Biotropics Malaysia is studying how Tongkat Ali (Eurycoma longifolia) could improve the wellbeing of perimenopausal and postmenopausal women at dosage of 50mg and 100mg for 12 weeks.
The randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group involving 150 women aged 40 to 55 years old has concluded last year, with results pending publication in a scientific journal.
In the study, the women are randomised into three groups, receiving Tongkat Ali at either 50mg, 100mg, or a placebo.
The primary outcomes include their quality of life, improvements in sleep quality, sexual function, and pain score.
According to Dr. Annie George, head of science at Biotropics Malaysia, past research on Tongkat Ali’s mood and energy support suggests that the botanical could be a potential candidate for improving mood and stress in menopausal women.
Preliminary findings from its recently completed trial, conducted by the National University of Malaysia, are already showing promising results.
One of the findings was that Tongkat Ali is able to reduce menopausal symptoms at low dose of 50mg to 100mg, said Dr. George.
“What I’ve noticed is that for some of the popular ingredients used for relieving menopause symptoms, they are using a dosage of 500mg to 1,000mg per day, whereas we were able to see similar results for Tongkat Ali at doses between 50mg and 100mg,” she told NutraIngredients-Asia.
Tongkat Ali supplementation, for instance, has improved mood and reduced tension based on self-reported questionnaire results.
She added that the study also showed no drastic changes in hormonal levels, including oestrogen and testosterone.
“It helps to maintain the hormonal balance and that is somewhat similar from other botanicals that work via different mechanicals that could have led to changes in the hormone levels.”
“We also saw that there’s improvement in their quality of life, and the improvements were particularly significant in areas such as libido and physical symptoms such as bloating and hot flushes.”
How it started...
It all started when the company observed a reduction in stress levels in individuals taking the botanical.
Findings of the four-week study, published in 2013, reported significant improvements in tension, anger, and confusion in individuals taking 200mg of the botanical daily as compared to those taking the placebo.
Building up on the findings, the company continued to study how Tongkat Ali, together with multivitamins, could improve the quality of life, mood, and stress in moderately stressed healthy participants.
The 12-week intervention study, published in 2018, reported significant improvements in the intervention group’s energy-to-fatigue ratio as compared to the baseline. This was assessed using the self-reported SF-12 questionnaire.
There were also significant improvements in their feeling of “role limitation” due to emotional health, based on findings published in Food & Nutrition Research.
A study conducted in Japan also showed that Tongkat Ali supplementation at 200mg per day can improve immunity in middle-aged adults by increasing the number of T cells crucial for fighting inflammation.
For future studies, Dr George said there were plans to research on Tongkat Ali’s effects on mental energy and concentration among younger adults.
Spreading the word
Aside from clinical studies, the company is also hoping to spread the word around the botanical’s benefit for women’s health by launching its own product.
In the domestic Malaysia market, for example, the company sells a finished product known as Nu-prep Wanita for improving energy and immunity among women. The product contains the company’s proprietary Tongkat Ali extract Physta.
Elsewhere in Indonesia, the company has received an approval from for the product Nu-Prep Wanita.
New MoU in Japan
Biotropics signed an MOU with Japan distributor ASK Intercity earlier this month for the sale and distribution of Physta - the company’s proprietary Tongkat Ali standardised extract - in Japan.
Biotropics has been selling Physta since 2012. Japanese firms such as FANCL and Japan Tobacco International are some of its B2B clients using Physta in their men’s health products.
Japan’s ageing population is one reason why the company hopes to further its presence in the market.
“Japan is an ageing society, and they are very discerning consumers that love good quality products. Economically, they are also one of the most developed Asian countries,” said Fahmi Mokhtar, head of performance ingredients at Biotropics Malaysia.
“Based on this, Physta fits that purpose perfectly, as we have conducted various clinical studies to prove its safety and efficacy,” Azreena Abas, marketing and technical specialist, performance ingredients at the firm added.
