Eurycoma Longifolia – Why LJ100® is Worth the Cost
Gather ‘round yall, time to learn why LJ100® should be part of your supplement arsenal - ya know, if you think an herb with 13 clinical studies showing effects such as increasing testosterone, reducing cortisol, enhancing sexual function, improving endurance, and improving mood is cool. If you read the aforementioned benefits and think you may be interested, create some space between your Tribulus and L-Arginine for a beneficial, and safe, nutraceutical.
LJ100® is a registered trademark of HP Ingredients. Companies, such as forum-favorite Aesthetic Distribution aka Olympus Labs, have utilized this extract in solo products as well as combo products. But what is it, and where does it come from?
Commonly referred to as Tongkat Ali, LJ100® is sustainably harvested from the rain forests of Malaysia. [1] But, if I still have your attention at this point, you may be wondering about more details into the effects this herb has. See below!
Effects
Ergogen
Dietary supplements will sometimes make claims based off of rodent studies. Sometimes that is all that is available. And although the murine model is a great starting place, it’s great to see research in healthy humans. This first piece of literature I want to share does exactly this.
14 healthy men (age 25.64 ± 3.73 years) were given 100mg/day of LJ100® or placebo and performed a 5 week strength training program. Just 100mg of LJ100® was able to show increased muscle mass and reduced body fat! We’re talking just 100mg was able to show recomp effects that we know aren’t easily attainable. [2]
When we think of Eurycoma Longifolia, we commonly think of the hormonal impact it has. We know that testosterone increases that aren’t supraphysiological aren’t correlated with increased muscle mass. Therefore, there’s more at play here with LJ100® then just increasing testosterone.
Also, this isn’t just an herb for men. Research was conducted on middle-aged women (aged 45-59) to determine the impact on strength parameters. Again, just 100mg of LJ100® was able to show benefits such as increased bench press, leg press, and once again, muscle size gain. [3]
Hormonal Impact
LJ100® is able to help promote an anabolic state. One study was able to show the impact that just (you guessed it) 100mg can have.
“30 male subjects (N=30) were recruited from a 24-hour mountain biking event. Subjects completed 4 laps (14.91 miles/lap) and provided 8 saliva samples over a 24h period. Subjects consumed 100mg of LJ100 (N = 15) or placebo (N = 15) approximately 30 minutes prior to endurance exercise. Cortisol levels were 32.3% lower in LJ100 to Placebo (0.552+0.665 versus 0.816+0.775 ug/dL, P < 0.05). Testosterone levels were 16.4% higher in LJ100 compared to Placebo (86.72+40.90 versus 72.47+33.77 pg/mL, P < 0.05).”[4]
How about the effects of 200mg/daily for 4 weeks?
“LJ100 group showed significant improvements for Tension (−11%), Anger (−12%), and Confusion (−15%) compared to placebo. Stress hormone profile (salivary cortisol and testosterone) was significantly improved by LJ100, with reduced cortisol (−16%) and increased testosterone (+37%).”[5]
Sexual Enhancement
The research I found on LJ100® and sexual function are done on men with an ailment prior to the study. I know, not perfect, but the results are still noteworthy. Both studies used 200mg/day with outstanding results. The first one evaluated 75 patients with idiopathic (unknown reasons why) infertility. The patients were given 200mg/day for 3 months. Sperm concentration increased 65.5%, percentage of sperm with normal morphology increased 94.9%, and even spontaneous pregnancies were achieved in 11 cases (unsure if this was a good thing or bad thing). [6]
The other study looked utilized 200mg/day in men with mild erectile dysfunction:
“LJ100 treatment group demonstrated statistically significant (p<0.05) higher scores than the placebo group at 12 weeks in the following endpoints: Erection Hardness Scale score, Aging Males Symptom Score, and the Sexual Health Inventory for Men… There is also a reducing trend of Fat Mass Loss (Dexa scan) in the LJ100 group in overweight subjects (>25kg BMI) of fat mass loss in waist and hips compared to placebo. Total Testosterone for LJ100 group increase from 359.23 to 396.46 (10.36% increase).”[7]
Dosing
From the above, it’s clear to see benefits with as little as 100mg/day or 200mg/day. Some people with deeper pockets may opt for an even higher dose to experiment. Research has shown upwards of 600mg/day had no adverse effect on blood profiles. Another cool point is that even though there is clear testosterone increases occurring, PSA levels don’t appear to be negatively impacted. [8]
[1] LJ100 – HP Ingredients
[2] Hamzah, S and Yusuf, A. Published: British Journal of Sports Medicine (2003).BASEM Abstract. 37:465-466
[3] Sarina, M.Y. Published: 4th Asia-Pacific Conference on Exercise and Sport Science & 8th International Sports Science Conference (2009).
[4] Talbott S, Talbott J, Negrete J, Jones M, Nichols M, and Roza J.
Published: Journal of International Society of Sport Medicine 3 (1): S32 2006
[5] Shawn M Talbott, Julie A Talbott, Annie George, Mike Pugh
Published: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2013, 10:28
[6] Mohd Ismail Bin Mohd Tambi1, M. Kamarul Imran
Published: Asian Journal of Andrology (2010) 12: 376–380
[7] Udani J, Gruenwald J, Miller M, George A, Mufiza M, Abas A,
Published: Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Volume 2014, Article ID: 179529
[8] Safety – LJ100