Tongkat Ali Herbal Supplement

Alternatives to tongkat ali

If you’re comparing tongkat ali with other botanical or even prescription medications for one issue or another, you’ve likely come across a lot of options. To better understand which one might be right for you, it would help to look at the potential benefits of tongkat ali that have the most scientific support and compare the relevant research to studies into alternatives deployed for similar purposes.

Improving testosterone levels with supplements is relatively achievable, and there are numerous individual ingredients you can try, as well as complexes of ingredients specifically marketed as testosterone boosters. Among those complexes, Innerbody’s Testosterone Support is outstanding, and it includes a generous dose of tongkat ali. Visit our thorough guide on testosterone-boosting supplements for more information.

Alternative single-ingredient supplements include ashwagandha, fenugreek, vitamin D, and zinc.

Suppose you're experiencing significant symptoms related to hypogonadism and have been tested to reveal clinically low testosterone. In that case, you may be better off reaching for a prescription intervention, like traditional TRT, or another medication that can boost testosterone, like clomiphene or enclomiphene.

Lots of things can affect a man’s erectile performance and libido, including low testosterone, so there may be some overlap in the remedies you seek here. But if you’re specifically concerned about ED, you might want to consider prescription interventions. The generic versions of drugs like Viagra and Cialis have been available at low prices for years, and they’re accessible through numerous online companies, eliminating the potential embarrassment of an in-person doctor’s visit to discuss your concern. And the active ingredients — sildenafil and tadalafil — are among the most widely researched medicines on Earth.

For men who are new to such medications, we recommend BlueChew, where you can get a free trial of certain plans and save $20 on others with the coupon code INNERBODY.

Supplemental approaches to fertility are often marketed toward men in the form of volume pills, which claim, first and foremost, to increase the volume of your ejaculate. Indeed, semen volume is a measure used to help understand a man’s potential fertility issues, and many of the drugs and herbal remedies that can improve your chances at conception will also increase semen volume.

But too many of these supplements offer ingredients that lack research or doses that are lower than what research indicates could be successful. In our thorough analysis of the market, we’ve found Bird & Be’s Powers for Males to be the most potent and most likely effective nonprescription approach to male fertility issues.

Combating stress and anxiety can get complicated fast. Triggers based on years-old experiences, current environmental factors, diet, exercise habits, and other factors can all play into your stress response. So approaching the problem with a supplement isn’t always the silver bullet people want it to be. That said, supplements can be part of a multi-pronged approach to control cortisol levels and help you feel more even.

Ashwagandha is the tongkat ali alternative that’s most similar in its potential efficacy, other possible applications, and placement on the market. We have a more extensive comparison of these two ingredients in a dedicated section above (“Tongkat ali vs. ashwagandha”), but here we’ll say that ashwagandha boasts a little more successful research into its stress-busting potential.

Akarali pricing and returns

Akarali doesn’t sell single bottles of Physta. A 60-dose two-pack of bottles is the smallest possible order. There are some bundles that can save you a little money, though.

Here’s how the pricing works out for the company’s most recommendable products:

Shipping from Akarali costs $8, and the company doesn't accept returns unless a product arrives damaged or defective. That’s not as generous as some of the other return policies in the space, like Innerbody’s 30-day money-back guarantee.

Ingredients per 400mg Capsule

Suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for varied diet. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking any medications or under medical supervision, please consult a doctor before use. Discontinue and consult a doctor if adverse reactions occur.

Recommended for adults.

Bulk Supplements pricing and returns

Each capsule of Bulk Supplements Longjack contains a 500mg dose, with the company recommending that you take two capsules per serving. For most people, 1,000mg is probably excessive, meaning you can take just one capsule per serving and still expect to see some kind of results. And, considering the already low price of this tongkat ali, being able to cut the serving size in half without sacrificing efficacy just makes it that much better of a deal.

Of course, you can get an even better deal by reaching for Bulk Supplements’ tongkat ali powder, which comes in packages of up to 1kg.

Here’s what the pricing looks like:

At $44.06, the 1kg bag brings the cost per gram of tongkat ali down to $0.04. Of course, if you only take 200mg daily, it would take you nearly 14 years to consume all of it, and it would likely lose some of its potency by then. The most reasonable high quantity of tongkat ali powder on this list is probably the 100g bag, which would last you around 18 months and bring the cost per gram down to $0.16.

