EURYCOMA LONGIFOLIA JACK, MEDICINAL PROPERTIES AND ITS EFFECT ON ENDURANCE EXERCISE PERFORMANCE

This review article discusses the medicinal properties of an herbal plant, Eurycoma longifolia jack, and its possible ergogenic effect on endurance exercise performance. To date, herbs or plant products that have been investigated as ergogenic aids for enhancing endurance performance are caffeine, ginseng, mahuang, ephedrine, and related alkaloids. Eurycoma longifolia Jack is one of the herbs found in Malaysia. It is commonly known as “Tongkat Ali” in Malaysia and as “Pasak Bumi” in Indonesia. It is also referred to as “Malaysian ginseng” since it is well-known among various ethnic groups in Malaysia for treating various diseases and enhancing health. Eurycoma longifolia Jack is a tall, slender shrubby tree found on sandy soil. It belongs to the Simaroubaceae family and grows wildly in Southeast Asian countries, i.e., Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Myanmar. To our knowledge, studies on Eurycoma longifolia Jack as an ergogenic aid for enhancing endurance performance is lacking. Thus, this review article highlights the available studies on its purported medicinal properties as well as studies that have been carried out to investigate its effects on physiological responses and endurance exercise performance.