Comment · Wed, December 16, 2020 · ND Owner
Tongkat Ali bloodwork (LH and FSH)
Original post in this thread
RonaldomcDonaldo1 · 27 points
Could anyone share bloodwork on tongkat ali, in specific LH and FSH. I know it increases testosterone but im curious about its MOA.
I want to determine if it suppresses endogenous production, which would mean when you stop taking it your testosterone and estrogen would drop significantly and you would end up worse than if you never took it. u/misteryouaresodumb
What they were answering
Direct reply to the original post — see the thread post above.
u/MisterYouAreSoDumb · ND Owner
Tongkat ali is a super cool plant with a very complex MOA. People concentrate on the testosterone side of things, but it is so much more than that.
[Antioxidant and Anti-inflammatory Activity of Eurycoma Longifolia Jack, A Traditional Medicinal Plant in Malaysia
](https://www.ijpsnonline.com/index.php/ijpsn/article/view/596)
Eurycoma longifolia, A Potential Phytomedicine for the Treatment of Cancer: Evidence of p53-mediated Apoptosis in Cancerous Cells
Effect of Eurycoma longifolia Stem Extract on Uric Acid Excretion in Hyperuricemia Mice
Pretty cool!
Now as to the question of mechanisms for testosterone specifically, compounds in tongkat most likely activate CYP17, or steroid 17α-monooxygenase. This actions enhances the metabolism of pregnenolone and 17-OH-pregnenolone to yield more DHEA, along with the metabolism of progesterone and 17-OH-progesterone to 4-androstenedione and to testosterone. That is the most likely mechanism for increasing total testosterone levels. That's just part of the story with tongkat, though. Eurycomanone in tongkat is a phosphodiesterase 4B inhibitor as well. I am not sure there is one specific mechanism, but a combination of mechanisms that all work together.