Adulterants, contaminants, allergens, and impurities are major causes of Tongkat Ali side effects. Adulterants may be added or used as solvents to Tongkat Ali extract by manufacturers, but excessive addition of adulterants may increase the likelihood of Tongkat Ali side effects and cause more risks.
In this article, we shall focus on the major causes of Tongkat Ali’s side effects to help you identify the root cause and how to prevent the risks from happening.
In general, there are two potential causes of Tongkat Ali side effects:
What will be covered in the article:
Adulterants are substances (i.e binders, fillers, synthetic drugs, allergens and pesticides) that are found or intentionally added to Tongkat Ali extract with the intent to deceive, artificially enhance or lower its quality.
Adulterants found in Tongkat Ali are a major cause of side effects such as nausea, vomiting, severe heart palpitations, acute hallucinations, rashes, and skin allergies.
Depending on the type of adulterants used in Tongkat Ali extract, it could cause long term health risks.
"Adulterants not only dilute the therapeutic value of herbal supplements but also have the potential to cause harm. The herbal industry must commit to rigorous testing and quality assurance protocols to maintain the purity and efficacy of Tongkat Ali."
Types of adulterants, impurities and contaminants that may be found in some Tongkat Ali supplements:
Binders is a form of solvent, often used as an anti-caking agent, or to prevent the Tongkat Ali powder from clumping due to changes in humidity and temperature. Binders such as magnesium stearate are used in most Tongkat Ali supplements in the US and UK.
The addition of adulterants such as magnesium stearate in Momentous Huberman Tongkat Ali poses health risks if taken long term or in higher-doses.
Huberman Tongkat Ali contains magnesium stearate, a chemical compound known to irritate the mucus lining of the bowels, triggering diarrhea and cause potential of weakening of the immune system.
Some Tongkat Ali manufacturers add inexpensive fillers during production to increase their volume, weight or aid in the encapsulation process. Adding excessive fillers such as maltodextrin (rice flour) found in major Tongkat Ali supplements is not good for your blood sugar levels.
Fillers can be substances like starch, rice powder, or other inert materials. The addition of excessive fillers can dilute the bioactive ingredients of Tongkat Ali, reducing its effectiveness.
Maltodextrin is extremely bad for metabolism because it lacks nutritional value and may also spike your blood sugars.
Avoid buying Tongkat Ali supplements with high filler content which are sold at lower prices. Brands such as Solaray 400mg Tongkat Ali may be affordable and cheap, but less potent and may not deliver any health benefits due to excessive amount of maltodextrin and low bioactive compounds.
In some cases, Tongkat Ali supplements may be adulterated with synthetic drugs (i.e sildenafil, tadalafil, anabolic steroids, sibutramine, pro hormones), which can be harmful, dangerous and even toxic. According to health experts, addition of synthetic drugs could cause cardiac arrest and other cardiovascular diseases when consumed over long term.
Manufacturers may add these drugs to mimic the effects of the herbal ingredients or enhance the product’s perceived efficacy.
The good news for consumers is that Amazon has recently introduced new requirements for Tongkat Ali supplements to be adulterant tested by independent bodies. Brands such as AKARALI is free from side effects, anabolic steroids and other synthetic drugs as it is lab tested by EUROFINS, a reputable independent lab in the US that adhere to the USFDA dietary supplement standards.
To minimize the risks of unwanted side effects, choose a reputable Tongkat Ali brands that adhere to Tongkat Ali manufacturing quality standards such as MS2409, or those which are 3rd party lab tested by trusted organization such as EUROFINS.
Adulterant test is crucial to ensure Tongkat Ali supplements are free from:
Selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs):
Anabolic Steroids:
Stimulants:
However, these synthetic drugs can pose serious health risks, especially if the consumer is unaware of their presence or potential side effects.
Tongkat Ali supplements may contain allergens such as gluten, soy, dairy, or nuts from shared production line. Allergens can be problematic for individuals with known allergies or sensitivities which cause adverse Tongkat Ali side effects.
We will cover more about allergens and allergic reaction further down this article as we investigate the extent of its side effects to American consumers.
Avoid buying Tongkat Ali supplements which is manufactured from shared food production assembly line.
Cross-contamination of allergens can occur during manufacturing if the supplements are processed in facilities that handle allergenic ingredients.
This is a common problem with contract manufacturing facilities in the USA as they share the same production line with other food products, herbal supplements, etc.
Tongkat Ali supplements sourced from plants grown in polluted areas or contaminated soils, can contain heavy metals like lead, mercury, arsenic, or cadmium. Indonesian Tongkat Ali grown near mining areas in Kalimantan have higher mercury and arsenic, which can be highly toxic, unsafe for human consumption and damaging to health.
Avoid buying Indonesian Tongkat Ali supplements due to excessive high heavy metals (mercury and arsenic) and lack of regulatory controls by the authorities. This may lead to chronic kidney diseases in the long term.
