Tongkat Ali | EthnogardenUTHM

Traditional uses

to exert anti-cancer effect

as health tonic after childbirth, as an aphrodisiac, to relieve fever, for intestinal worms, dysentery, diarrhoea, indigestion, ulcers in the mouth, jaundice

Preparation/ part of plants used

Dried root: decoction

Leaves: decoction

Whole plant: apply the paste of the plants

Common names

-Tongkat Ali, Ali’s Umbrella or Malaysia ginseng (Malaysia)

-Pasak Bumi or Bedara Pahit (Indonesia)

-Ian-don (Thailand)

-Cay ba benh (Vietnam), tho nan (Laotian).

Descriptions

-a tall, slender, shrubby tree

-belongs to the Simaroubaceae family

-the leaves are pinnate in shape and green in colour.

-flowers are tiny, reddish, unisexual

Chemical constituents

By aqueous extract of the roots: quassinoids (e.g. eurycolactones A-E, eurycomalides A-B, eurycomalactone, 6α-hydroxyeurycomalactone, 7α-hydroxyeurycomalactone, eurycomanone, 13α(21)-epoxyeurycomanone, 12,15-diacetyl-13α(21)-epoxy-eurycomanone,12-acetyl-13,21-dihydroeurycomanone, 15-acetyl-13α(21)-epoxyeurycomanone, 3,4ε-dihydroeurycomanone, 13,21-dihydroeurycomanone, eurycomanol, 13β,18-dihydroeurycomanol, 13β, 21-dihydroxyeurycomanol, eurycomanol-2-O-β-D-glycopyranoside, 11-dehydroklaineanone, 15β-hydroxyklaineanone, 14,15β-dihydroxyklaineanone, 5α,14β,15β-trihydroxyklaineanone,15β-O-acetyl-14-hydroxyklaineanone, 6α-acetoxy-14,15β-dihydroxyklaineanone, 6α-acetoxy-15β-hydroxyklaineanone, laurycolactones A-B, longilactone, dehydroxylongilactone, 2,3-dehydro-4α-hydroxylongilactone, ailanthone, (α/β-epoxide) ailanthone, chaparrinone (α-methyl), 3,4ε-dihydrochaparrinone, picrasinoside B, klaineanolide B, iandonoside B, eurycomaoside, 16-α-O-methylneoquassin, samaderin B and glaucarubolone), canthin-6-one alkaloids (e.g. canthin-6-one, 9-methoxycanthin-6-one, 5,9-dimethoxycanthin-6-one, 9,10-dimethoxycanthin-6-one, 11-hydroxycanthin-6-one, 1-hydroxy-11-methoxycanthin-6-one, 10-hydroxy-9-methoxycanthin-6-one, 11-hydroxy-10-methoxycanthin-6-one, 11-O-β-D-glucopyranosylcanthin-6-one, canthin-6-one-3N-oxide, 9-methoxycanthin-6-one-3N-oxide and 9-methoxy-3-methylcanthin-5,6-dione), β-carboline alkaloids (e.g. β-carboline-1-propionic acid, 7-hydroxy-β-carboline-1-propionic acid, 7-methoxy-β-carboline-1-propionic acid, and 1-methoxymethyl-β-carboline), squalene-type triterpene (e.g. eurylene and 11/14-deacetyl eurylene), biphenylneolignans (e.g. 2,2’-dimethoxy-4-(3-hydroxy-1-propenyl)-4’-(1,2,3-trihydroxypropyl) diphenyl ethers (isomer), 2-hydroxy-3,2’,6’-trimethoxy-4’-(2,3-epoxy-1-hydroxypropyl)-5-(3-hydroxy-1-propenyl)-biphenyl and 2-hydroxy-3,2’-dimethoxy-4’-(2,3-epoxy-1-hydroxypropyl)-5-(3-hydroxy-1-propenyl)-biphenyl) and others (e.g. isoleucine, calcium, magnesium and potassium)

used as an energy booster for men

Fresh root: decoction

Tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia)

Bark: boiled in water

used for washing itches

to relieve headache, pain in the bones and stomach-ache

to treat scabies and wounds

Leaves: pounded and placed it to the effected area

to treat diarrhea

Root: boiled with roots of Alstonia angustifolia (akar pulai) and drink

to treat cough

Root: sucked

to improve hormonal balance

Bark

used in dental care

can improve blood circulation

Root

By methanol extract of the roots: quassinoids (e.g. eurycolactones A-F, eurycomalides A-B, eurycomalactone, 6α-hydroxyeurycomalactone, 6-hydroxy-5,6-dehydroeurycomalactone, 5,6-dehydroeurycomalactone, eurycomanone, 13β,21-dihydroxyeurycomanol, 14,15β-dihydroxyklaineanone, 5α,14β,15β-trihydroxyklaineanone, laurycolactones A-B, longilactone, 6-dehydroxylongilactone, 2,3-dehydro-4α-hydroxylongilactone and pasakbumin B-C), canthin-6-one alkaloids (e.g. canthin-6-one, 1-hydroxycanthin-6-one, 9-hydroxycanthin-6-one, 5-hydroxymethylcanthin-6-one, 5-methoxycanthin-6-one, 9-methoxycanthin-6-one, 10-methoxycanthin-6-one, 1-hydroxy-9-methoxycanthin-6-one, 4-hydroxy-5-methoxycanthin-6-one, 8-hydroxy-9-methoxycanthin-6-one, 5-hydroxymethyl-9-methoxycanthin-6-one, 4,5-dimethoxycanthin-6-one, 9,10-dimethoxycanthin-6-one, canthin-6-one 9-O-β-glucopyranoside, canthin-6-one-3N-oxide, 9-hydroxycanthin-6-one-3N-oxide and 9-methoxycanthin-6-one-3N-oxide), β-carboline alkaloids (e.g. β-carboline-1-propionic acid, 7-methoxy-β-carboline-1-propionic acid, methyl β-carboline-1-carboxylate, n-pentyl β-carboline-1-propionate and picrasidine L), triterpenes (e.g. eurylene, mixture of β-sitosterol and stigmasterol, and β-sitosteryl glucoside) and others (e.g. scopoletin, fraxidin, scopolin, ρ-hydroxybenzaldehyde, syringic aldehyde, 2,4’-dihydroxy-3’-methoxyacetophenone, 2,3-dihydroxy-1-(4’-hydroxy-3’-methoxyphenyl)-propan-1-one, 3-hydroxy-1-(4’-hydroxy-3’-methoxyphenyl)propan-1-one, threo-1,2-bis-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)propane-1,3-diol, vanillic acid, protocatechuic acid, nicotinic acid, syringic acid, sodium syringate, sodium ρ-hydroxybenzoate, lariciresinol, erythro-1-C-syringylglycerol, threo-1-C-syringylglycerol, erythro-guaiacylglycerol, threo-guaiacylglycerol, iandonone, adenosine, guanosine, thymidine, alanine, proline, arginine, serine, glucose and fructose)

By ethanol (50%) extract of the roots: quassinoids (e.g. eurycomanone, 13,21-dihydroeurycomanone, 13α(21)-epoxyeurycomanone, longilactone, eurycomalactone, 14,15β-dihydroxyklaineanone, eurycomanol, eurycomanol-2-O-β-glucopyranoside) and a canthin-6-one alkaloid (e.g. 9-methoxycanthin-6-one)