The Study
Tongkat Ali as a Potential Herbal Supplement for Physically Active Male and Female Seniors—A Pilot Study
This study watched what happened to 25 people after they took a herbal supplement for five weeks. It saw that their testosterone and muscle strength went up, but it didn't compare them to people who didn't take it — so we don't know if the supplement really caused the change.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Older adults took a herbal pill called Tongkat Ali every day for five weeks to see if it made them stronger and changed their hormones.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 531 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1The increase in testosterone and grip strength may help older people stay stronger, but the study was small and short.
- 2Testosterone and muscle strength went up in both men and women.
- 3Women had less SHBG, which helped more testosterone become active.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Phytotherapy Research
Year
2014
Authors
R. Henkel, Ruxiang Wang, S. Bassett, Tao Chen, Na Liu, Ying Zhu, M. I. Tambi
Related Content
Claims (4)
Taking 400 mg of Tongkat Ali extract daily for five weeks is associated with higher levels of total and free testosterone in physically active adults aged 57 to 72, regardless of sex.
Taking 400 mg of Tongkat Ali extract daily for five weeks is associated with higher handgrip strength in physically active adults aged 57 to 72, regardless of sex.
In physically active men and women aged 57–72, taking 400 mg of Tongkat Ali daily for five weeks is linked to lower levels of sex hormone-binding globulin and higher levels of free testosterone in women.
Taking Tongkat Ali supplements lowers the level of sex hormone-binding globulin in the blood, resulting in a higher percentage of testosterone that is not bound and available for biological activity.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.