Like Innerbody, Bulk Supplements offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, which is just long enough to potentially see some results before deciding whether the substance is right for you.

Innerbody Testosterone Support

Best complex T-boosting formula

Photo by Innerbody Research

Many people seek out a tongkat ali supplement to support male sexual wellness. If this describes you, then you should consider a supplement that combines tongkat ali with other well-regarded testosterone-boosting ingredients. There’s no shortage of mixed-ingredient testosterone boosters out there. We’ve covered them at great lengths for years and maintain a thorough guide to the best testosterone boosters. But during that time, we were frustrated by a gap in the market that we ultimately decided to fill with a product that provides the best ingredient bill we could imagine within reasonable cost parameters.

The result is Innerbody Testosterone Support, a combination of 11 ingredients, all present at doses that meet or exceed those used in successful studies. Here’s a quick look at the ingredients, with links to studies that can show you why we included them in the formula:

When it comes to testosterone, fenugreek and ashwagandha are the other two most important botanicals in this formula, alongside tongkat ali. But we included maca for its ability to help men with erectile performance and libido. Both zinc and vitamin D have a long-studied association with testosterone levels in men, as well.

If you’ve never tried any kind of supplement to address low T or similar men’s sexual wellness concerns, you might want to start out with an individual-ingredient approach by taking another tongkat ali in this guide. But if you’ve already tried one or more, or you want to skip that step and throw a larger ingredient bill at the problem, we believe Innerbody Testosterone Support is the best such choice for most men.

How we evaluated tongkat ali supplements

To evaluate tongkat ali supplements, we considered four key criteria that could pit one offering against another and reveal which would perform the best. We chose these criteria based on our understanding of tongkat ali’s pharmacological potential and what we would anticipate to be the needs of the average consumer.

Let’s take a close look at each criterion to see what companies fared the best.

Winner: Nootropics Depot Tongkat Ali Extract 10% Eurycomanone

Tongkat ali (scientific name: Eurycoma longifolia) houses an abundance of bioactive compounds, from quassinoids and alkaloids to terpenes and steroids.1 Among these, quassinoids make up the majority, and one quassinoid in particular — eurycomanone — has been highlighted as a likely driver of tongkat ali’s positive effects.2

A standardized tongkat ali extract will typically contain between 0.8% and 1.5% eurycomanone. This is true of Physta, one of the more well-regarded and widely tested tongkat ali extracts on the market. But Nootropics Depot manipulates its standardization process further, concentrating the eurycomanone content all the way up to 10%.

The result is a product with a smaller overall dose (100mg compared to the typical 200mg Physta dose) that still delivers more eurycomanone.

Winner: Akarali Physta

From a safety perspective, standardization was a must-have in our eyes, as it ensures you’re getting the same amount of tongkat ali’s active components with each dose. We also didn’t want to put too large a dose in the winner’s circle here, as there’s evidence of potential short-term toxicity at high doses.

Specifically, the European Food Safety Authority identified the potential for tongkat ali to induce DNA damage in the gastrointestinal (GI) system.3 The possible severity of that damage and its consequences were undetermined in the report, but it’s worth noting that the damage was only seen in rats consuming a human equivalent of more than 22g of tongkat ali extract. To put it in perspective, you’d have to consume nearly four bottles of 200mg Physta capsules to reach that dose.

Physta also has the advantage of being subjected to multiple human studies in the past 20 years.4 The studies we’ve reviewed showed one incidence of adverse effects that differed from those seen in a placebo group. We still consider the alternative from Nootropics Depot to be safe, especially since its higher concentration is delivered in an overall smaller tongkat ali dose, but the abundance of data on Physta and its well-known risk profile makes it the obvious choice for safety.

Winner: Bulk Supplements Longjack Root Capsules

When we consider a supplement's potential cost, we consider more than just sticker price, with things like shipping costs, money-back guarantees, and more weighing in our decision. Bulk Supplements, whose tongkat ali already boasted the best sticker price, turned out to be the best pick for cost in general.

