Tongkat Ali Dosage: How Much Per Day, Best Time to Take It and Safety

Short answer: Most human studies on tongkat ali used 100 to 600 mg per day of a standardized water extract of the root, and 200 to 400 mg per day is the range most often cited for general use. Traditional use falls around 100 to 400 mg daily. No study has shown that one time of day works better than another, so the best time to take tongkat ali is the time you will remember consistently, with food if it upsets your stomach. Doses of 1,000 mg and above, common in bodybuilding products, have not been tested for safety.

Key Takeaways

• Typical studied dose: 100 to 600 mg per day of a standardized water extract, most often 200 mg, for 2 weeks to 6 months.^[1][2]
• How much tongkat ali per day for most adults: 200 to 400 mg is the range cited for libido and general use, taken once or split into two doses.^[2]
• Form matters more than the milligram number: almost all trials used one specific hot water root extract, not raw root powder.^[2][3]
• Timing: no trial compared morning versus evening dosing. Consistency is what the evidence actually supports.
• Safety is not fully settled: LiverTox rates tongkat ali a possible rare cause of liver injury, and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded in 2021 that the safety of one root extract had not been established.^[1][4]

What Tongkat Ali Is and Why Dosage Is Confusing

Tongkat ali is the root of Eurycoma longifolia, a shrub native to Southeast Asia. It has a long history in traditional medicine in Malaysia and Indonesia, and today it is sold as capsules, powders and liquid extracts, mostly marketed for male vitality, energy and stress.

Dosage is confusing for three reasons:

• Products are not standardized. LiverTox notes there is no standardization of the purity and concentration of tongkat ali extracts on the market.^[1] Two capsules labeled “400 mg” can contain very different material.
• Studies used one main extract. The authors of a 2022 meta-analysis note that most of the trials they reviewed used the same commercial water extract, and that many commercial products do not meet recommended levels of eurycomanone, one of the plant’s marker compounds.^[3]
• Labels advertise “ratios”. A “200:1” claim describes how much raw root went into the extract, not how much active compound you get. Without an independent test, the ratio cannot be verified.

So the practical question is not only “how much tongkat ali should I take?” but also “how much of what?” The dose numbers in research apply to standardized water extracts. They do not translate directly to raw root powder.

Tongkat Ali Dosage: What the Research Used

The table below compares the amounts that appear in reference sources, clinical research and the supplement market.

What the human trials found

The best summary of the testosterone research is a 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis by Leisegang and colleagues in Medicina. It included nine studies in the review and pooled five randomized controlled trials with 232 men. Doses ranged from 100 to 600 mg per day, and treatment lasted up to 6 months.^[3]

• Overall, tongkat ali was associated with a significant rise in total testosterone compared with placebo.
• The increase was significant in men who started with low testosterone (hypogonadal men), but not significant in men whose levels were already normal.
• The studies were small and very different from each other, and the authors found signs of publication bias. They concluded that more research is needed.^[3]

Examine also points out that several trials found no difference from placebo, and that most of the testosterone studies were funded by the company that makes the extract used in them.^[2] That does not make the results wrong, but it is a reason to read them with some caution.

Outside testosterone, a 4 week randomized trial in 63 moderately stressed adults found that 200 mg per day of a standardized hot water extract was associated with 16% lower salivary cortisol and lower scores for tension, anger and confusion compared with placebo.^[5] In older adults, Examine reports that 400 mg per day for 5 weeks improved handgrip strength in people aged 57 to 72.^[2]

If you want to understand where your own numbers sit before trying anything, see our guides to normal testosterone levels and the signs of low testosterone. A blood test with your doctor tells you far more than any supplement label.

Human versus animal evidence

Much of the early interest in tongkat ali came from animal studies. Those are useful for ideas, but they do not tell you how much a person should take, and high dose animal results do not predict human effects. The dose ranges in this article come only from human trials and reference sources.

How Much Tongkat Ali Per Day Should You Take?

Based on the sources above, a cautious, evidence based approach looks like this:

1. Choose a standardized water extract with a clear milligram amount per capsule and, ideally, an independent lab test. Our guide to third-party tested supplements explains what to look for.
2. Stay within the studied range. 200 mg per day is the most frequently studied amount, and 200 to 400 mg is the range most often cited. There is no evidence that doses above 600 mg work better.
3. Do not stack products. If you already take a blend that contains tongkat ali, count it toward your total.
4. Give it time, then reassess. Trials ran from 2 weeks to 6 months.^[2] If you notice nothing useful after a reasonable trial, more is not the answer.

Best time to take tongkat ali

No published trial has compared morning and evening dosing, or dosing with and without food. Examine notes that the daily amount may be taken in one or two doses, and that it is unknown whether either approach works better.^[2] In practice:

• Take it at the same time each day so you do not forget it.
• Take it with a meal if you notice stomach upset or nausea, which are among the side effects LiverTox lists.^[1]
• If it seems to affect your sleep, move it earlier in the day.

Do you need to cycle tongkat ali?

