Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma Longifolia Jack) or LongJack is probably unheard off by most Brits outside of London. Considering its popularity amongst British aging blokes looking for the nature’s best herbal supplement for men, you could easily buy 60 capsule of Tongkat Ali less than 15 pounds these days.
But knowing which Tongkat Ali to buy, its benefits, side effects and quality standards are equally important if you are planning to buy one in the United Kingdom.
In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about Tongkat Ali if you residing in the UK. This will help you decide what type of Tongkat Ali products that work, the quality standards and types of supplements, capsules or powder extract that you can use for various applications.
The Brits call it Longjack, but younger GenZ buyers are now calling it Tongkat Ali, or Pasak Bumi. Whether you chose to call it Tongat Ali, or Longjack, it technically the same Eurycoma Longifolia plant, albeit marketed differently in the UK for commercial reasons.
Here is the taxonomy for reference:
| Kingdom | Plantae |
| Division | Tracheophyta |
| Class | Magnoliopsida |
| Family | Simaroubacae |
| Genus | Eurycoma |
| Species | Longifolia Jack |
| Other names | Tongkat Ali, LongJack, Akar Ali, Pasak Bumi, Bidara Pahit |
| Root Name | Akar Ali (Tongkat Ali Root) |
“Tongkat Ali is not a household name in Britain, but my mates raved about its effects on testosterone, libido and men’s health”, said 35-year-old Tom Walker from Northampton, adding that his first experience with Longjack supplement gave him a “significant morning wood” after 24 hours.
“You get some mild-to-moderate libido effects, provided it is not adulterated, potent and sourced from the same family tree of Simaroubaceae.” said James Goodman, CEO and founder of Be1 Media Ltd, who visited Malaysia to learn more about Tongkat Ali harvesting, research and production.
The meteoric rise of Tongkat Ali as a popular herbal supplement in the UK was partly due to the historic discovery by Dr. William Jack, a Scottish botanist and surgeon who visited Malaysia in the 1820. It was subsequently documented in his paper titled “Descriptions of Malayan Plants. Mai. Miscel. 1 (1): 1-27. 1820; 1 (5): 1—19. 1821; 2 (7): i-iii. 1-96. 1822” which was republished by William Griffith – covering the taxonomy and documenting the use of Tongkat Ali as a traditional medicine to treat fever, malaria, dysentery and other bacteria-induced diseases or symptoms.
As reported by Dr. William Jack, Tongkat Ali is traditionally used as herbal tonic energy drink for men during the British Empire whilst he was in Malaysia in 1820, with claims of boosting energy, strength and overall vitality.
Tongkat Ali sold in in the UK are mainly imported, sourced and harvested in the wild rainforests of Malaysia, with UK-based manufacturers selling it online as white-labeled Tongkat Ali supplements. As Malaysian Tongkat Ali represents a significant market share of 70% in the UK, without doubt this makes Tongkat Ali quintessentially Malaysian.
On that note, there are several types of Tongkat Ali that you could buy in the UK:
| Types of Tongkat Ali sold in the UK | Common characteristics |
| Premium Tongkat Ali |
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| Affordable Tongkat Ali |
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| Dodgy / Fake Tongkat Ali |
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Whilst most UK consumers residing in Great Britain are buying higher quality Tongkat Ali online and taking advantage of fast delivery time within less than 3 days, Brits who have travelled, lived or visited Malaysia also find it more authentic to bring Tongkat Ali products back to the UK – often without customs restrictions.
Fast forward, the natural health market in the UK is now oversaturated with what appears to be authentic Tongkat Ali products in the last decade. There are wide range of quality to choose from, but expect to pay 0.80 pounds per capsule of 200mg for a premium standardized high quality Tongkat Ali root extract. And that is cheaper than a cup of brewed coffee in Bayswater.
According to our research from web traffic, 35% of Brits who bought Tongkat Ali are from London, with the remaining consumers are from Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Sheffield. Many Londoners opt to purchase imported Tongkat Ali products online, and popular brands such as AKARALI continued to be the market leader and well touted as the most reputable and authentic Tongkat Ali brand in the UK. Its recent partnership with the largest running community RunThrough UK has positioned amongst the most trusted Tongkat Ali brand in the United Kingdom.
Lower down the affordability scale, British Supplement is amongst the pioneer brands which brought Tongkat Ali into the UK at attractive discounted prices. Supposed Made-in-Britain Tongkat Ali by British Supplement offers a 669mg clean Tongkat Ali extract, with users reporting increased energy and reduced afternoon fatigue. Its Tongkat Ali powder extract are sourced from Indonesia and Malaysia – often not clinically tested for potency, but some of it supplements are lab-tested to meet minimum quality standards.
The same can be said for Nutricost, a wellness brand that sells 1000mg Tongkat Ali capsule, with users noting a subtle but noticeable boost in energy. According some lab-test analysis, other reputable brands such as Solaray Tongkat Ali 400mg failed to induce any testosterone improvements in men, making it a highly doubtful investment if you are buying into the hype.
With more than 128 Tongkat Ali brands sold in the UK to date and almost 37 years later since it was first sold in the United Kingdom, the rise of Tongkat Ali as a popular herbal supplement was met by a lot of challenges – rising doubt on its efficacy, side effects, safety and growing fads from abundance of fake Tongkat Ali products sold online.
The good news is that Tongkat Ali is not banned in the UK and you can still buy online from worldwide stores with zero penalty and restrictions.
As first-time consumers, you may be conned into buying authentic-looking Tongkat Ali supplements wrapped in a glossy bottle, but most times Tongkat Ali sold in the UK comes in a dodgy packaging, often slapped with a label “made in Great Britain”.
