Botanical Names
Eurycoma longifolia Jack
Common Names
| Malaysia | Tongkat ali, penawar pahit, bedara pahit, bedara putih, bedara merah, hempedu pahit, payung ali, tongkat baginda, muntah bumi, akar jangat semang, tongkat rasul, setunjang bumi and pasak bumi. |
| Indonesia | Babi kurus (Java), Tungke ali (Sumatera). |
| Thailand | Phiak, Tung saw. |
| Laos | Tho nan. |
| Cambodia | Antong sar, antoung sar. |
| Vietnam | C[aa]y b[as] b[eej]nh. |
Family
Simaroubaceae
Introduction
Eurycoma longifolia or commonly known as ‘tongkat ali’ grows in the rainforests of Southeast Asia. In Malaysia, ‘tongkat ali’ is widely used in the preparation of traditional medicines and sold in the form of capsules, tablets and tonics. ‘Tongkat ali’ products are marketed in the United States of America, Europe and Korea. Demand for the products is very high and expected to increase significantly in the coming years.[1]
Morphological Features
‘Tongkat ali’ is a perennial plant that grows upright without branching. In its natural habitat in the forest, it grows at a very slow rate and can reach a height of 15.0 m with the stem circumference of about 20 cm. The leaflets are oval (2.0-3.0 cm wide and 8.0–10.0 cm long), arranged directly opposite on a long stalk (up to 100 cm). There are 20-30 pairs of leaflets on every stalk. The leaf stalks are arranged in a spiral either clockwise or anticlockwise on the stem axis. The flower stalk grows from the leaf axils.[1]
Medicinal Properties and Usage
‘Tongkat ali’ is famous for its aphrodisiac properties. Traditionally, it is used to treat several diseases and improve health. These ailments include headaches, minor cuts, fungal infections (on the skin), dysentery, swellings, glandular problems, antileukaemia, antitumor, antiviral, insecticidal, anti-ameabic, antimalaria and anti-inflammatory. The main chemical components in the root of ‘tongkat ali’ are eurycomanone, eurycomalactone and eurycomanol (quassinoids).[1][2][3][4][5][6]
Soil Suitability and Climatic Requirement
‘Tongkat ali’ can be grown on many soil types. However, well-drained soil with high organic matter is most suitable. It requires an annual rainfall of 2,000-3,000 mm with temperature range of 25–30ºC. Although its natural habitat is under the jungle canopy, ‘tongkat ali’ is found to grow well in the open without shade as long as there is enough water and nutrients.[1]
Field Preparation
Land Preparation
Prior to planting, normal field operations such as land clearing, disc ploughing and rotovation are to be conducted. Field drainage system should also be established in areas that are easily waterlogged.[1]
Production of Planting Materials
The plant can be propagated by seeds. The fully ripe fruit is deep red in colour and can be sown directly in the sand. About 90% of the seeds will germinate 6-8 weeks after sowing. The seedlings are transferred to polybags measuring 15 cm x 20 cm before field planting. The seedlings are best planted in the field not exceeding 6 months in the nursery.[1]
Field Planting
Planting holes measuring 30 cm x 30 cm x 30 cm are prepared and basal fertiliser consisting of 100 g Triple Super Phosphate (TSP), 100 g Ground Magnesium Limestone (GML) and 50 g processed chicken manure is applied. The recommended spacing for the monocropping system is 1.0 m within a row and 2.0 m between rows. This planting distance gives a planting density of 5,000 plants/ha. Planting should be done at the beginning of the rainy season. Studies have shown that the plant can also grow well as a monocrop in open planting. It can also be planted as an intercrop with young coconut, oil palm, fruit trees and in semi-cleared forest.[1][2]
Field Maintenance
Fertilisation
The interim recommendation for 1-year-old plants in the field is compound fertiliser NPK (15:15:15) and processed chicken manure both at the rate of 100 g/plant. Ground Magnesium Limestone (GML) is applied at the rate of 50 g/plant. The compound fertiliser NPK is divided equally into 4 parts and applied 4 times a year, whereas the chicken manure and GML are applied twice a year in equal amounts. For plants above two years, the rate is increased to 200 g/plant respectively for compound NPK and processed chicken manure. The rate for GML is 100 g/plant.
Weed Control
Weeds are controlled by spraying contact weedicide, manually or by using a grasscutter.[1]
Water Management
Field planting should be conducted during the beginning of the rainy seasons in order to avoid planting stress. Supplementary irrigation by using drip system is applied during the early stages of crop growth.[1]
Pest and Disease Control
The main insect pests of ‘tongkat ali’ are tiger moth (Attera sciodoxa) and scale insects. The tiger moth larva feeds on the shoot and young leaves. The insect population increases at the start of rainy season since there are a lot of young shoots start growing. The biological insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis (BT) should be used to control the infestations. The scale insects attack both the mature leaves and young shoots. The scale insects can be controlled by using white oil. The incidence of sudden death syndrome can also affect young and actively growing plants. The pathogen causing the disease has not been identified.[1]
Harvesting
The main part used is the root. In the forest, harvesting is done by pulling out the whole plant manually or by using harvesting implements developed. The optimum harvesting age is not known. However, ‘tongkat ali’ plants at 2-3 years of age is found to start flowering and bearing fruit. At this age, the plant starts to mature. It is expected that cultivated ‘tongkat ali’ can be harvested as early as at this age. The expected potential yield for fresh roots per plant from an open field without shade is 0.8–1.2 kg. This estimated yield is for plants harvested 4 years after planting.[1][2]
Postharvest Handling
After harvesting, the roots are washed before drying. The roots can be sun-dried for a few days. They can also be dried in an oven at 40-50ºC for 72 hours. The roots are marketed in its natural form or finely sliced. Preferably the roots are first dried before they are sliced for easy processing.[1]
Estimated Cost Of Production
The estimated production cost per hectare of ‘tongkat ali’ monocrop for 4 years is RM36,000. This cost includes land preparation, seeds, planting, maintenance, harvesting and drying of product. With an estimated dried root yield of 3,000 kg/ha, the production cost is RM12.04/kg. The production cost was estimated based on the cost of current inputs during writing of this article.[1]
Read more
References
- Mohd. Noh, J., Muhamad Ghawas, M. and Musa, Y. (2005). Tongkat ali (Eurycoma Longifolia Jack). In: Penanaman tumbuhan ubatan & beraroma. (Musa Y., Muhammad Ghawas, M. and Mansor, P., ed.), Pg. 95-101, Serdang: MARDI
- Musa, Y., Mansor, P. and Ramli, M. (2005). Pertumbuhan dan prestasi hasil akar tongkat ali di bawah sistem tanaman terbuka di KESEDAR Mengkebang. Buletin Teknol. Tanaman. 2:27-33.
- Anon. 2002. Compendium of Medicinal Plants Used in Malaysia (Vol. 1), Pg. 337, Bangi : HMRC-IMR
- Kamarudin Mat-Salleh and Latiff, A. (editor). 2002. Tumbuhan Ubatan Malaysia. Pg. 485, Bangi : UKM
- Musa, Y. Azimah, K. and Zaharah, H. 2009. Tumbuhan Ubatan Popular Malaysia. Pg 203, Serdang : MARDI
- Wiart, C. 2002. Medicinal Plants of South East Asia. Pg 190, Kuala Lumpur : Pearson Malaysia Sdn Bhd
