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Review

Tongkat Ali

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In: LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases; 2012.
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Review

Tongkat Ali

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Excerpt

Tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia Jack), also known as “Long Jack”, is a flowering, shrubby, slow growing tree native to Southeast Asia, the leaves, roots, and bark of which have been used extensively in traditional medicine for many conditions including diabetes, arthritis, liver diseases, malaria, dysentery, and erectile dysfunction. It has recently become a popular herbal supplement in the United States, as extracts of tongkat ali roots have been promoted as increasing testosterone levels and improving athletic performance. Reports of clinically apparent liver injury attributed to tongkat ali in body builders have recently appeared.

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References

CITED REFERENCE

    1. Kaliounji A, Shadid G, Saba H, Ahlawat S. A rare case of Tongkat ali-induced liver injury: a case report. Cureus. 2024; 16: e56639. - PMC - PubMed

References

    1. Zimmerman HJ. Unconventional drugs. Miscellaneous drugs and diagnostic chemicals. In, Zimmerman, HJ. Hepatotoxicity: the adverse effects of drugs and other chemicals on the liver. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Lippincott,1999: pp. 731-4.(Expert review of hepatotoxicity published in 1999; several herbal medications are discussed, but not tongkat ali).
    1. Liu LU, Schiano TD. Hepatotoxicity of herbal medicines, vitamins and natural hepatotoxins. In, Kaplowitz N, DeLeve LD, eds. Drug-induced liver disease. 2nd ed. New York: Informa Healthcare USA, 2007, pp. 733-54.(Review of hepatotoxicity of herbal and dietary supplements [HDS] published in 2007; no mention of tongkat ali).
    1. Jacobsson I, Jönsson AK, Gerdén B, Hägg S. Spontaneously reported adverse reactions in association with complementary and alternative medicine substances in Sweden. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2009; 18: 1039-47.(Review of 778 spontaneous reports of adverse reactions to herbals in a Swedish Registry does not list tongkat ali among products associated with 5 or more reports). - PubMed
    1. Bhat R, Karim AA. Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia Jack): a review on its ethnobotany and pharmacological importance. Fitoterapia. 2010;81:669-79.(Review of the taxonomy, traditional uses, chemical composition, biologic activities, and safety of tongkat ali mentions that extracts of roots of the Eurycoma longifolia tree are used for increasing testosterone levels, but that there are no standards for purity of the plant extract or specific chemical component responsible for its activity and no available reports on the side effects of long term use). - PubMed
    1. Chen CK, Muhamad AS, Ooi FK. Herbs in exercise and sports. J Physiol Anthropol. 2012;31:4.(Review of the efficacy and safety of various herbal products in sports with mention of tongkat ali which has been shown to raise testosterone levels and increase sexual activity in rodents, but its effects in humans are less well established; no mention of ALT elevations during therapy or hepatotoxicity). - PMC - PubMed

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