Brits and Reddit users often share their bad reviews of Tongkat Ali as many supplements sold in Great Britain are considered “fake”. It means, the product does not produce the expected potency or efficacy, or any of the claimed benefits (eg: testosterone or libido effects).
Scientifically-backed Tongkat Ali supplements are considered premium in the UK. But if you are on a budget, there are plenty of cheap Tongkat Ali extract or products to choose from.
Our assessment showed that 70% of the British consumers use Tongkat Ali for general revitalization, energy and strength – primarily to increase testosterone, dopamine, and restore overall hormonal balance associated with age-related deficiencies.
Other common uses of Tongkat Ali in the UK include as an anti-oxidant supplement, anti-fungal for candida treatment and general immune booster for overall health, notably aging-men and menopausal women.
The recommended dose ranges from 200mg to 600mg daily for long-term use, but you can still consume high dose of up to 1,000mg in a single dose short-term. This dosage range falls below the safety toxicity limit of 1,300mg for adults weighing 70kg.
The UK Government does not impose any ban on the sale or importation of Tongkat Ali and its derivatives including but not limited to powder extract, capsules, tablets, tea, coffee or even raw root slices. However, there are minor rules to follow, restrictions and limitations if you are selling one.
According to various UK laws, the Food Safety Standards (FSA) UK and MHRA does impose some level of restriction on Tongkat Ali that limits UK-based companies from marketing its health benefits. The categorization of Tongkat Ali as a novel food means it is use as a food supplement in the UK, widening the appeal to buyers. So, as a consumer, you can safely buy or import Tongkat Ali into the United Kingdom without getting banned by the UK health authorities including FSA, MHRA or Customs.
As for Tongkat Ali standards, there are no British Standards to adhere to although some reputable brands such as AKARALI complies to the British-like Standards known as the Malaysian-approved Tongkat Ali Standards MS2409.
If you are after the highest manufacturing and quality standards, look out for pure and natural Tongkat Ali in the UK that are certified or approved to adhere to the MS2409 standards.
Our market analysis showed that all plant-based Tongkat Ali products in the UK are not created equal, with no regulations or oversight by Foods Standards Agency (FSA) on potency, efficacy or safety.
Thus, quality pose a significant challenge if you are buying Tongkat Ali in the UK as adulteration or dilution may occur in the supply chain as many UK-manufacturers and Tongkat Ali sellers are cutting corners to ensure commercial viability of business.
Therefore, if you are seeking top-notch products, quality Tongkat Ali supplements in the UK must at least meet quality standards at every checkpoints – ie harvesting, extraction and manufacturing.
Whats more dangerous is that you are exposed to greater risks of purchasing a Tongkat Ali product / supplement in UK that are not pure, nor give any health benefits due to lower potency. Shopping from a generic health wellness brand that are not clinically tested may hamper Tongkat Ali’s ability to induce positive health benefits such as testosterone or libido effects due to lower potency and efficacy. This inevitably lead to sellers forcing consumers to buy high dose 1,000mg or 5,000mg Tongkat Ali with exaggerated health benefits or claims.
For more help, we featured a long list of quality checkpoints if you decide to buy Tongkat Ali in the UK that may help you avoid any pitfalls, or getting scammed by fake or inferior Tongkat Ali products.
You are better off purchasing quality Tongkat Ali in the UK from companies specializing on single-ingredient, or brands using stanadardized hot water root extract. Often these companies are the ones who specializes in quality sourcing, extraction technology, research and perform their own clinical trials compared to generic wellness brands such as British Supplements, Pure Sports, Doublewood, Solaray, Nutricost or even NOW Food that have a wide range of SKUs (products) in their range.
Switching to standardized hot water extract may yield higher benefits as discerning consumers in Great Britain are now ditching 200:1 Tongkat Ali extract in favour of quality premium ones in recent years.
So please do not go bonkers thinking that the best Tongkat Ali in the UK are the ones using 200:1 or 500:1 Tongkat Ali extracts, expecting results from your short-term or long-term consumption.
Here is what we gathered from various experiences by the Brits in recent years.
Improved Testosterone:
A 39-year-old UK reddit user reported that after taking 669mg of Tongkat Ali daily, his testosterone levels increased from 14/29 to 24/29 on the UK scale over three year period. Similar effects were observed after taking Tongkat Ali after four weeks, this time by a depressed 40-year old male from Essex. He took 400mg of standardized Tongkat Ali hot water extract containing high levels of eurycomanone, eurypeptides and glycosaponin compounds to improve his testosterone and strength.
Enhanced Mood and Stress Reduction:
A 52-year-old gym-goer from Reddit noted that Tongkat Ali significantly reduced his stress levels, with noticeable improvements observed by his family. Most Brits reported some level of improvement in mood, helping them to reduce brain fog after taking Tongkat Ali in moderate doses below 400mg daily.
Increased Energy and Libido:
A 25-year-old male Reddit user from Britain experienced heightened energy, improved libido, and reduced anxiety within five days of taking 400mg of Tongkat Ali daily. Meanwhile, 22-year-old British athlete Khadaffi Javeed reported faster sprint time and recovery after taking 600mg of Tongkat Ali for six weeks.
You may consider buying Tongkat Ali and take it in moderate doses to experience its positive effects if you are above 35, experiencing low energy or low-T symptoms, or to boost your stamina, energy and mood due to premature hormonal-deficiencies from poor diet, lack of exercise and perhaps stress.
Our explanation of what Tongkat Ali is all about may help you to decide why type of Tongkat Ali that suits your budget if you are residing in the UK. With plenty of premium (i.e standardized), and affordable (non-standardized) Tongkat Ali supplement to choose from, buying Tongkat Ali online in the UK provides you greater flexibility, product options and better pricing.
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.
