Know the herbs
Scientific name
Eurycoma longifoliaFamily
SimaroubaceaeLocal name
Tongkat Ali, pasak bumi, tongkat baginda, petala bumi, penawar pahit, lempedu pahit, setunjang bumiDescription
Eurycoma longifolia is a small tree or shrub up to 10–18m in height. Each plant is crowned with umbrella-like arrangement of leaves with reddish-brown petiole. It has evenly pinnate, spirally arranged leaves reaching 1 m in length. Each compound leaf consists of 10–40 leaflets and each leaflet is about 5–20cm long, 1–6cm wide. The flowers are dioecious with small petals and lanceolate to ovate obovate-oblong. The drupe of this plant is hard, ovoid, yellowish brown when young and brownish red when ripe. The root is pale yellowish in colour (Medicinal Herbs & Plants Database 2010–2015).Usage
Tongkat ali is a therapeutic herb native to the Malaysian rain forest. It is traditionally used for fever, afterbirth medication, wounds and ulcers, aches, glandular swelling and bleeding gums (Burkill & haniff 1930, Gimlette & Burkill 1930, Razak & Aidoo 2011). Specifically, it is a functional beverage positioned as energy drink. Tongkat ali has been used to promote healthy libido and support normal hormone levels in males (Talbott et al. 2013).Malaysia Herbal Monograph (source: Globinmed)