Suplmnt

Tongkat Ali vs Fadogia agrestis

Evidence Level: promising

Pick Tongkat Ali if you want an option with human trials, defined dosing, and standardized extracts. Skip Fadogia agrestis for now—there are no human trials and animal toxicity signals raise caution. [1][2][3][5][12][13]

For common goals (supporting low-normal testosterone, stress resilience, libido), Tongkat Ali is the evidence-based choice: multiple RCTs and a meta-analysis show benefits with standardized 100–300 mg/day extracts and acceptable short-term safety. Fadogia agrestis lacks human data and shows organ/testicular toxicity in rats at doses analogous to many marketed servings; until well-controlled human trials establish efficacy and safety, it's not advisable. [1][2][3][4][5][6][12][13]

Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia) Products

Fadogia agrestis Products

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The Comparison

A Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia)

Standardization: Standardized water extracts used clinically: eurycomanone ~0.8–1.5% and glycosaponins ~40–65% (e.g., Physta/LJ100). [^6][^10]

Dosage: 100–300 mg/day in RCTs; EFSA evaluated up to 200 mg/day as a novel food. [^3][^4][^5][^6]

Benefits

  • •Increases total (and often free) testosterone in hypogonadal/low-normal men. [1][5]
  • •Improves stress profile (↓cortisol, ↑T) and mood in moderately stressed adults. [2]
  • •Improves sexual function/AMS symptoms; may enhance muscle strength with training. [3][4][5][17]

Drawbacks

  • •Occasional GI upset, headache; rare suspected liver injury case reports. Long-term high-dose safety uncertain. [7][8]
  • •Quality varies; unstandardized ratio extracts may not match trial materials. [6][10]

Safety:Avoid in pregnancy/lactation and hormone-sensitive cancers; caution with liver disease; choose standardized, third-party-tested products. [6][7][8]

B Fadogia agrestis

Standardization: No clinically established standardization; products typically list raw powder or unspecified extracts.

Dosage: No evidence‑based human dosing; animal studies used ~18–100 mg/kg for 1–28 days (not translatable). [^11][^12][^13]

Benefits

  • •Aphrodisiac effects and higher serum testosterone seen only in male rats. [11]

Drawbacks

  • •No human clinical trials to date. [14][15]
  • •Signals of testicular, hepatic, and renal toxicity in rats at moderate–high doses. [12][13]
  • •Unclear active constituents, no agreed assay/standardization. [14]

Safety:Given absent human data and animal toxicity signals, many experts advise against routine use. [12][13][14]

Head-to-Head Analysis

Efficacy for primary outcomes (T, libido, vitality) Critical

Winner:Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia)• Importance: high

Tongkat Ali has a positive testosterone meta-analysis and multiple RCTs improving sexual and quality-of-life measures; Fadogia has only rodent data. [1][3][4][5][11]

Onset and time‑to‑effect

Winner:Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia)• Importance: medium

Improvements in testosterone, fatigue, and strength reported by 2–12 weeks with standardized Tongkat Ali; no human timeline for Fadogia. [3][5]

Side effects/tolerability Critical

Winner:Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia)• Importance: high

TA generally well tolerated in trials; rare hepatotoxicity case reports exist. Fadogia shows testicular and hepato-renal toxicity in rats without human safety data. [3][5][7][8][12][13]

Standardization/consistency Critical

Winner:Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia)• Importance: high

Clinical extracts specify eurycomanone (~0.8–1.5%) and glycosaponins (40–65%); Fadogia lacks validated markers and standards. [6][10]

Bioavailability/formulation

Winner:Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia)• Importance: medium

Eurycomanone shows low oral bioavailability in rodents, but standardized water extracts used in RCTs likely leverage multiple actives; no comparable pharmacokinetic or standardized formulation data for Fadogia. [4][7][9][10]

Cost/value per effective dose

Winner:Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia)• Importance: medium

Standardized Tongkat Ali (100–300 mg/day) has documented benefits; Fadogia's value is unknowable without human efficacy/safety, making any spend low value. [3][5]

Real‑world adoption and availability

Winner:Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia)• Importance: low

Multiple branded, studied TA extracts (e.g., Physta/LJ100) exist; Fadogia products are unstandardized with no clinical pedigree. [3][5][10]

Which Should You Choose?

