Men’s average serum testosterone levels have been falling every year since the 1970s. The cause is mostly unknown, but it’s likely to be a multifaceted problem. Truly, it’s no surprise that this has been happening.
Over the years the quality of food we consume has declined, our foods and our bodies are constantly exposed to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), our weights have increased, our level of physical activity has decreased, we use every social occasion as an excuse to drink, and our quality of sleep suffers because of over-exposure to artificial blue light emitted from smartphones.
What is Tongkat Ali?
Why are we talking about testosterone? Because there’s a new natural supplement on the block that could be a natural alternative to TRT treatment: Tongkat Ali AKA Longjack, AKA Eurycoma Longifolia. The herb comes from Indonesia, Malaysia, and other parts of Southeast Asia. Its roots have been routinely used in traditional healing to help alleviate various health conditions including male infertility, low libido, and high blood pressure.
What are the best Tongkat Ali supplement brands?
Frankly, there are countless Tongkat Ali supplements on the market. I hope to save you a ton of time searching with this guide by using several vetting practices to weed out potentially low-quality Tongkat Ali supplements.
Here’s how I chose the 5 best Tongkat Ali supplements:
- Purity and quality assurance
- If the brand met all 4 criteria including verifiable lab testing and or third-party quality and purity tests available to the public, they’re on this list.
- Notoriety
- We tried our best to only put reputable brands on this list. Because of Tongkat Ali’s risk of heavy metal contamination, we only trust brands that are reputable enough to have a high level of accountability for quality assurance. There are too many unknown brands out there selling questionable Tongkat Ali and some of them are honestly sketchy.
- Dedication to quality
- Only brands that display a clear dedication to quality products whether in their Tongkat Ali labeling or their brand’s marketing as a whole will be found on this list. Some brands don’t even mention quality in their labeling which is honestly frightening.
- Dosage to cost ratio
- When something is dosed suspiciously high with an even more suspiciously low price point, that is a sign of a low-quality product.
Nootropics Depot
Nootropics Depot is possibly the most well-known brand on this list. The depot has amassed an almost cult-like following for its myriad high-quality extracts and supplements. Several things make Nootropics Depot unique from the competition. One example of this is their disclosure of manufacturers used.
Another reason why Nootropics Depot tops this list is its insane dedication to quality. Their products undergo extensive testing for purity and identity in their in-house analytical laboratory.
If that wasn’t reason enough to buy from Nootropics Depot, here’s another. They have two versions of Tongkat Ali. A 2% Eurycomanone formula and a 10% Eurycomanone formula.
Eurycomanone is the main active ingredient responsible for the massive changes it can make physiologically. What’s even crazier is that very few manufacturers of Tongkat Ali are currently claiming these specific levels of potency. Nootropics Depot is confident their product blows all the rest out of the water.
Akarali
Akarali is the only supplement brand on this list with an entire company dedicated to one product: Tongkat Ali.
They claim to have the most potent extract of Tongkat Ali on the market place which is derived from a patented extraction method only used by them. This unique extraction method involves a form of hot-water extraction and freeze-drying.
Their Tongkat Ali comes from handpicked mature roots from the source which are grown in rainforests for at least 5 years. Using chromatography testing, their product’s purity and safety is easily one of the best and most reliable on the market.
Live Momentous
Live Momentous is a performance nutrition company that has caught the attention of renowned neuroscientist Dr. Andrew Huberman. With his involvement in the company, Huberman adds scientific credibility and insight, endorsing the products and collaborating on research.
Founded in the USA, Live Momentous emphasizes using only the finest ingredients, coupled with rigorous third-party testing to ensure purity and potency.
Their Tongkat Ali supplement is among their stellar offerings, known for its standardization to 2% Eurycomanone, similar to Nootropics Depot. Not just a supplement for boosting energy and vitality, the package design embodies the brand’s commitment to elegance and effectiveness. You can’t help but be drawn to the sleek label that hints at the powerful content inside.
Choosing the best Tongkat Ali supplement is never easy, but with Live Momentous, the decision is a little less complex. The company’s attention to detail, commitment to quality, stylish presentation, and association with a scientific figure like Dr. Huberman, stand out in a crowded marketplace.
CHOQ
While CHOQ may not be the most well-known brand on this list, they beat out 90% of the brands that didn’t make it to this list simply for their transparency in their marketing, dedication to quality, and potency. Take just a few minutes to browse their website and you’ll see CHOQ is a reputable company that cares about the quality of its products.
They promise guaranteed quality with manufacturing that happens in a cGMP-certified facility, and extensive testing that ensures the absence of heavy metals and bacteria.
Elm & Rye
Elm & Rye has been featured in Forbes, Discover, Men’s Journal, The Salt Lake Tribune, and more. Their products are purity and quality-tested and backed by a medical advisory board of trained professionals and doctors. Elm & Rye promises clear transparency, purity, sustainability, and reliability.
Tongkat Ali Frequently Asked Questions
Does Tongkat Ali actually increase testosterone?
Tongkat Ali does increase testosterone with promising results. Thanks to some new studies, we actually have clear evidence of Tongkat Ali being able to boost testosterone levels by up to 600%.
