The effectiveness of Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma Longifolia) as a natural supplement to boost libido has always been debated by consumers as it delivers mixed-bag results.
According to Reddit users, standardized Tongkat Ali hot water extract cause better erection due to higher potency whilst other users shared that some Tongkat Ali brands such as Solaray contributed to mild libido effects.
This article shares the best health protocol when taking Tongkat Ali for optimal libido benefits, including types of diet and food you should avoid and many other tips.
Hormonal-related ED symptoms may be caused by unhealthy diet, sedentary or and high level of cholesterol that blocks your blood flow to your penile area. To the question of whether does Tongkat Ali improve ED or libido, it bogs down to your hormonal response in producing testosterone.
The efficiency of your adrenal glands in producing the right amount of sex hormones is influenced by what you consume (i.e diet) and what activities you perform (i.e exercises & physical activities)
Diet and exercises are two important factors when consuming Tongkat Ali to achieve maximum libido effects for men.
Men with mild ED-symptoms associated with androgen deficiencies may be addressed through 12 weeks of Tongkat Ali supplementation, diet changes, minerals, vitamins and plenty of cardio exercises.
Nutritionists and health experts recommend standardized hot water Tongkat Ali extracts which contains higher potency and bioavailability that may help to improve your libido or mild ED symptoms, by optimizing testosterone to a healthy level.
Standardized Tongkat Ali hot water extracts showed the greatest effect on libido by far, outperforming 200:1 extracts
However, Tongkat Ali is not the answer to cure ED and further advice from healthcare professionals is necessary to diagnose if you are experiencing chronic ED symptoms.
If you are taking Tongkat Ali for libido health, it is important to adhere to a set protocol to deliver optimal benefits. This health protocol includes reducing your sugar intake that hampers testosterone production, reducing diary intake to avoid excess estrogen in your body and cardio exercises that promote higher production of testosterone in your body.
After taking into account feedback from nutritionists and health coaches, we shall deep-dive at how this health protocol may help you improve libido or mild ED symptoms when taking Tongkat Ali.
Your first step to boost your libido when taking Tongkat Ali is changing your diet to a sugar-free diet,(or reducing sugar intake by 80%), reducing diary intake (including plant-based diary products), and other testosterone-killing foods.
Reduce Sugar Intake
A sugar-free diet is the best diet if you are taking Tongkat Ali to boost libido as sugar may lower testosterone levels according to the latest research published by Journal of Reproductive of Biology and Endocrinology in 2018.
Since the testosterone-enhancing properties from Tongkat Ali delivers elevated libido effects, reducing your sugar intake may increase the production of testosterone in your testes and adrenal glands at all times.
For diabetic patients, or if you have insulin resistance, this is the best time to cut down your sugar by 50 to 70 percent when taking Tongkat Ali to boost your libido. In addition, Tongkat Ali helps diabetic patients to lower sugar blood level, but it is best to consume it with a sugar-free diet if you want to reduce your ED symptoms.
Reduce Diary Intake
Nutritionist Excess estrogen intake from dairy could disrupt the delicate hormonal balance in the body, potentially leading to reduced libido and sexual dysfunction, particularly by lowering testosterone levels.
Worst still, diary could also affect sperm count and overall men’s fertility according to Dr. Neal Barnard, the President of Physicians Committee of Responsible Medicine (PCRM).
“Men who consume the most cheese have the worst sperm counts, the worst sperm motility, the worst sperm morphology,” he said.
This Rochester Young Men’s Study showed full-fat dairy products (primarily cheese) have effects on high concentration of estrogen that cause the decline in semen quality in physically-active men.
So, even you are active and physically fit, it is best to reduce your milk intake, cheese and other diary processed foods when taking Tongkat Ali, particular if you want to boost your libido.
Avoid Testosterone-Killing Foods
There are other testosterone-killing foods that may disrupt your libido or have negative effects on your ED. Therefore, you might want to reduce or avoid eating nuts, soy and reducing your alcohol intake substantially when taking Tongkat Ali supplements.
Some of testosterone-killing foods such as nuts are known to increase SHBG levels, which in turn may hamper your libido, thus affecting your erection. It is best to avoid taking too much nuts or walnuts when taking with Tongkat Ali if your libido has not improved.
