for some more for more information and debate regarding tongkat ali
I recently found some interesting information about tongkat ali- and a very intersting website. I have not spent any great deal of time looking at reasearch numbers, but there does seem to be a good deal of information that is at least debate fodder. I have cut-and-pated this information below, and the link is here:
http://216.239.41.104/search?q=cache...gkat+ali&hl=en
Some men and women have incredible results from using tongkat ali to raise testosterone, both in the bed and in the gym. For others, it's so-so. The problem is usually that those who do not achieve the desired results have been buying something off the shelves of a health food store, something with "Tongkat Ali" on the label. But they didn't pay further attention to the actual ingredients.
By Serge Kreutz - Version 5.0, May 2004
The active ingredients in tongkat ali root are present at miniscule amounts. A typical standard dosage in Malaysia or Indonesia would be 20 to 50 gram of chipped root, boiled for about 30 minutes. But what is sold in health food stores all too often is root powder in capsules, with a recommended dosage of less than 1 gram.
That's the wrong product. Of course, genuine tongkat ali root is expensive. In Malaysia where tongkat ali meanwhile is a protected plant, they sell a kg of root (2.2 lbs) for up to 50 US dollars. Prices in Indonesia are still much cheaper.
Malaysian tongkat ali products that are sold in the US are often just root powder in capsules. Such products are not advisable for two reasons: 1. they are grossly underdosed, and 2. tongkat ali root is not fit for raw cosumption. Because of likely bacterial and fungal contamination, tongkat ali root should always be boiled, or consumed as an extract.
There are also two qualities of tongkat ali root: the standard yellow root, and black root. The black roots are considered more potent than the yellow roots.
If you have never used tongkat ali, the best product you can buy is a tongkat ali trial set, which is available from tongkatali.org . The trial set includes the following samples: 10 gram of a 1:200 extract, 20 gram of a 1:50 extract, 200 gram of yellow chipped root, 50 gram of black chipped root, 50 gram of root powder, and 100 empty capsules.
I am aware that Sumatra Pasak Bumi (the company that ownes the tongkatali.org website) would prefer to sell you right away one of their more expensive combinations, but for good reasons, the 95-dollar trial pack is the best solution for anybody who is new to tongkat ali. First, it allows a new user to correctly identify the tongkat ali by appearance and taste (as the pack includes chipped root as well as root powder, apart from their extract). Furthermore, any new user should first prepare a few dosages himself from chipped root or root powder in order to establish what actual effect tongkat ali has on him. As the trial pack includes both yellow and black root, every new user can check by himself whether better effects of the black root for him warrant the higher price.
After that, one should switch to a commercial extract product, either 1:50 or 1:200 strength, as consuming extract is much more time-saving and economical. Samples of both extracts are included in the sample pack of tongkatali.org.
The sample pack also includes 100 empty capsules of the 00 size. Tongkat ali, of course, is very bitter. While the traditional mode of application is to drink the tongkat ali tea or extract (stirred into half a cup of water) in one go, and to eat something sweet or sour right afterwards, taking the tongkat ali in capsules is more comfortable. It is very easy to fill empty capsules by hand.
In the additional articles on this site (www.testingtongkatali.com), I report my own experience with tongkat ali (pasak bumi in Indonesian, and eurycoma longifolia by its Latin, scientific name) and include reports from other users.
All articles are accessible free of charge, and there are no ads on this site.
We have run a first tongkat ali trial in 2003. The trial was geared towards collecting empirical data on tongkat ali usage. Trial participants received 2 free 15-gram samples of 1:50 tongkat ali extract and were encouraged to keep a diary on their sexual activity.
The tongkat ali extract was provided as a powder, very similar to an instant coffee powder (but beats coffee in the degree of its bitterness). I didn't make specific recommendations for a dosage, but rather recommend that all participants started with a low initial dosage, and if this didn't have the desired effect, to work themselves up to higher dosages.
I myself started with a dosage of about 1 gram of extract some 2 to 3 hours before sexual activities (and I have found that it works best when taken with about 50 to 100 grams of mixed nuts).
Many trial participants have reported an improvement of some sexual parameters. The strongest prosexual effect was experienced by older trial participants, and those who had sexual problems to start with.
