After more than 200 years since the first documented use of Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma Longifolia) by British surgeon William Jack during his visit to Malaysia, we invited a British functional health expert to conduct a special review of Malaysian Tongkat Ali.
This is a first-hand British review of Tongkat Ali. Learn more about what goes behind the production of quality Tongkat Ali supplements that have been sold in the UK in recent years.
Our first UK Tongkat Ali review aims to provide better clarity, transparency and guidance to our British audience, and those who have not experienced Tongkat Ali before.
Born and raised in Greater London, Alexander Brookes (AJ) is a well-respected functional health coach who spends his time studying natural supplements as part of his health protocols.
His superhuman health protocol incorporates a holistic plan of balanced nutrition recommendations, exercises and supplementation in order to achieve optimal health for his clients.
We invited him to review Tongkat Ali for the first time in Malaysia to assess whether quality Tongkat Ali supplements really make a difference.
For AJ, his end goal is to assess the effectiveness and suitability of Tongkat Ali as a daily supplement as a part of his health optimization protocols.
Before we get AJ to review the Tongkat Ali manufacturing and research activities, we invited AJ to spend his time in the remote rainforest of Malaysia to get a true taste of an authentic Tongkat Ali experience.
Our journey took us several hours on foot into the 100-million-year-old rainforests of Pahang to find wild mature Tongkat Ali plants.
AJ was given a good brief on the terrain, what to look out for and Tongkat Ali harvesting techniques by Malaysian indigenous people (known as Orang Asli) before we set our exploration to find the rare Tongkat Ali plants that are hidden away in the dense jungle of Malaysia.
According to many British top herbalists, the key to quality natural supplements such as Tongkat Ali lies in the source of where the plant was harvested.
Tongkat Ali from Pahang and Perak rainforests were reported as one of the best locations to harvest quality Tongkat Ali plants and highly sought after by discerning British customers.
Many functional health coaches and herbalists agreed that single-origin Tongkat Ali is highly sought after in the UK due to its high-quality harvesting techniques in a rich natural ecosystem that delivers consistent bioavailability.
Together with hot water extraction process, standardization and human clinical studies, discerning customers in the UK are now enjoying quality Tongkat Ali supplements compared to a decade ago.
As we gathered the team at 8:00am, we gave AJ a capsule of AKARALI Tongkat Ali (200 mg) and a cup of AKARALI Tongkat Ali coffee (which contained 25mg of Tongkat Ali) for the first time.
With all the muscle aches from the Tongkat Ali exploration through the dense rainforests of Malaysia, the goodwill gesture was a good start as we wanted to put Tongkat Ali to the real test on a person who never tried a potent Tongkat Ali supplement before.
This was his initial impression after 15 minutes of taking Tongkat Ali.
“I am completely blown away. I felt my energy going through the roof and I feel sharp. There is a sense of clarity in my mind. Is this even real?”
Not only AJ was feeling ecstatic and euphoric after taking a cup of Tongkat Ali coffee and a 200 mg of Tongkat Ali capsule that morning, but he was highly engaged throughout the 5-hour factory visit.
There was no doubt that he absorbed all the technical and medical knowledge of Tongkat Ali like a sponge. Quite evidently, he performed well in all the mental gymnasts and questions thrown at him.
Our team suspected that Tongkat Ali reduced his brain fog as he was definitely on point when sharing his thoughts and asking the relevant questions that even surprised the scientists.
We were skeptical that it was due to Tongkat Ali effects, as he had few hours of sleep the night before and an hour of intense weight training workout at 6:30am on the same day.
AJ was candid on his initial reaction after taking Tongkat Ali and he added, “This Tongkat Ali experience is just surreal for me”
The real authentic Tongkat Ali is found from quality harvested plants and its roots. Root-only extract Tongkat Ali is highly preferred by UK customers, with positive reviews due to its high bioavailability and potency.
Medical doctor Dr. Shuaiyb from Leeds said that most Tongkat Ali in the UK are not authentic as the extract are not sourced from Tongkat Ali roots.
Meanwhile, AJ Brookes warned users to check on the extraction type and source materials before buying Tongkat Ali supplements in the UK.
AKARALI is best for its handpicked mature Tongkat Ali roots and work closely with indigenous people to develop sustainable replantation of Tongkat Ali plants in Malaysia.
Quality standards are an important criterion when buying Tongkat Ali supplements in the UK.
After reviewing more than a handful of Tongkat Ali supplements on eBay and on Amazon UK, Mr. Brookes concluded UK customers are not getting the best Tongkat Ali experience due to low-quality extracts that are widely sourced from Indonesia.
According to many UK customers, Indonesian Tongkat Ali did not work to boost testosterone or libido due to inconsistency quality from its raw material. Researchers found evidence of bark and leave extract, which delivers lower potency compared to root extract.
Popular Tongkat Ali supplements in the UK such as Solaray Tongkat Ali received many negative feedback with the latest claim by Dr Chris that it did not increase his testosterone.
In fact, taking Solaray Tongkat Ali showed a reduction of testosterone by 29% after 40 days.
Related Article: Solaray Tongkat Ali Review. Does it work to boost testosterone?
On the other hand, Malaysian Tongkat Ali well regarded by British herbalists as of a higher quality due to high quality manufacturing standards (eg: HCCAP certified, Halal certified, Kosher certified).
In addition, the adherence to Malaysian Tongkat Ali Standards MS2409 is what makes brands such as AKARALI one of the best Tongkat Ali supplements sold in the UK.
After spending 5 days of reviewing Tongkat Ali research activities and processes, Alexander Brookes concluded that AKARALI is well positioned to be amongst the strongest Tongkat Ali in the UK due to its clinically tested potency.
With more than 200 Tongkat Ali supplements and capsules sold in the UK, many functional health coaches in London are very wary of buying Tongkat Ali in England due to a lack of transparency on its potency and bioavailability of its active ingredients.
AJ Brookes commented that many UK customers are experiencing placebo effects from taking Tongkat Ali, without much consideration being put into understanding the extraction method, or which type of Tongkat Ali extract that customer should buy.
The harsh reality is, the Tongkat Ali natural supplement in the UK is still largely unregulated, giving opportunities for bad actors to cut corners, leaving consumers high and dry from placebo effects.
In fact, UK consumers are often misled and swayed by celebrity doctors such as Dr. Huberman into believing the effects of Tongkat Ali.
A word of warning if you are buying Tongkat Ali supplements in the UK. Most are not made to the required specification which affects efficacy and lowers its overall effects on health.
Whilst most Tongkat Ali in the UK are claimed to be lab-tested, but it does not mean the actual extract (or formulation) is clinically tested on humans.
However, there are many British consumers who may have bought counterfeit Tongkat Ali supplements sold on eBay or Etsy. This makes eBay or Etsy one of the worst marketplaces to buy Tongkat Ali in the UK.
Related Article: What to look out for when buying Tongkat Ali in the UK
Many of our UK customers have thanked us for providing such a level of transparency, honesty and an unbiased view of the Tongkat Ali supplement landscape in the UK.
If you are ever in doubt or experiencing severe side effects, please check on the Tongkat Ali supplement that you have bought. It may contain adulterants or impurities that have not been tested or checked by qualified scientists.
This Tongkat Ali review serves as a reminder of why discerning British customers continue to purchase clinically tested Tongkat Ali supplements as a safe choice for long term use.
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.