You will often see advice to cycle tongkat ali (for example, 5 days on and 2 days off). No controlled study has tested cycling against continuous use, so this is a habit from online communities rather than evidence. What the evidence does say is that long term safety in humans has not been well documented.^[1] Periodic breaks and regular check ins with your doctor are a reasonable precaution, not a proven strategy.

Side Effects and Safety at Different Doses

At the doses used in research, side effects appear uncommon. LiverTox lists nausea, abdominal discomfort, diarrhea, headache and rash, and Examine reports minor stomach symptoms and itching at 200 to 600 mg per day.^[1][2] Short clinical studies did not show changes in liver enzymes.^[1]

There are three safety points worth taking seriously:

• Liver. LiverTox gives tongkat ali a likelihood score of D, meaning a possible rare cause of clinically apparent liver injury. This rating rests mainly on one case report in a man taking a bodybuilding supplement that contained tongkat ali, and the report notes that unacknowledged steroid use could not be ruled out.^[1]
• DNA damage findings. In 2021, EFSA reviewed a standardized tongkat ali root water extract proposed as a food supplement at up to 200 mg per day. Testing showed it could induce DNA damage, especially in the first tissues it contacts, and the panel concluded that its safety had not been established under any condition of use.^[4]
• Quality. Examine notes that some tongkat ali preparations have exceeded permissible limits for lead and mercury.^[2]

For a full breakdown, read our article on tongkat ali side effects.

Who should avoid it or talk to a doctor first

Examine advises against tongkat ali for pregnant or breastfeeding women, children, and people with breast or prostate cancer, diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, liver disease or sleep apnea. It may also reduce the effectiveness of the blood pressure drug propranolol.^[2] If you take any prescription medicine, or you are considering tongkat ali because of a symptom such as low energy or low libido, see a clinician first. Those symptoms can have medical causes that deserve a proper diagnosis.

Tongkat Ali in a Blend: Where Ultra Bann Fits

Ultra Bann, made by DL Bioproducts, takes a different approach from single herb tongkat ali products. It is a blend of seven botanicals with every amount printed on the label and no proprietary blend. Each serving contains 85 mg of tongkat ali alongside Thai Butea superba 345 mg, Panax ginseng 110 mg, Cynomorium songaricum 85 mg, black ginger (Kaempferia parviflora) 85 mg, epimedium (horny goat weed) 45 mg and reishi (Ganoderma lucidum) 45 mg, for 800 mg in total.

The directions are one capsule every 2 days, which works out to an average of about 42 mg of tongkat ali per day. That is well below the 100 to 600 mg range used in the clinical trials above, so the trial results should not be read as describing what Ultra Bann does. If you already take a standalone tongkat ali product, add the two amounts together and keep the total within the studied range.

You can see the full label on our Ultra Bann ingredients page. If a transparent multi botanical formula suits your routine, Ultra Bann is available in our shop, with free US shipping and a 60-day money-back guarantee on your first order.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much tongkat ali per day is safe?

Human studies used 100 to 600 mg per day of a standardized extract for up to 6 months, and side effects at those doses were uncommon and mostly mild.^[1][3] However, long term safety has not been well documented, and EFSA did not establish the safety of a 200 mg per day extract.^[1][4] Staying at the lower end of the studied range and checking with your doctor is the cautious choice.

Is 1,000 mg of tongkat ali too much?

Products of 1,000 to 1,600 mg are sold online, but that is above the amounts tested in clinical trials, and LiverTox notes that higher dose use has not been assessed in humans.^[1] There is no evidence that these doses work better than 200 to 400 mg.

What is the best time of day to take tongkat ali?

No study has compared times of day. Take it consistently, once daily or split into two doses, and with food if it bothers your stomach.^[2]

How long does tongkat ali take to work?

Trials ran from 2 weeks to 6 months, and the stress study measured changes after 4 weeks.^[2][5] Effects on testosterone in the meta-analysis were significant only in men who started with low levels, so results depend heavily on your starting point.^[3]

Can I take tongkat ali with other supplements?

Many people do, but check whether your other products already contain tongkat ali so you do not double your dose, and ask your pharmacist or doctor about interactions, especially if you take propranolol or other prescription drugs.^[2]

References

1. LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury. “Tongkat Ali.” National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, updated October 18, 2024. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK609015
2. Examine. “Tongkat ali.” examine.com/supplements/tongkat-ali
3. Leisegang K, Finelli R, Sikka SC, Panner Selvam MK. “Eurycoma longifolia (Jack) Improves Serum Total Testosterone in Men: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials.” Medicina, 2022. mdpi.com/1648-9144/58/8/1047
4. EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens. “Safety of Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali) root extract as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283.” EFSA Journal 2021;19(12):6937. efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/6937
5. Talbott SM, Talbott JA, George A, et al. “Effect of Tongkat Ali on stress hormones and psychological mood state in moderately stressed subjects.” Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 2013;10:28. link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1550-2783-10-28

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. This article is for information only and is not medical advice.