etc. But the one that steals the show, is the
quassinoids since they account for a major portion of the root phytochemicals. What was interesting
was when they took all the roots, stems, leaves, and even the bark, they were able to isolate about
65 phenolic compounds, and about 6 quassinoids, which are a group of nortriterpenoids with a
ton of interesting pharmacological properties. In fact, they were seen to inhibit cell growth
at nanomolar concentrations, which I though was fascinating. But how does this all work
for testosterone? Well, lets take a look. You see in both both men and women, testosterone
levels peak between about 25 to 30 years of age, then, they start to drop approximately 1-2% every
year. And by the time your 60, testosterone levels are typically only about 40-50% of youthful levels
and may be even lower due to stress, poor diet and exercise, and your sleep patterns. Which means,
the need to maintain a healthy amount of testosterone becomes necessary, especially if your
looking into increasing muscle mass, reduced body fat, having whats known as a high psychological
vigor, and just improved general well-being. So when they looked at how tongkat ali could help,
you found some Laboratory evidence, which showed that eurycoma peptides in tongkat ali, stimulated
the release of free testosterone from its binding proteins and improved overall hormone profiles.
A common misconception is that it stimulates testosterone synthesis and maybe to an extent,
it might, but more of it was seen from increasing the release rate of “free” testosterone from
its binding hormone called SHBG, which is known sex-hormone-binding-globulin. In two other recent
studies of young men undergoing a weight-training regimen, tongkat ali at (100 mg/day) improved
lean body mass and arm circumference to a significantly greater degree compared to a
placebo group. Another study looked at men at an average age of 51,with low testosterone levels,
and found that at one month of daily use of tongkat ali extract at 200 mg/day) resulted in
a significant improvement in serum testosterone levels and quality-of-life with concluding that
the plant doesnt work as a “testosterone booster” like an anabolic steroid would,
but rather as a “maintainer of normal testosterone levels, and as a “restorer of normal testosterone
levels from low back up to the normal ranges. But what about for sexual function? One of the most
famous studies came from a 12 week, randomized, double blind, placebo controlled study, that For
the first time looked at 109 randomized men, who demonstrated for a freeze-dried water extract of
the roots of the physta technology version of tongkat which had a collaboration with MIT,
they found significant improvements in libido, sexual performance and satisfaction. The study
also found that it had a strong impact on semen volume and sperm motility,
which tend to be a problem in men as they age which affects their fertility.
Now that we got the studies for how tongkat ali works on testosterone and sexual function. Lets
take a look at what you need to know about the dosing and the side effects, and who it may not
be suited for at all, which is important to know. As far as dosing goes, and this is the frustrating
part, Nowadays, you got so many different kinds of formulas with very little standardization, a lot
of it has additives mixed with teas and coffees, and over 200 products are available, so there is
a lot to choose from, either in the form of raw crude root powder or as capsules mixed with other
herbs in the health-food market. But what seems to be the theme that is safe to take is anywhere
from the 200 mg to 400 mg a day mark before or after meal continuously to a 4 week mark,
then you can cycle with an on and off period. Some even do 1 week on and 1 week off, but keep in mind
that most of the studies were continuous daily use for 4 to 12 weeks for results. And remember,
These supplements aren’t regulated by the FDA and may contain hidden ingredients so
its so important that you look for products tested by independent third parties (USP),
NSF International, or ConsumerLab. A good idea is to be aware of those supplement brands that claim
to cure a specific disease or treat symptoms of a specific disease, because chances are there out
there for the money and dont care much about you. And as far as the 3 bizarre side effects go:
Insomnia, especially at higher doses of 400 to 600 mg a day, that could keep you up at night
and make it harder to fall asleep, Irritability which can lead to aggression and agitation which
you find things throughout the day that wouldnt bother you, start to all of a sudden bother you,
and Restlessness, which could be a feeling of not feeling fully rested when you need to be,
which can make you more irritated. So yes, this channel is about keeping it rea, and not trying
to paint a perfect rosy picture. So definitely subscribe if you like factual information.
Now lets take a look at who should completely avoid tongkat ali. Because lets face it,
its not safe for everyone. You see, Because tongkat ali
might increase testosterone levels, people at risk or have hormone-sensitive cancers,
or a history of heart disease or kidney disease may have an adverse reaction to the supplement.
And Based on studies in animals suggesting, we found that it could reduce blood glucose
in hyperglycemic animals so the possibility for increasing your blood sugar exists,
so it should be used cautiously if your use medicine to lower blood sugar. And Also if
your pregnant or planning to be or if your nursing, then avoid it also if youre a kid.
You see, Tongkat ali, has some real promising indications, its been used for centuries in
traditional medicine systems in Southeast Asia for quite some time and many have benefited from it,
and I would love to keep updated with tongkat, to see where this all goes.
Click the red subscribe button down below and ill see you on the next video.