HABITAT E. LONGIFOLIA JACK
III. HABITAT E. LONGIFOLIA JACK
E. longifolia Jack is a tall, slender shrub-tree, up to 10 m high, often unbranched with reddish-brown petioles (9). It is found on the acid (10) and sandy soil in primary and secondary, evergreen and mixed deciduous forests in Southeast Asia, viz. Burma, Indochina, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Borneo, and the Philippines. It inhabits the understory in the lowland forests at up to 500 m above sea level (6,11).
A. National Name It is known as tongkat Ali, or Ali’s walking stick, penawar bisa, or bedara pahit
in Malaysia (12,13), Pasak Bumi in Indonesia (12,13), Plalaiphuak in Thai- land (14), and cay ba binh (tree that cures hundreds of diseases) in Vietnam (15). In Vietnam, it is found in Bien-Hoa, Trang-Bom, and Dinh-Quan (16) and its bark is used in the Vietnamese pharmacopeia (15,16).
B. Uses Described in Folk Medicine The bark is very bitter and is prescribed for indigestion, as a vermifuge, and it
is used as a medication for lumbago in South Vietnam (15). In Cambodia, the roots are used as antidotal, and in jaundice, dropsy, and cachexia. The whole plant is very bitter and supposed to be a febrifuge (15). The fruits and flowers are antidysenteric (10,15).
Eurycoma Iongifolia Jack (Tongkat Ali) 645
In Malaysia, the roots are used to cure boils (10,17,18), wounds, ulcers (10,18,19), fever, as a tonic after birth (10,18), and for intestinal worms (10). They are also used as a paste to relieve headache (10), stomachache (10), pain caused by syphilis (10,19), and bleeding gums (10,20). In Sabah and Kali- mantan, a decoction of the bark is drunk to relieve pain in the bones and a decoction of the leaves is used for washing itches (10).
In addition to the above uses described in folk medicine, this plant is a symbol of man’s ego and strength because it has been claimed by the Malaysians to improve strength and power during sexual activities; it increases male virility and sexual prowess (11,13). It is usually taken as a decoction of the roots in water.
Thus, this tree has long captured the Malaysian market and currently, there are about 200 tongkat Ali products, most of them emphasizing its aphrodisiac properties (21). As such, the above claim has one way or another been responsible for the uncontrolled and excessive harvesting of the tree in the Malaysian jungles (22).
In Indonesia, people from Sumatra and Kalimantan also used the roots as an antipyretic; in Lampung and Belitung, it is used for dysentery. However, in Riau, people living in the surrounding forests drink a decoction of the roots or stems to cure malaria. Currently, it is mostly known as aphrodisiac (10). One of the most unique uses is by the Sakai ethnic group in Sumatra, which employs this tree as an amulet to protect people from the smallpox virus (10).
Furthermore, in Jambi and Riau, there is often much superstition pertaining to the harvesting of this plant or its parts. It is emphasized that harvesting must be conducted quietly and respectfully, and a failure to do so will result in loss of the plant’s benefits. Thus, it is believed that the highest benefits will be obtained if the harvester’s back is turned while he is pulling the tree (10).
IV. PRODUCTION OF TONGKAT ALI It is found that this crop grows well in deep sandy loams mixed with plenty
of organic matter. The plants are propagated usually from seeds (fresh seeds collected from tree burst fruits) that take about a week to germinate. The seedlings will then grow to a height of 10–15 cm after 2 months and at this stage, they can be removed from the nursery bed and potted, then later trans- ferred to permanent positions when they are 6 months old. Intercropping tongkat Ali with other grown timber species is recommended especially in the early stages of growth to enhance its growth rate as the young plants cannot withstand full sunlight (14,21). It has been reported that in cultivation of tongkat Ali, the most susceptible pest is the caterpillar Atteva scrodoxa (21).
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At present, researchers at FRIM (Forest Research Institute Malaysia), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are working on several methods of cultivating tongkat Ali. Tissue culture has several advantages, as it has been shown to produce taproots, unlike planting from cuttings, which tend to produce only fibrous roots, which do not contain the active ingredients (23).
A. Harvest Tongkat Ali plants can be harvested after a period of at least 5 years. The
whole plant is pulled out to obtain its taproot, which has medicinal values (14). The taproot is cylindrical, usually not branched, yellowish-white in color, and very bitter (9).
B. Postharvest Handling Roots are collected and then other foreign substances are removed. They are
thoroughly washed, cut into cylindrical segments, and dried in the sun (14).