Tongkat ali
Tongkat ali is Eurycoma longifolia, a slender tree in the Simaroubaceae family native to the forests of Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, and the trade is built on its root. Roots are harvested from wild or plantation trees, dried, chipped and either milled or extracted, usually in hot water. Extracts are sold by extract ratio or standardized to eurycomanone, glycosaponins or polypeptides, and branded extracts differ in method and markers.
Suppliers sell different products under the same name. Specify the one you need.
Dried, milled root with nothing removed or concentrated, sold by mesh size and usually not standardized.
Hot-water root extract sold by drug-to-extract ratio such as 100:1 or 200:1, with no guaranteed marker level; the ratio alone does not show what the extract contains.
Water extract sold with a minimum eurycomanone, glycosaponin or polypeptide content by a named HPLC or other method.
Root from cultivated trees with documented origin and age, offered as an alternative to wild-harvested root.
Compare each result with your own specification when the lot arrives.
Keep powders and extracts sealed in lined fiber drums or foil bags in a cool, dry place away from light. Dry extracts are hygroscopic and cake once exposed to humid air, so reseal opened containers promptly. Shelf life or a retest date comes from the supplier's specification, and the marker assay is usually repeated at retest.
Marker levels vary with root age, origin and extraction, so record the eurycomanone result, extract ratio and carrier for each lot. Keep the supplier lot and origin traceable to finished batches and retain samples for adulterant retesting.
Facts from regulators and standards bodies, each linked to its source.
Health Canada's Tongkat Ali natural health product monograph lists Eurycoma longifolia with the dried root as the source part.
Source: webprod.hc-sc.gc.ca (opens in a new tab)The EU Novel Food status Catalogue entry for Eurycoma longifolia (POL-NF-00346) concerns all plant parts, records no history of food use for any part, and lists them as not yet authorised novel food.
Source: ec.europa.eu (opens in a new tab)This is general information, not regulatory advice. Status differs by country and by how the ingredient is used, so check the rules for your product and market.
Manufacturers and distributors whose own websites say they sell it.
Manufacturer · Changsha, China
Hunan Nutramax is a plant extract producer in Changsha, China, best known for monk fruit (luo han guo), stevia and sweet tea extracts, that also offers a range of herbal extracts.
Suppliers are in alphabetical order and none pays to appear. Each claim is checked against the supplier’s own website on the date shown. Ask for the specification sheet and a recent COA before you order, and confirm details with the supplier.
Common forms include root powder, ratio extract, standardized extract and plantation-grown material. Ask each supplier for the specification sheet of the exact grade they quote.
Expect identity (HPTLC or HPLC fingerprint), eurycomanone assay (HPLC), heavy metals, microbiology, adulterant screen and physical tests, each with its method, specification and result for that lot.
Keep powders and extracts sealed in lined fiber drums or foil bags in a cool, dry place away from light. Dry extracts are hygroscopic and cake once exposed to humid air, so reseal opened containers promptly. Shelf life or a retest date comes from the supplier's specification, and the marker assay is usually repeated at retest.
Health Canada's Tongkat Ali natural health product monograph lists Eurycoma longifolia with the dried root as the source part. The EU Novel Food status Catalogue entry for Eurycoma longifolia (POL-NF-00346) concerns all plant parts, records no history of food use for any part, and lists them as not yet authorised novel food.
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