Source: Tongkat Ali RCT (Talbott 2013) — 200 mg/day of a standardized water extract lowered cortisol and raised testosterone.
A Southeast Asian herb (Eurycoma longifolia) studied for testosterone, libido and stress.
May lower sex-hormone-binding globulin and cortisol, freeing up more active testosterone.
In moderately stressed adults, lowered cortisol ~16%, raised testosterone ~37%, and improved tension, anger and confusion scores vs placebo.
RCT · n=63 · 200 mg standardized extract, 4 weeks — Talbott et al., 2013 — J Int Soc Sports Nutr
Eurycoma longifolia significantly raised serum total testosterone in men across pooled trials, with the clearest effect in older or hypogonadal men.
Systematic review of clinical trials · n=~700 · 200–400 mg standardized extract — Leisegang et al., 2022 — Andrologia (meta-analysis)
Bottom line: One of the better-supported 'test booster' herbs — small RCTs at 200 mg of a standardized extract show real cortisol drops and modest testosterone and mood gains, strongest in stressed or older men. Effects are modest, not steroid-like, and only as good as the extract's quality.
Generally safe in trials. Can cause insomnia or restlessness. Quality and standardization vary a lot between products.
Anecdotes, not evidence, and not medical advice. Frequency labels are our read of forum sentiment, not a formal survey. Individual responses vary widely.
| Per serving | |
|---|---|
| Typical branded single-ingredient product | $0.83 |
| Bulk powder at the clinical dose (100g extract, $18.97) | $0.04 |
Buying bulk powder instead of a branded bottle saves about 95% per serving.
Bulk price: $18.97/100g → Alt source: $19.99/50gEducational only — not medical advice. Grades and clinical doses are computed from public labels against sourced research (citations on the main site); prices last verified 2026-07-21. Expensive Powder has no sponsors; bulk links may earn an affiliate commission, which never affects a grade. Talk to a clinician before starting any supplement.