The Ideal Eurycomanone Level in Tongkat Ali Extract

Tongkat Ali is one of the most popular tropical herbal plants and it has become a very valuable product in the phytochemical industry. Due to high demand for Tongkat Ali products and supplements, production has become so rampant that it gives rise to unscrupulous suppliers and manufacturers. 

These manufacturers manipulate the situation by producing fake Tongkat Ali product or putting too little concentration of Tongkat Ali herbs to gain more profits. This is usually done by adding the stem, instead of the root of Tongkat Ali or putting too much filler such as wheat and rice. Due to the popularity of Tongkat Ali, discrepancy in labelling the product can occur where a product is named as Tongkat Ali even though Tongkat Ali is not the main ingredient in the product and some do not even contain Tongkat Ali. It is also very usual for Tongkat Ali manufacturers to claim the quality of their products are based on extraction ratio, with testimonies put on their website and so on.

As Malaysia is a major country producing Tongkat Ali products and to safeguard the quality of the end products, the Malaysian Standard MS 2409:2011 has been developed in 2011. This standard, published by the Department of Standards Malaysia (SIRIM), sets a global benchmark for the quality of Tongkat Ali extracts, ensuring consistent levels of key bioactive compounds like eurycomanone, glycosaponin, and polysaccharides. The standard also specifies the commercial quality requirements for freeze-dried water extract derived from the dried root (Radix) of Tongkat Ali.

As eurycomanone, which is a quassinoid, is the major compound in Tongkat Ali, hence it is chosen as a regulatory parameter on the level of Tongkat Ali in a product. And, the Malaysian Standard MS 2409:2011 states that the ideal eurycomanone level in Tongkat Ali freeze dried extract should be around 0.8-1.5 w/v (%) for its effectiveness.

In conclusion, herbal products are usually regulated based on safety aspects such as microbial load, heavy metal and controlled drugs content. However, besides safety, the quality of herbal products needs to be regulated to ensure that customers get the best of their purchase hence one verified method that is required to ensure the quality of Tongkat Ali products is via the eurycomanone level indicator.

Source of reference: Journal of Applied Sciences, 15: 999-1005