by Chris Shugart
Lower Cortisol, Higher T
People don't take testosterone boosters to relieve tension and lower chronically elevated cortisol, but this one does that too. Here's the science.
Eurycoma longifolia is a medicinal plant with many names, including Longjack, Tongkat Ali, Malaysian ginseng, and Asian Viagra. (I'm going to stick with Longjack.) It's also a root with many uses. Most take Longjack (Buy at Amazon) to boost testosterone, and it does if you use the right form. Others use it as an aphrodisiac or sexual performance booster, and multiple studies found it works for those lascivious purposes, too.
However, most Longjack users probably don't take it specifically to fight stress. But if they were cognizant of it and monitored their stress levels, they'd probably find they were less stressed when taking it. That's tough to track though, so I was happy to come across this nicely done study.
The Study
First, props to the researchers for using the right form of Longjack: the patented form (LJ100®) jointly created by the Malaysian government and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This processing technology yields a bioactive peptide fraction responsible for Longjack's effects. In short, it's the one that works.
The researchers recruited 32 men and 31 women, all diagnosed with moderate stress. Mood states and hormone profiles were assessed. Half received 200 mg of Longjack daily and half got a look-alike placebo. The study lasted four weeks.
What Happened?
As expected, the placebo users got nothing. But those who took Longjack saw improvements in several markers of stress and hormone health compared to placebo:
- Tension: –11%
- Anger: −12%
- Confusion: −15%
- Overall Well-Being: +3%
- Reduced Cortisol Exposure: −16%
- Increased Testosterone Status: +37%
The researchers concluded:
"…daily supplementation with Longjack/Tongkat-Ali root extract (200 mg/day) improves stress hormone profile (lower cortisol; higher testosterone) and certain mood state parameters. These findings agree with several recent human supplementation trials, suggesting that Tongkat Ali may be an effective approach to shielding the body from the detrimental effects of chronic stress from daily stressors, dieting for weight loss, sleep deprivation, and intense exercise training."
Analysis and How to Use This Info
The study shows that Longjack is stress-shielding, mood-boosting, testosterone-elevating, and cortisol-lowering. All good. They even used the proven, standardized form of Longjack. Nice.
The study used 200 mg of Longjack, a standard effective dose, but the most powerful Longjack supplement (Omega-Man (Buy at Amazon)) contains 300 mg per softgel. That extra 100 mg probably wouldn't lead to even better results.
Lastly, the study lasted four weeks. Not bad. It typically takes two weeks to weed out the placebo effect, but a longer study period would've been interesting to assess the effects on well-being, depression, and fatigue. (Those mood and "energy" benefits are often noticeable around six weeks.)
If you're feeling stressed and want to give it a shot, use the verified LJ100® form found in Omega-Man (Buy at Amazon). As a bonus, Omega-Man is formulated in a self-emulsifying delivery matrix designed to get all the active fractions (eurypeptides, glycosaponins, and eurycomanone) into the body.
Reference
- Talbott, et al. "Effect of Tongkat Ali on stress hormones and psychological mood state in moderately stressed subjects." Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 26 May 2013