The most potent Tongkat Ali supplement is believed to contain more than 1.5% of eurycomanone, 22% eurypeptides and more than 40% of glycosaponin.
The truth is, highly potent Tongkat Ali supplements are produced from the best extraction technology, standardized extraction protocols, compliance with Tongkat Ali standards, and backed by clinical tests to prove their pharmacological effects on health.
This article covers Tongkat Ali’s potency, methods and choosing the most potent Tongkat Ali. Learn more about how Tongkat Ali potency may benefit your health and should you even buy the strongest Tongkat Ali.
Potent Tongkat Ali plants can be found in the remote rainforests of Pahang and Johor in the south of Malaysia. But every batch of Tongkat Ali raw materials have varying level of bioactive ingredients that affect potency.
Most potent Tongkat Ali products are developed through years of research using the best extraction protocols and are often clinically tested to ensure maximum potency and efficacy.
According to Miami Herald and Men’s Journal, MIT-formulated AKARALI is clinically tested with more than 26 clinical trials.
So, what is behind clinically tested Tongkat Ali supplements that make them highly potent and effective?
In the above example, AKARALI’s standardized extraction protocol, with hot-water and freeze-dried method delivers one of the highest bioactive compounds such as eurycomanone, glycosaponin, polysaccharides and other essential nutrients compared to other Tongkat Ali brands.
Now, the secret behind any potent Tongkat Ali extraction starts with sourcing quality wild mature Tongkat Ali plants that is more than 5 years old.
In this article, we will deep dive into the various extraction methods and how this may affect Tongkat Ali’s potency.
Potency in Tongkat Ali is measured by the amount of bioactive ingredient (expressed in percentage) that is needed to produce a biological or pharmacological response (i.e effect) in our bodies.
Potency is used as a comparative measure of different doses between two Tongkat Ali products/extract that are needed to produce the same pharmacological effect (i.e response)
In pharmacology, potency is also known as the “drug strength”.
Consuming potent Tongkat Ali can benefit you in many ways:
Efficacy is the ability of a product / drugs / herbal supplement to produce pharmacological responses to health or any system in our body. Efficacy is used to also measure any effects on health.
Efficacy of Tongkat Ali is usually validated through clinical trials and research studies.
Learning about Tongkat Ali’s efficacy helps you choose the most potent Tongkat Ali. Since potency and efficacy are linked, here is an example of how potency and efficacy of two Tongkat Ali supplements bring better insight when making your buying decision.
In short, the next time you purchase Tongkat Ali, make sure it is clinically tested for potency and efficacy.
Tongkat Ali’s potency is measured by the amount of eurycomanone (expressed in percentage value) that can be extracted from the root.
The eurycomanone is a bioactive compound found in Tongkat Ali; often exist in small quantities in each plant. This gives the unique medicinal properties that benefits health in many areas as proven in by scientists in the last two decades.
Research has shown that eleven out of 24 Tongkat Ali brands complied (0.84-8.48% w/v) with the criteria set by Malaysian Standards, with only nine of the products recorded eurycomanone level above (1.6-8.48%).
Find out which Tongkat Ali brands are potent and can deliver consistent health benefits.
Potent Tongkat Ali products deliver optimal health benefits in less time due to faster absorption from higher bioactive ingredients.
It means you don’t need 800mg of Tongkat Ali daily to produce the same effect from a highly potent 200mg of Tongkat Ali.
Expect the following when consuming clinically tested and potent Tongkat Ali.
Note: The above improvements or benefits may vary depending on age, lifestyle, diet, medical conditions and other factors. But most improvements are based on clinical studies and real-world feedback from consuming 200mg – 400mg of potent Tongkat Ali standardized extract.
Warnings.
Please do not consume 1,000mg Tongkat Ali daily dosage unless it is absolutely necessary, or it is recommended by a doctor or qualified healthcare professionals. A higher dosage from a low-potency Tongkat Ali extract may not produce any effects, gains and health benefits.
Refer to our dosage and maximum limit guide, to avoid unwanted side effects from incorrect dosage, or when using Tongkat Ali to achieve your health goals.
The most potent Tongkat Ali supplement uses standardized hot water root extract, with higher and more consistent level of potency compared to conventional 200:1, 400:1, or even 600:1 extract.
The extraction method and protocols determine Tongkat Ali’s potency. Common herbal extraction methods include solvent-based, water (aqueous extract) method and others.
Lets investigate various extraction methods and how it affects Tongkat Ali’s potency.
Level of Eurycomanone : <0.5%
Potency: Low-Medium
The traditional extraction uses the hot-water boiling method to extract the bioactive ingredients from Tongkat Ali. The water is then served in a cup or mixed with tea.
This ancient method may not be potent but is widely practiced in present times. Depending on the location and age of the Tongkat Ali plant, studies have shown that the percentage of eurycomanone (i.e the most bioactive and useful compound) found in Tongkat Ali in it’s pure form (i.e unprocessed raw root) is between 0.8 – 1.5%.
The most potent Tongkat Ali roots are from plants harvested in the state of Pahang, Malaysia and some parts of Borneo (Sarawak).
This method however produces lower efficacy too as some of the bioactive compounds may be destroyed, or diluted due to excessive thermal heat from boiling. In addition, it is not an efficient way to consume Tongkat Ali vis-à-vis the amount of bioactive ingredients that your body needs to achieve those health goals.
Imagine having to drink bucket loads of Tongkat Ali tea everyday to get the same effect from a 200mg capsule.
This is the reason why recent consumers prefers to consume Tongkat Ali extract rather than the traditional method.
Level of Eurycomanone : 0.5%-1.0%
Potency: Medium
Conventional non-standardized Tongkat Ali extract uses either alcohol-based solvent (usually methanol) to extract bioactive ingredients. About 90% of Tongkat Ali supplement uses ethanol-based extract, which is the least potent.
