The supplement market presents a plethora of Tongkat Ali supplements but often confusing and disappointing at times. Best-selling Tongkat Ali supplement such as Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali has become a hit in the UK for its ability to boost testosterone levels, libido, sports performance, reduce stress, and more.
This article provides our in-depth review of Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali to explore how well this particular UK Tongkat Ali brand works in real-world settings, based on expert and customer reviews and whether it works well as to boost sports performance.
Applied Nutrition is a UK company that creates premium nutrition supplements for professional athletes, fitness enthusiasts, the gym lifestyle community, and people looking to supplement their diet with the highest quality health, wellbeing and beauty nutrition.
The company which specializes in a wide range of UK-made food supplements, claim their 600mg Tongkat Ali supplement is developed to support libido and male performance, reduce stress, and improve body composition.
At £20.95 for 60 capsules at 600mg each, Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali is considered a steal if you’re just looking at the sheer amount of Tongkat Ali extract that was placed in each capsule (600mg). They even provide a staggered payment option for extra affordability if you are buying in the UK.
Available in over 60 countries, Applied Nutrition is a popular Tongkat Ali UK brand that you can buy directly or via several online supplement resellers with increasing customer reviews but its effectiveness to boost sports performance is an area to look out for as it has not been well received by professional athletes and health coaches in the UK.
Self-styled as the UK’s fastest growing sports and active nutrition brand, we deep-dive into the technical attributes behind its Tongkat Ali extract to investigate whether Applied Nutrition’s Tongkat Ali stands up to scrutiny amongst other top selling Tongkat Ali brands in the UK and US.
Marketed as a 100:1 Tongkat Ali extract with 1% eurycomanone, 22% eurypeptides, 30% polysaccharides, and 40% glycosaponins, Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali provides the confidence, at least it certainly sounds good on paper.
What is less talked about is that not every Tongkat Ali supplement is created equal, with varying levels of quality, efficacy, and potency which often result in sub-par performance. The addition of fillers such as maltodextrin may disrupt Tongkat Ali’s true potential, limiting its efficacy and health benefits.
The addition of Astragin to Tongkat Ali extract found in Applied Nutrition may not necessarily add extra potency or efficacy. As observed from previous studies, the health benefits of Tongkat Ali are clinically tested based on pure unadulterate root extract. Hence we cannot conclude that the addition of astragin in Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali has any beneficial effect on efficacy or potency.
Should those numbers prove true, Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali should certainly boost testosterone as marketed, even if 800mg per capsule is relatively high compared to what is clinically tested to be effective (i.e 200mg to 400mg daily dosage) from established Tongkat Ali human clinical trials and research papers .
In fact, 1 serving of Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali (at 2 capsules) amounts to a whopping 1,200mg, which then begs the question of long-term safety consumption vs. efficacy and potency.
We spoke to one young UK professional athlete, Khadaffi Javeed, who sprints 100 and 200 meters for his club Harrogate Harriers in the UK about his experience trying Applied Nutrition’s Tongkat Ali.
At 22, Khadaffi was looking for a supplement to improve his performance on the track as well as to improve his body composition.
Here is his review of Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali.
After finishing one entire bottle of Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali, he felt no discernable difference in his performance or with his body composition. As someone who tracks these numbers religiously and is particularly in-tune with his body, this was more than a little concerning.
In fact, after doing some research, he came to the conclusion that a brand touting such a high standard dose was more than a little suspicious, especially given that clinical trials on Tongkat Ali used doses of between 200 – 600mg. He was shocked that this was more than twice the dose used as a safe benchmark limit.
"Even my mum was shocked at the very high dosage and disapproved of me taking Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali. My dad, who’s also my manager, was also suspicious about me trying other Tongkat Ali brands after this sheer disappointment.”
So, what was the issue with Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali, and should you even buy one?
One possible theory, and something for prospective consumers to note, is that Tongkat Ali supplements are made using different extraction methods which can provide varying levels of efficacy and potency. Due to the largely unregulated nature of the herbal dietary supplements industry, dilution of Tongkat Ali extracts is common, and adding other ingredients such as Astragin (found in Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali) to enhance absorption may not unlock the full potential of Tongkat Ali’s efficacy.
Other factors could include a lack of standardization by sourcing low-quality extract as well as impurities that are mostly undetected by consumers or by OEM brand owners.
With Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali, unlike some of their other more popular products like their proteins, there were close to no detailed customer reviews on the product. In fact, out of 32 pages of Trustpilot reviews, we only found one mention of their Tongkat Ali, which sang its praises but did not provide any details as to why.
Applied Nutrition does not provide any information as to the source of their Tongkat Ali extract. Most reputable Tongkat Ali brands in the UK will disclose the country of origin where the extract is sourced from, i.e Malaysia or Indonesia.
