Tongkat Ali vs. Ashwagandha: Increase (Free) Testosterone

Disclaimer: if you click on a link/ image in this article and decide to purchase, Viking Beast Media will earn a commission (at no extra cost to you). This will directly fund my out-of-control passion for supplements.

Tongkat Ali and Aswagandha are well-known compounds supposed to boost testosterone naturally.

However, both have unique benefits and look promising in their separate ways. I decided to try them out and share that experience in this article.

This article will contain everything you need to know to decide whether to give Tongkat Ali or Ashwagandha a shot. I’ll discuss the following topics:

• Practical information about Tongkat Ali
• Practical information about Ashwagandha
• My experience with Tongkat Ali
• My experience with Ashwagandha
• Who wins in Tongkat Ali vs. Ashwagandha?
• What to look for in Tongkat Ali and Ashwagandha Supplements?

In the practical information, I’ll discuss what the compound is, how it works, if it’s safe (who should avoid it), the (possible) benefits, and (possible) side effects.

Practical information about Tongkat Ali

What is Tongkat Ali?

Tongkat Ali is a herb used in multiple Asian countries to treat infertility and erectile dysfunction for many years.

Tongkat Ali is also known under the names Eurycoma Longifolia, Longjack, Pasak Bumi, and Tung Saw.

It originates from Southeast Asia and can be found in the roots of a tree called the green shrub Eurycoma longifolia.

It’s sold as a herbal supplement for its beneficial effects on testosterone.

How does Tongkat Ali work?

Tongkat Ali increases the amount of testosterone and mainly free testosterone in your body by splitting it from its binding hormone, the sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG).

Free testosterone is the testosterone that your body can use.

Is Tongkat Ali safe, and who should avoid it?

Daily supplementation with Tongkat Ali extract should be safe in doses of up to 400mg daily for most healthy adults.

People that should avoid Tongkat Ali are people with hormonal cancers (especially), cancers in general, people with medication to lower glucose levels (consult with a doctor first), people with a weak immune system, and people with heart or kidney disease.

What are the benefits of Tongkat Ali?

The main benefit of Tongkat Ali is that it may improve overall testosterone levels, and especially free testosterone, by splitting it from its binding hormone called the sex hormone-binding globulin.

Other (testosterone-related) benefits of Tongkat Ali are:

• Increased energy
• Improving sex-related issues, such as infertility, erectile dysfunction, and desire.
• Dealing with stress a lot better.
• A faster increase in strength levels.
• A better body composition.

What are the side effects of Tongkat Ali?

Tongkat Ali may cause insomnia, restlessness, and irritability. Taking Tongkat Ali in the morning might be a good remedy against insomnia.

Practical information about Ashwagandha

What is Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha is a herbal supplement that can reduce stress, improve sleep quality, and positively affect testosterone production.

It’s made from a green shrub tree and can be found in parts of Asia and Africa.

The active ingredients in Ashwagandha are the withanolides.

There are three high-quality categories of Ashwagandha supplements available.

The Ashwagandha supplements I like best are from Nootropics Depot. I’ll put a link after the information to an in-depth review for each.

• ‍KSM-66 Ashwagandha has been deemed the king of full-spectrum Ashwagandha supplements (around 5% withanolides). Review.
• Sensoril Ashwagandha is especially great for balancing stress levels and supporting a healthy sleep pattern because it’s higher in Glycowithanolides (around 10% withanolides). Review.
• ‍Shoden Ashwagandha is a relatively new and highly purified full-spectrum Ashwagandha supplement (around 35% withanolides). Review.

How does Ashwagandha work?

Ashwagandha is a classified adaptogen that can help us handle stress better.

Taking it at night can help calm the body and reduce anxiety, improving sleep quality.

Ashwagandha can also positively affect testosterone by increasing the production of the luteinizing hormone. This hormone triggers testosterone production and supports our reproductive system.

Is Ashwagandha safe, and who should avoid it?

Ashwagandha supplements are non-toxic and safe to consume for most healthy adults.

Ashwagandha should be avoided by people with certain medical conditions, such as autoimmune disease, diabetes, low or high blood pressure, thyroid disorders, or stomach ulcers.

