Tongkat Ali for Testosterone Support

Typical dose

Recommended dose

200-400mg standardised extract daily

Expected timeframe

4-12 weeks

Protocol

form

Standardised water-based extract such as Physta or LJ100; unstandardised products vary widely and carry lead contamination risk

duration

Trials ran 4-12 weeks

co factor

Evidence is insufficient. Reported effects are inconsistent: Talbott and colleagues found an 11% testosterone rise in stressed adults over 4 weeks, Ismail and colleagues reported increases in men with late-onset hypogonadism, while several trials in eugonadal men and athletes found no significant change. Where increases occurred they were modest, often within normal variation, and predominantly in men with low baseline levels or high stress. The proposed mechanism is displacement from sex hormone binding globulin and reduced cortisol rather than increased production. Most trials are small, Malaysian and industry-linked.

titration

Not applicable - no reliable dose-response for testosterone has been shown

starting dose

Not established as a testosterone intervention. Trials used 200-400 mg/day of standardised water-based extract

What the studies say

Less likely to help if