Figure 1 Profile of Mood States (POMS). Daily supplementation (200 mg/day for 4 weeks) with tongkat ali (TA) resulted in significant improvements compared to placebo (PL) for indices of Tension (−11%), Anger (−12%),

and Confusion (−15%) in moderately stressed adults (N = 63). * = p < 0.05 by ANOVA. Hormone profile (salivary cortisol and testosterone) was significantly improved by TA supplementation, with reduced Selleck BI2536 cortisol exposure (−16%, Figure 2), increased testosterone status (+37%, Figure 3) and overall improved cortisol:testosterone ratio (−36%) in the TA group compared to placebo. Figure 2 Salivary cortisol. Salivary cortisol levels were significantly lower (−16% compared to placebo, PL) following tongkat ali (TA) supplementation (200 mg/day for 4 weeks). * = p < 0.05 by ANOVA. Figure 3 Salivary CB-839 testosterone.

Salivary testosterone levels were significantly higher (+37% compared to placebo, PL) following tongkat ali (TA) supplementation (200 mg/day for 4 weeks). * = p < 0.05 by ANOVA. Discussion The current study found that daily supplementation with tongkat ali root extract (200 mg/day) improves stress hormone profile (lower cortisol; higher testosterone) and certain mood state parameters (lower tension, anger, and confusion). These findings are in agreement with several recent supplementation trials in humans, suggesting that tongkat ali may be an effective approach to shielding the body from the detrimental effects of chronic stress from daily stressors, dieting for weight loss, sleep deprivation, and intense exercise training.

Previous studies have determined that Eurycoma DNA ligase longifolia contains a group of small peptides referred to as “eurypeptides” that are known to have effects in improving energy status and sex drive in studies of rodents [14–16]. The precise mechanism by which eurypeptides or tongkat ali root extract restores normal testosterone levels is unknown, but has been suggested as influencing the release rate of “free” testosterone from its binding hormone, sex-hormone-binding-globulin (SHBG) [17, 18]. In two recent studies of young men undergoing a weight-training find more regimen [43, 44] tongkat ali supplementation (100 mg/day) improved lean body mass, 1-RM strength, and arm circumference to a significantly greater degree compared to a placebo group. In a recent 12-week trial [46] of Eurycoma longifolia supplementation (300 mg/day), men (30–55 years of age) showed significant improved compared to placebo in the Physical Functioning domain of the SF-36 quality of life survey. In addition, sexual libido was increased by 11% (week 6) and 14% (week 12) and abdominal fat mass was significantly reduced in subjects with BMI > 25 kg/m2.