The western world has adopted Tongkat Ali for its potential performance-enhancing potential. It may even help increase muscle mass, strength, and overall athletic performance, amongst other benefits.
What are the potential benefits of Tongkat Ali?
Increased testosterone
Tongkat Ali can potentially boost free testosterone by up to 600% in 24 weeks. Many supplements and herbs have emerged over the years claiming to help boost testosterone levels. But few have stood the test of time or have been proven to be efficacious.
Having optimal levels of total and free testosterone is so important, not only for men but for women as well. Healthy testosterone levels help contribute to red blood cell production (better oxygen availability to muscles), which can lead to better erections and better performance in the gym, higher sperm count, better fat distribution, bone density, and so much more.
If you’re not already doing everything you can to optimize your testosterone levels it may be time to take a look at your daily routines and if there’s anything you can do to balance your hormonal profile. Testosterone production is directly correlated with overall better quality of life in men.
Improved libido
Lack of morning wood and low sex drive are important signs that you should be aware of and are clear signs of low testosterone. If you have low testosterone or are hypogonadal, whichever route of hormone option you ultimately decide to go with will help relieve both ED and low libido.
Will Tongkat Ali completely solve your low libido or erectile dysfunction? Not exactly. Tongkat Ali is a supplement and should be used as such. That means you should have your overall health and diet dialed in before you try and optimize your hormones. There can be so many other factors causing these issues. With that being said, a healthy person supplementing with Tongkat Ali should theoretically be able to reduce the frequency of low libido.
Improved energy levels
Extended use of Tongkat Ali may help improve energy levels and help bring them back to normal levels. If you’re feeling low-energy, tired, and constantly fatigued this is a clear sign that something is off.
Testosterone helps aid in the process of erythropoiesis which is the process in which your body produces more red blood cells. The more red blood cells you have, the more oxygen can be transported to the rest of the cells in your body, which results in more stable energy levels.
Decreased cortisol levels
Cortisol is directly related to testosterone in that, the higher your cortisol, the lower your testosterone, and vice versa. Optimizing testosterone levels could help lower overall cortisol and stress levels.
Studies show that testosterone suppresses cortisol response through stimulation of the HPA axis in men. The HPA axis is a number of pathways that respond to negative feedback input.
Improved body composition, lower fat levels, and more muscle mass
Supplementing with Tongkat Ali may help improve your body composition by increasing testosterone levels in the body. Testosterone is directly correlated with body composition. This can clearly be seen as we age our testosterone levels drop, and body composition tends to follow suit.
With supraphysiological doses and or testosterone and hormone replacement therapy, body composition seems to improve drastically in short periods of time. Tongkat Ali may be able to stimulate this process through its natural mechanisms of increasing testosterone levels.
Increased athletic performance and endurance
Because of testosterone’s ability to increase bone density and size, improve muscle hypertrophy and protein synthesis (bigger and stronger muscles), along with higher levels of hemoglobin and red blood cell count (more blood oxygen), Tongkat Ali may indirectly play a role in improving overall athletic performance and endurance.
Additionally, because of testosterone’s direct positive influence on mental state and well-being, it’s feasible that Tongkat Ali can help aid in fighting mental fatigue and improving overall mental tenacity.
Improved mood regulation
Tongkat Ali may indirectly play a role in improving mood regulation through its testosterone mechanisms. Although not scientifically proven, it is believed that testosterone plays a role in serotonin reuptake in the brain. This could explain why so many have reported improved mood and overall sense of well-being after beginning TRT and or optimizing their hormonal health.
Deeper sleep
Tongkat Ali may indirectly improve the quality of sleep through its interaction with testosterone. Observations have shown that the relationship between testosterone and cortisol is responsible for testosterone’s ability to improve deep sleep. Optimal levels of testosterone can help ward off higher levels of cortisol which can lead to wakefulness, restlessness, racing thoughts, and more.
It’s also feasible to think that because of testosterone’s effect on athletic performance and mental fortitude, someone with healthier hormone levels may exert more effort in the gym. This could indirectly affect overall sleep quality making you sleep harder. Better hormone health can have this kind of cascading effect of positive feedback loops which all help one another.
Decreased joint pain and lower inflammation
Because of testosterone’s ability to ward off chronic inflammation, optimizing hormone levels using Tongkat Ali could help reduce joint pain and other pain in the body caused by inflammation.
Increased bone density
By taking Tongkat Ali and increasing your natural testosterone production, you set yourself up for the potential of improved bone mineral density thanks to testosterone’s ability to help increase bone density and strength.
What mechanism does Tongkat Ali use to increase testosterone?
It is still unknown what specific mechanism Tongkat Ali uses to increase testosterone naturally. It was previously thought to work through LH and FSH but new studies show this may not be the case due to a lack of increase in LH and FSH after Tongkat Ali supplementation.
Additionally, it was also theorized that the primary mechanism of Tongkat Ali has been its ability to 1. prevent the conversion of testosterone into estrogen via the aromatase enzyme and 2. blocking estrogenic activity in the CNS. But this too has been disproven with more recent studies.