Here’s a quick cost comparison among our top tongkat ali supplements:

As you can see, you can get your hands on Bulk Supplements’ tongkat ali for less money up front than any other option, and its cost per gram of tongkat ali is lower — by far — than its competitors. The big caveat is that it’s not a standardized extract, so the exact amount of eurycomanone, saponins, and other constituent parts is both unknowable and likely to vary from one dose to the next. Your next-best budget-conscious option, if you want standardization, is Nootropics Depot’s less potent offering, standardized to 2% eurycomanone

One particularly amazing thing to note is that Innerbody’s Testosterone Support actually provides the same amount of tongkat ali per month as Akarali, but it does so both at a lower price and alongside ten other ingredients designed to boost testosterone levels and impart similar effects as tongkat ali. However, Innerbody’s tongkat ali is not a standardized extract.

Winner: Akarali Physta

Several variables can influence our convenience criterion, from the quality of a company’s site design to its customer service. The sites in question here are all similar enough, as is the customer service. And Bulk Supplements and Innerbody are the only companies that will accept returns on opened products, each for 30 days.

So, instead of focusing on these parameters, we looked at the convenience behind actually taking the tongkat ali in these supplements. Innerbody only offers its supplement as a capsule, Nootropics Depot offers a choice between capsules and tablets for its 10% eurycomanone extract, and Bulk Supplements offers tongkat ali as a capsule or a loose powder.

But Akarali delivers its Physta in several unusual ways, all of which make it the most convenient option for anyone interested in consuming their tongkat ali in a novel form. As with Bulk Supplements, you can choose between capsules and powder, but you can also get Akarali Physta as part of a fizzy energy drink or as part of an instant coffee. Our testers tried the coffee for themselves, and they were pleasantly surprised by the sweetness that the tongkat ali seemed to impart on an otherwise bitter (but not unpleasantly bitter) instant coffee.

Tongkat ali — also known as longjack or Malaysian ginseng — is a Southeast Asian plant traditionally used for its antimalarial and aphrodisiac properties.1 It’s a tall plant, resembling a palm tree but with shorter, more abundant leaves along longer branches.

When we talk about tongkat ali here, we’re discussing it as a supplement, not as the plant Eurycoma longifolia. And as a supplement, tongkat ali may offer many of the benefits for which it has been used in traditional medicine for centuries.

You’ll most often see tongkat ali sold in capsule form, with each capsule containing a powdered extract made from the plant’s roots, leaves, or both (roots are most common). Occasionally, you’ll find powdered extract available on its own (no capsules) or pressed into tablets. Some companies even make it into energy drinks or instant coffees.

Pure Indonesian Tongkat Ali Extract Supplement - 400mg and 600mg

Our best-selling supplement of all time. Whole herb, mature (guaranteed to be at least 10 years old), Indonesian Tongkat Ali root extract at a ratio of 200:1. It is sourced from the roots of Eurycoma longifolia and is extracted by water and ethanol, which is removed during processing.

We are now offering Indonesian Tongkat Ali extract supplement 200:1 in either a 600mg capsule or 400mg capsule. Whilst neither is better value than the other we wanted to give our customers more options when purchasing this product.

We also offer a Tongkat Ali extract standardised to contain 3% Eurycomanone, which is stronger - HERE.

It's difficult to recommend a dose that will suit everybody but if you are slightly built or elderly, 1 capsule daily may be enough. If, on the other hand, you are a huge hulking bodybuilder you may need 2-4 daily. We recommend starting with 1 capsule daily increasing as required. For best results we suggest taking Tongkat Ali in cycles, for example a 7 days on 4 days off cycle, or a 10 days on 5 days off cycle, whatever is most convenient for you.

Can tongkat ali increase testosterone levels?

Supplementing with tongkat ali should be able to increase testosterone levels, at least in men whose T levels are low. Doses as low as 200mg daily have shown testosterone benefits in studies.1

Bulk Supplements Longjack

Photo by Innerbody Research

Bulk Supplements is typically a smart place to stop if you’re looking for a low price on a given supplement. Its tongkat ali is no exception, costing far less per gram of the substance than any of the competitors in our guide.

One big caveat is that, unlike the options from Nootropics Depot and Akarali, Bulk Supplements’ Longjack is not a standardized extract. That means there’s no effort put into controlling the concentration of eurycomanone or any other compound in each dose. The makeup of a wild Eurycoma longifolia plant includes around 0.8-1.5% eurycomanone, so that’s about what you can expect per dose.