This mass-produced herbal extraction method is common due to low-cost manufacturing.
Reflux extraction is a known conventional method for producing potent Tongkat Ali extract powder; where a solid-to-liquid extraction process involve solvent evaporation and condensation.
Expect lower and inconsistent level of eurycomanone, eurypeptides, glycosaponin when using this extraction method.
Level of Eurycomanone : 0.8% – 3%
Potency: High
Standardized aqueous or hot water root extract is the most potent Tongkat Ali extract. It is known to deliver a higher level of eurycomanone and other bioactive ingredients from Tongkat Ali with higher safety limits. Standardized hot water extract technology such as Physta® is regarded as the most potent Tongkat Ali root extract.
It also contains a higher level of eurycomaone (1.5%), glycosaponin (>40%) and polysaccharides (30%) compared to other Tongkat Ali extraction methods.
Another advantage is that standardized Tongkat Ali extract ensures every production batch delivers consistent level of bioactive ingredients; which guarantees consistent health gains.
Standardized hot water Tongkat Ali extract is the most potent Tongkat Ali extract that is used by many health professionals.
Standardized root extract enables manufacturers to reduce waste, energy and resources due to less amount of raw Tongkat Ali roots required to produce the same level of potency.
The most potent Tongkat Ali uses standardized hot water root extract which delivers bioactive compounds eurycomanone between 0.5 – 1.5% and eurypeptides between 20 to 25%. Other potency markers in Tongkat Ali include polysacharrides and glycosaponin which delivers additional health benefits.
There are four types of Tongkat Ali extract that delivers varying degree of potency and safety. The vital component of any extraction process is to balance the potency, efficacy and safety to minimize severe side effects on health.
Types of Tongkat Ali extract
| Potency & Safety |
Standardized hot water root extract
| Most potent with the highest level of safety |
Standardized ethanol root extract
| Higher potency and but less safe
|
Non-standardized root extract
| Medium potency |
Non-standardized generic extract | Least potent |
The extraction ratio is not a potency marker for Tongkat Ali. But most Tongkat Ali brands on Amazon are still marketed using the extraction ratio of 200:1, 400:1 and marked as “highly potent”.
Some cheap Tongkat Ali brands even resort to a “highly potent formula” by selling it in higher doses (eg: 600mg per capsule)
This has resulted in a mixed bag of reviews, with brands recommending higher-than-required daily Tongkat Ali dosage. There are many generic Tongkat Ali that contains low bioactive ingredients due to inexperienced manufacturers that are not specialized in Tongkat Ali extraction.
High bioavailability of eurycomanone at 10% or more should not be classified as having the highest potency. In vitro studies showed that 0.5 to 1.6% eurycomanone is sufficient to induce pharmacological effects on health.
Higher eurycomanone is widely used as a marketing gimmick in recent years, similar to the narrative of 200:1 or 500:1 Tongkat Ali extracts.
A study by the Ministry of Health Malaysia in 2018 revealed that eurycomanone is a polar compound with low permeability and absorption. The study further concluded that the use of lower percentage of eurycomanone may be necessary to establish its efficacy.
In other words, a potent Tongkat Ali with a high percentage of eurycomanone (eg: 5% or 10%) may not translate to higher efficacy.
Related article: Tongkat Ali Ingredients: Eurycomanone and Eurypeptides
Black Tongkat Ali (Polyalthia Bullata) is reported to be more potent than Yellow Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma Longifolia) as it offers higher bioactive ingredients; with eurycomanone between 2% up to 10%.
However, there are no toxicity and safety studies on black Tongkat Ali in humans. Not only that, severe reported side effects could potentially mean that black Tongkat Ali is not safe, especially when consumed in high doses.
Tongkat Ali | Potency | Safety |
Black Tongkat Ali (Polyalthia Bullata)
| High | Not safe with severe side effects |
Yellow Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma Longifolia)
| Medium – High | Safe at doses between 200 mg to 400 mg |
Related article: Review of Black Tongkat Ali vs. Yellow Tongkat Ali
Potent Tongkat Ali supplements deliver faster response time due to high bioactive compounds, which results in less dosage required to produce the desired benefits to your health.
There are many real-world reviews from those consuming potent Tongkat Ali supplements using standardized hot-water root extract, with significant gains reported after two weeks, four weeks and even six weeks of Tongkat Ali consumption.
The strongest and most potent Tongkat Ali product in the market today uses standardized extraction protocol, with hot-water and freeze-dried method with higher bioactive compounds from eurycomanone, glycosaponin, polysaccharides and other essential bioactive ingredients.
AKARALI is by far the strongest and most potent Tongkat Ali on the market today.
Visible results from consuming the most potent Tongkat Ali with the highest efficacy. Source: James Goodman
With 5,000 Tongkat Ali brands to choose from, always choose the best Tongkat Ali brands that offer the highest potency. The strongest Tongkat Ali supplements are usually clinically tested on humans to verify its efficacy and health claims.
If you are using highly potent Tongkat Ali for the first time, please refer to our Tongkat Ali FAQ section and our Tongkat Ali Dosage Guide to get the most from Tongkat Ali.
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 .
Disclaimer: Content published in this article is not intended to promote any brands nor to provide any form of recommendations to purchase or consume medication, drugs or herbal supplement brands directly or indirectly. By reading this, the sole responsibility and decision lies on the reader to perform their own assessment and / or to arrive at an informed decision based on publicly available information. By reading the content published on this website means you are aware on the risks involved in purchasing any of the products or brands mentioned in this article. We highly recommend you and the readers to consult your nearest doctor before making any purchase from this website or any other websites or social platforms after reading this article.
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