Add Watermelon & Dark Chocolate To Your Diet
Watermelon is known for its high citrulline content which helps improve blood flow to penile through higher production of nitric oxide (NO). When combined with Tongkat Ali libido-enhancing properties, adding 2-3 glasses of watermelon juice helps your libido and erection that you can enjoy the rest of your evening.
Adopt testosterone-building exercises to improve libido, at least 3 times a week. Combine running, swimming and weight training for a week when taking Tongkat Ali helps combat ED and improve your libido.
You should Tongkat Ali (200mg to 400mg) an hour before your exercises if you want to get better or stronger erection. This effect can be felt after your have completed your exercises.
The best exercises that you should incorporate as part of your Tongkat Ali protocol include HIIT (15 minutes), 5k running and weight training at maximum capacity. Combining and alternating between weight or strength training (twice a week) with running (i.e 5km twice a week), or swimming may yield to better libido boost.
Running
Running is an aerobic exercise that increase blood flow to the gentials. Running for an hour, or at least 5km daily may help improve your libido, leading to stronger erection. Supplementing your run, sprint or marathon with Tongkat Ali may elevate your sexual desire, mood and possibly reduce mild ED symptoms.
Running has tremendous effect on confidence, and mood.
“You tend to have a heightened libido when you’re proud of yourself,” said Julia Levitt, an OB/GYN and marathoner in Chicago.
If your goal is to boost libido, it is advisable not to expose your body to excessive overtraining or long-distance running. Prolonged exposure to long distance running, i.e marathon, may have negative effects on libido as shown in a study in 2022.
Weight or Strength Training
Weight training, weight lifting, resistance exercise or strength training are four similar type of exercise that may help increase testosterone levels in both men and women. Due to the production of higher testosterone from your adrenal glands and testes, the result is improved libido, sexual desire and erection.
Supplementing Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma Longifolia) pure root extract with weight training for at least 3 times a week is the natural way to improve your libido by elevating your testosterone and lowering your SHBG over time.
The best tip is to not overdo the weigh training but instead focusing on strengthening your core and legs muscle and do check out the best strength-training exercises recommended by health experts.
Swimming
Using Tongkat Ali an hour before your daily swimming activities may help elevate your libido and sexual desire by improving your stamina and endurance. For best results, aim for 30 minutes of moderate intensity swimming, or at least 10-20 laps for maximum libido boost.
A new 2023 study published by the International Journal of Sexual Health showed that swimmers maintain a better sexual function and overall better sexual satisfaction. Most professional master swimmers reported having more frequent sex than the average general population.
Kegel Exercises
Pelvic floor or Kegel exercises may be added to cardio or strength / weight training together with Tongkat Ali for better sexual performance. Be prepared to take Tongkat Ali one hour before your Kegel exercise regime and this can be combined with weight training for maximum libido boost. The libido effects may be felt 1-2 hours after the exercise during your resting state.
Improving libido through natural remedies, lifestyle changes and diet are three main components that ensure a better sexual health. Our verdict is as follows:
Tongkat Ali may only work best as a libido supplement when paired with a strict sugar-free diet, a religious weekly cardio-weight-combo exercises, and with 8 hours of sleep.
In addition, quality of the Tongkat Ali extract plays a crucial role in determining the potency and effect on your libido. Therefore, standardized Tongkat Ali hot water extract with eurycomanone of 0.5% of higher may improve the chances of getting better erection or sexual desire.
If you are not experiencing any libido boost, you may want to check why Tongkat Ali didn’t work for you, or consult your nearest physician or urologists for medical advice.
Alex Kua leads AKARALI’s Global Partnership Community to help athletes, sports communities, and thousand of others optimize their well-being through evidence-based research that enables them to make better informed decisions. His legal and business consulting background underpins the rigorous data-driven approach in his writing – from hours of interviews, real-world performance data, and firsthand experiences of real people – offering actionable insights that connects clinical research, emerging health trends, and real-world applications. He is also an experienced researcher in herbal nutrition, with years of deep technical knowledge on Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia), including quality standards, industry benchmarks, lab tests, clinical trials, and the use of natural herbs by collaborating with top scientists, herbal experts, and nutritionists. As part of the core team behind AKARALI’s knowledge portal, he empowers people worldwide to access the benefits of high-quality herbal nutrition in a way that is effective, sustainable, and safe. He is also an avid runner, with regular participation in local sports communities and running events.
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.