In addition, it is unlikely that Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali extract is clinically tested on humans, given the very high recommended dosage of 1,200mg per serving. Based on published randomized placebo controlled clinical tests, the Tongkat Ali peak dosage that works effectively (assuming it is made from 100% root extract) is at a maximum of a recommended 600mg daily. Doubling the dose per single serving may yield unwanted Tongkat Ali side effects that are prevalent amongst Tongkat Ali in the UK.
Applied Nutrition says they use “the most bioavailable 100:1 extract”, which is more likely than not just another generic 100:1 extract that any enterprising manufacturer can purchase online from cheap wholesale Tongkat Ali extract suppliers in China. Discerning customers who opt for quality premium extracts should be vigilant and seek out extracts made using a patented hot-water method that is governed by the Tongkat Ali Malaysian Standards, MS2409 – following the British standards to guarantee the highest-level efficacy, safety, and potency.
Applied Nutrition may use a non-standardized extract, but they do not indicate this to the public or consumers. Tongkat Ali supplements with standardized extract are of higher quality, more consistent, and generally complies with Malaysian Tongkat Ali standards (MS2409), the only Tongkat Ali production guidelines in the world for minimum levels of bioactive ingredients. Well-regulated extracts like this tend to lead to better overall performance due to higher potency, consistency, and clinical testing on humans.
If Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali did not work for you, chances are the raw Tongkat Ali was sourced from young plants that have lower potency, or in worst if it sources from multiple locations which are prone to inconsistent harvesting techniques. Alternatively, the base extract may have been bulked up with fillers or could have even have been made using all parts of the Tongkat Ali plant to save on cost.
The best Tongkat Ali supplements are made from mature 5-year-old Malaysian Yellow Tongkat Ali plants, using only the roots, which are regarded as highly potent as they contains higher eurycomanone, eurypeptides (polypeptides), glycosaponins, and polysaccharides that are clinically tested to benefit health in several key areas.
We scoured the web for any further reviews on this product, but came up with just two – one from a UK supplements reseller called ActiveSports and another on a Bulgarian reseller called ReadyForLife. While both very positive, they did not provide very much detail to critically analyze:
There are very few Tongkat Ali brands in the world that are consistently effective let alone clinically validated. AKARALI is good example that uses standardized hot-water Tongkat Ali root extract which guarantees effective levels of bioactive ingredients and is backed by multiple human clinical studies to ensure that it works in real world settings in a diverse range of people.
If you’re buying in the UK, Applied Nutrition’s Tongkat Ali may work better compared to Solaray 400mg Tongkat Ali or British Supplement Tongkat Ali, but still inferior compared to premium Tongkat Ali brands such as AKARALI.
According to professional sprinter Khadaffi Javeed and many other athletes, Applied Nutrition Tongkat Ali may not be the best option as a natural sports supplement to aid in sports performance, and body composition or if you are into serious competitive sports. This conclusion is supported by the lack of any noticeable effect on-track performance, gym sessions, or body composition despite the unusually high serving dose of 1,200mg.
Despite this, Applied Nutrition is regarded as a highly reputable brand in the UK, particularly in providing high-quality Tongkat Ali supplements that don’t necessarily rely on potent raw natural ingredients and advanced extraction methods. Their proteins and creatine, for example, are very highly regarded in customer reviews.
For those seeking effective Tongkat Ali supplements or capsules in the UK, it’s recommended to opt for products utilizing standardized hot-water extract. These extracts, known for their high quality and pharmaceutical-grade standards, were originally conceived for further medical research into the various bioactive benefits of Tongkat Ali – most notably used in many human clinical trials in the last decade.
Additionally, top Tongkat Ali brands in the UK such as AKARALI undergo clinical testing on humans for sports performance enhancement, testosterone regulation, stress reduction, and more, making them the ideal choice for discerning and performance-minded consumers.
Learn more about the best Tongkat Ali in the UK or reach out to us at any of our international offices if you are buying or searching for the best Tongkat Ali that works.
Naressa Khan contributes regularly on AKARALI. As a researcher and investigative journalist, Naressa is all about creating, deconstructing, and reassembling meaningful content through words and facts. With this approach always in mind, she eagerly explores the nuances in life via the aspects of lifestyle, culture, travel, health, and wellness in Malaysia .
Our articles are third party reviewed by our panel of experts and medical advisors to ensure the facts are accurate and credible. These are validated against multiple source references which include but not limited to research studies, peer-reviewed journals, pre-clinical studies, clinical tests and other credible publications.
Our panel of medical advisors and experts are highly experienced in their individual fields. However, they do not provide any medical advice or recommendations arising from content published in this article.
Disclaimer:
The content published on this website is for educational purposes and should not be viewed, read, or seen as a prescription or constitute any form of medical advice. We recommend you consult your nearest GP or doctors before consuming Tongkat Ali or any products which contain Tongkat Ali. For further information, kindly refer to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for more information.