These heavy metals may accumulate in Tongkat Ali plants and pose health risks such as Drugs Induced Liver Injury (DILI) when consumed over a long period or in high-doses.
The Food Drugs Administration (FDA) has set a limit of mercury content in food and dietary supplement not exceeding 0.05 p.p.m
On this note, Malaysian Tongkat Ali is relatively safer with few side effects compared to Indonesian Tongkat Ali and consumers are advised to check the source ingredient and country of origin when buying Tongkat Ali supplements in the US or UK.
If herbs used in supplements are not properly cultivated and tested, they may be contaminated with residues of pesticides or herbicides used during farming.
The pesticide-free Tongkat Ali plants, or wild Tongkat Ali (that are harvested in the rainforests) are a safer option.
These chemical residues can be harmful to human health if ingested regularly.
Allergens found in Tongkat Ali supplements are the primary cause of side effects such as constipation, abdominal pain, mild diarrhea, dizziness and nausea. These common side effects can be harmful to consumers, caused by traces of allergens (eg: shellfish, peanut, tree nuts, soybeans) as manufacturers share the same production line when producing the Tongkat Ali capsules.
In recent years, side effects from allergens have prompted US-based Force Factor Longjack Tongkat Ali to issue an allergen warning to its consumers as the product is manufactured by the same equipment which process other products containing milk, eggs, soybeans, wheat, shellfish, fish oil, tree nuts and peanuts.
Sharing the same manufacturing line to produce Tongkat Ali supplements in the US is a bad practice, causing the rise of severe side effects cases such as nausea, vomitting, diarrhea and stomach upsets.
You could avoid negative side effects such as nausea and dizziness by buying Tongkat Ali brands which specialize in single-ingredient formulations such as AKARALI, or you could check if you are allergic to alkaloids, or other forms of allergens by reading the warning labels.
Tongkat Ali is not suitable if you have an allergic reaction to alkaloids. Although this allergic reaction is rare but can still occur when your immune system mistakenly identifies alkaloids as harmful substances and triggers an immune response.
There is a small downside risk if you are intolerant to allergens, alkaloids, or adaptogenic herbs. Those side effects are usually mild and may disappear within hours or days, but it can be severe to those who are immunocompromised.
Alkaloids are naturally occurring chemical compounds found in various plants such as coca, belladonna plant, nightshade plants (egg plants, tomatoes, peppers) – and a high percentage of alkaloids in Tongkat Ali may pose negative reactions to those who are inherently allergic to adaptogenic alkaloid herbs.
If you are someone with an allergy to alkaloids, your immune system releases histamine and other chemicals, leading to allergic symptoms such as:
Seek emergency medical help if you, or someone else you’re with has a severe or chronic allergic reaction. You should stop taking Tongkat Ali immediately and don’t wait to see if the symptoms go away.
If you have an attack and you carry an epinephrine autoinjector, administer it right away. Even if symptoms improve after the injection, you still need to go to an emergency room to make sure symptoms don’t recur, even without more exposure to the allergen. This second reaction is called biphasic anaphylaxis.
Make an appointment to see your provider if you or your child has had a severe allergy attack or signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis in the past.
If you suspect an allergy to alkaloids, quassinoids or other major allergic reactions after consuming Tongkat Ali, it’s important to consult with a healthcare professional or allergist for proper diagnosis, advice, and management of your condition. They can help identify the specific allergens and recommend appropriate treatment or avoidance strategies.
Based on the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) report, the allergen screening test by ELISA and PCR analysis did not detect any of form of allergens or cross‐allergenicity in Tongkat Ali. In addition, no allergic reactions to Tongkat Ali have been reported in Malaysia since its approved use by the Ministry of Health.
However, there are still risks of allergic reaction if the Tongkat Ali supplement is exposed to allergens during the encapsulation or filling process that may happen in the manufacturing facility. Consumers who are allergic to alkaloids or hormone-sensitive are cautioned against buying low-quality Tongkat Ali supplements from unreputable brands in the US to avoid any side effects from allergens.
To mitigate the risk of adulteration or allergy reaction, it’s advisable to choose clinically tested Tongkat Ali supplements from trusted brands. This will minimize any unwanted side effects. However, the severity of Tongkat Ali side effects vary from one person to the other.
Also please look out for Certificate of Analysis (COA), or third-party testing certifications from reputable lab facilities such as EUROFINS, and consult healthcare professionals or pharmacists for guidance when selecting and using herbal products.
Ask our experts on Tongkat Ali adulterants, contaminants and impurities.
Naressa Khan contributes regularly on AKARALI and is part of the global Tongkat Ali research team. As a writer and journalist, Naressa specializes in nutrition, health supplements, and natural wellness. With this approach always in mind, she explores fact-based and scientific evidence of topics related to health, herbs and natural wellness.
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.
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