Low‑normal testosterone or ADAM‑like symptoms (fatigue, libido)

Choose: Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia)

Tongkat Ali increased testosterone and sexual/quality-of-life scores in RCTs, including men 50–70 years old. [3][4][5]

Stress resilience and mood under training/diet/sleep stress

Choose: Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia)

Standardized Tongkat Ali lowered cortisol and improved mood states in moderately stressed subjects. [2]

Athletic training support (strength) in middle‑aged adults

Choose: Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia)

Exercise ± Tongkat Ali improved isokinetic strength over 6 months; 12-week trial also noted strength gains. [4][17]

Experimental libido/testosterone booster despite limited data

Choose: Fadogia agrestis

Only rodent evidence suggests effects; human efficacy and safety are unknown and animal toxicity signals argue against this choice for most users. [11][12][13]

Safety Considerations

Tongkat Ali: generally well tolerated in short-to-mid-term trials; rare case reports of liver injury exist—avoid with liver disease and discontinue if jaundice, dark urine, or RUQ pain occur. Not advised in pregnancy/lactation or hormone-sensitive cancers; use standardized, third-party-tested products at studied doses (often 100–200 mg/day). [6][7][8] Fadogia agrestis: no human safety data; rodent studies report adverse testicular changes and hepatonephrotoxicity at moderate–high doses—avoid until robust human trials establish safety. [12][13][14]

Common Questions

What dose of Tongkat Ali is actually studied?

Most RCTs used 100–300 mg/day of standardized water extract for 8–12 weeks; EFSA assessed up to 200 mg/day as a novel food. [3][5][6]

Does Fadogia agrestis raise testosterone in humans?

There are no human trials; increases are limited to rat studies, alongside testicular and organ toxicity signals at higher doses. [11][12][13]

How fast might Tongkat Ali work?

Some endpoints (testosterone, fatigue) improved within 2–12 weeks on standardized extracts. [3][5]

Is Tongkat Ali safe long‑term?

Short-term RCTs show good tolerance, but long-term, high-dose safety is not well defined; rare liver injury has been reported. Use standardized products and monitor. [6][7][8]

Sources

  1. 1.
    Systematic review/meta‑analysis: Eurycoma longifolia improves serum total testosterone in men (2022) [link]
  2. 2.
    Tongkat Ali reduces cortisol and improves mood in moderately stressed subjects (JISSN RCT) (2013) [link]
  3. 3.
    Randomized, double‑blind trial: Physta 100–200 mg for 12 weeks in ageing men (2021) [link]
  4. 4.
    6‑month randomized trial: E. longifolia with/without concurrent training in ADAM (2021) [link]
  5. 5.
    Randomized, double‑blind trial: Physta 300 mg for 12 weeks improves sexual well‑being (2012) [link]
  6. 6.
    EFSA safety opinion on standardized E. longifolia extract (specs, adult dose up to 200 mg/day) (2021) [link]
  7. 7.
    LiverTox: Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia) (2024) [link]
  8. 8.
    Case report: Tongkat Ali–induced liver injury (2024) [link]
  9. 9.
    Bioavailability of eurycomanone and standardized extract (animal PK) (2018) [link]
  10. 10.
    ACS Omega review of E. longifolia bioactives; notes Physta/LJ100 standardization (2023) [link]
  11. 11.
    Fadogia agrestis increased testosterone and sexual behavior in male rats (2005) [link]
  12. 12.
    Fadogia agrestis altered testicular function indices; concerning histology at higher doses (2008) [link]
  13. 13.
    Fadogia agrestis: hepatic/renal membrane injury markers in rats after 28 days (2009) [link]
  14. 14.
    Botanical Institute overview: no human trials; toxicity concerns for Fadogia (2022) [link]
  15. 15.
    Review of herbal aphrodisiacs summarizing Fadogia animal data only (2013) [link]
  16. 16.
    In‑vitro human sperm study: therapeutic‑range TA not deleterious; high concentrations harmful (2012) [link]
  17. 17.
    Concurrent training ± E. longifolia increased strength over 6 months (ADAM men) (2021) [link]