Ashwagandha is also best avoided by pregnant or breastfeeding women.

What are the benefits of Ashwagandha?

Ashwagandha can help with:

• Handling stress
• Improving the quality of sleep
• Reducing anxiety
• Boosting testosterone (thus improving muscle/ strength/ sexual desires/ mood/ body composition/ etc.)

What are the side effects of Ashwagandha?

In some uncommon cases, it may cause drowsiness, nausea, an upset stomach, diarrhea, or allergies.

More research is needed to pin down every possible side effect.

My experience with Tongkat Ali

Tongkat Ali has made a tremendous impact on my life. If I had to throw out all my other supplements except one, this would be, without a doubt, the one that stays.

I take a 100 mg 10% eurycomanone and a 200 mg 2% eurycomanone pill from Nootropics Depot 5 days a week.

My search for natural testosterone boosters started because I felt sub-optimal in energy, sex drive, mental health, etc.

I’ve been getting my blood tested for years, so I know my testosterone levels and changes.

You can read about my (mind-blowing) experience with Tongkat Ali here if you want to know more.

The benefits I experienced are the following:

• Increased my testosterone and free testosterone by over 30%
• Increased my libido significantly
• Boosted my energy levels
• Improved my results from the gym (strength/ body composition)
• Overall made my quality of life better
• Reduced stress (I can confidently do things that would typically have freaked me out)

My experience with Ashwagandha

I’ve been taking Ashwagandha (mainly KSM-66) daily for years. It’s one of my all-time favorite supplements because the benefits for me are numerous.

I take 600 mg of Ashwagandha KSM-66 within 2 hours before sleep.

Supplementing Ashwagandha has dramatically decreased my stress and anxiety, and I can take on life more confidently. My sleep quality improved because I fell asleep faster and slept noticeably deeper.

I also experienced testosterone-related benefits, such as more energy, better sexual health, faster results in the gym, etc.

My testosterone levels have improved slightly from Ashwagandha, but not nearly as much as from taking Tongkat Ali.

Winner Tongkat Ali versus Ashwagandha: Tongkat Ali, but…

If you’re looking for increasing testosterone and testosterone-related benefits, I recommend going for Tongkat Ali.

This compound positively affected my quality of life the most out of any supplement I’ve tried (I’ve tried A LOT OF THEM).

You can expect better sex drive, energy, results in the gym, less stress, and a healthy increase in (free) testosterone.

That being said, if you want to improve sleep quality and reduce anxiety specifically, then Ashwagandha is the clear winner.

I love these supplements, and I’m not planning to quit anytime soon. You can choose which benefits you prefer, or take both like me.

The Tongkat Ali and Ashwagandha I’ve been taking for a long time can be found on Nootropics Depot. These are the highest quality I’ve discovered and benefitted my life tremendously.

I take Tongkat Ali 1x 100 mg 10% eurycomanone and 1x 200 mg 2% eurycomanone in the morning five days a week. I take Ashwagandha KSM-66 2x 300 mg within two hours of sleeping daily. You can click on any of them to check them out.

What to look for in Tongkat Ali and Ashwagandha supplements

The benefits of Tongkat Ali come from the eurycomanone content (active ingredient). Most supplements, even 1/200 extract, only contain a negligible amount.

I’ve had to search hard to find a high-quality supplement that works. I believe the 100 mg 10% eurycomanone and 200 mg 2% eurycomanone from Nootropics Depot are the best.

These gave me the benefits and testosterone boost I was looking for.

They heavily research their supplements in an in-house lab and have a mission to provide supplements that contain what’s on the label. This should be mandatory, but often that’s not the case.

I take one pill of both five days a week (two days off) myself.

The benefits of Ashwagandha come from the withanolides content (active ingredient).

Your best bet is to go with a well-known, patented, and researched form of Ashwagandha like KSM-66. For the reasons stated above, I decided to go for the Ashwagandha KSM-66 from Nootropics Depot, which works great for me.

If you decide to look for other brands, that’s cool, but do your research and look at the eurycomanone and withanolides content.