Tongkat Ali for Mood Stabilization
Mood effects are secondary findings in small stress trials.
Overview
Verdict
How It Works
Dosing & Protocol
Typical dose
- Recommended dose
- Studied at 200 mg/day of standardised extract; mood measures were secondary endpoints in small trials
- Expected timeframe
- Not established
Protocol
- form
- Standardised water-based extract such as Physta or LJ100
- duration
- Trials ran 4 weeks
- co factor
- Evidence is insufficient. The relevant finding is from Talbott and colleagues, who gave 200 mg/day of standardised extract to 63 moderately stressed adults for 4 weeks and reported reductions in tension, anger and confusion on the Profile of Mood States, alongside a 16% reduction in salivary cortisol. This is a single small short trial with mood as one of several secondary measures, in people without a mood disorder, and it has not been replicated. No trial has examined tongkat ali in depression, bipolar disorder or any diagnosed mood condition, and mood stabilisation in the clinical sense has never been studied.
- titration
- Not applicable - mood has not been a primary endpoint in any adequate trial
- starting dose
- Not established for this outcome. Trials used 200 mg/day of standardised water-based extract
Evidence
What the studies say
No studies are yet linked to both Tongkat Ali and Mood Stabilization.
Safety
Caveats
Mood stabilisation is a specific clinical concept relating to bipolar disorder, where treatment with lithium, valproate, lamotrigine or antipsychotics prevents episodes and reduces suicide risk - no supplement has been shown to do this, and substituting one for prescribed treatment is dangerous. The tongkat ali data concern transient mood state changes in non-clinical stressed adults over 4 weeks. Persistent low mood, mood swings, irritability, elevated mood with reduced need for sleep, or any suicidal thoughts require professional assessment. Safety of tongkat ali: generally well tolerated at 200-400 mg/day, with insomnia, restlessness and irritability reported - which is relevant here, since agitation and sleep disruption can worsen mood conditions and could theoretically destabilise bipolar illness. Lead contamination has been documented in a substantial proportion of commercial products, so use third-party tested standardised extracts only. It may lower blood glucose and interact with antihypertensives. Avoid in hormone-sensitive cancers and prostate disease. Avoid in pregnancy and breastfeeding. Long-term safety beyond a few months is not established.
Less likely to help if
Medical Disclaimer
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Individual results may vary. The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products and information are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.