Eurycomanone: what it is, where it sits in the plant, and how we standardize to it

Eurycomanone is a quassinoid — a bitter tetracyclic compound from the Simaroubaceae family of secondary plant metabolites. It is the most studied of the roughly 150 quassinoids identified in Eurycoma longifolia to date, and when buyers or researchers refer to "standardized Tongkat Ali extract," the number they are usually referring to is the eurycomanone percentage.

Why eurycomanone and not some other compound? Partly because it is the most abundant of the quassinoids in meaningful plant parts. Partly because it was among the first isolated and studied — there is published research on it going back to the 1990s covering antimalarial activity, effects on testosterone biosynthesis, LH stimulation, and SHBG suppression. And partly because it is measurable with reasonable precision by HPLC, which gives it value as a standardization marker.

Where in the Plant Eurycomanone Is Found

This matters more than most sellers acknowledge. Research at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, published in Jurnal Teknologi in 2015, reported eurycomanone concentrations across different plant parts:

"The highest concentration of eurycomanone content in parts of Tongkat ali (TA) were 6.0568 (leaves), 0.1415 (twigs), 0.0365 (top of stems), 0.0633 (middle of stems), 0.0673 (bottom of stems), 0.3533 (roots) and 5.1137 µg/mL (root barks)."
— Jurnal Teknologi, 2015

Read those numbers carefully. Root bark runs about 5.1 µg/mL. Leaves run about 6.1 µg/mL. Standard root runs 0.35 µg/mL. The root bark has roughly 14 times the eurycomanone concentration of the taproot, and the leaf has about 17 times more. This is the reason we produce three separate extract grades from three separate plant parts — they are not the same product and do not perform the same way.

The Source Material

All three grades are produced from wild-harvested material from the Karo highlands of North Sumatra, in the volcanic terrain around Mt. Sinabung and Mt. Sibayak. We have worked this same geography since 1998. The soils there — Andosols, Latosols, and Regosols from volcanic activity — are unusual in their mineral composition and drainage characteristics. Plants under those conditions tend to accumulate more secondary metabolites as a stress response. We cannot prove with a controlled study that our highland sourcing explains the potency differences we observe compared to lowland plantation material. But it is the working hypothesis we have held for 27 years and have not had cause to revise.

Roots must be from mature trees — at minimum 10 years old, ideally older. Young material has lower quassinoid accumulation. The Batak harvesters who work with us know the old growth areas. Harvesting is done by hand, which is the only way to do it. The taproot of a mature Eurycoma longifolia goes straight down several meters and cannot be pulled out. The only method is to dig a hole around it, by hand, deep enough to expose enough root to work with. That takes a full day for one tree.

Extraction

Eurycomanone is a polar molecule and extracts well in water. We use an aqueous method which pulls the quassinoids into solution while the ethanol assists with the organic resins. The solvent-to-raw-material ratio runs at about 10:1 by weight.

The mixture is heated to 60°C with continuous agitation for 6 to 8 hours. We stay below 70°C. Above that temperature, some of the heat-sensitive glycoproteins in the plant degrade. The target compounds survive at 60°C without significant loss.

After extraction, the liquid is filtered to remove fiber — passed through a 1-micron system — and then concentrated in a vacuum evaporator. The vacuum lowers the boiling point of the solvent, so it evaporates at a temperature that does not stress the extract. What remains is a soft concentrated extract, dark brown, very bitter.

Standardization

The concentrated extract is tested by HPLC to determine its native eurycomanone content. From that point, the adjustment is straightforward: if the extract tests above the target, purified root fiber is blended back in at calculated quantities until the eurycomanone percentage hits 2.0% (root), 6% (rootbark), or 10% (leaf). The HPLC is run again on the adjusted batch to confirm.

Spray Drying and Final Form

The standardized extract is spray-dried — atomized into a hot air stream, moisture driven off almost instantly, leaving a fine free-flowing powder. The end product is brown to dark brown, hygroscopic (it absorbs moisture from the air if left open, which is why packaging matters), and very bitter. Anyone who has tasted genuine high-concentration Tongkat Ali extract knows the bitterness is distinctive and strong. Mild or neutral-tasting "Tongkat Ali" extracts are a reliable indicator that something is wrong with the product.

• Mesh Size: 100% through 80 mesh
• Appearance: Brown to dark brown hygroscopic powder
• Solubility: ~80% soluble in water
• Microbial Limit: Total Plate Count < 100 CFU/g

A Note on the Leaf Extract

The leaf extract standardized to 10% eurycomanone is a product we believe we are the only company producing at commercial scale. The arithmetic of why is in the concentration table above — because the leaf starts so much richer in eurycomanone than the root, reaching 10% standardization is feasible without extreme processing steps. The tradeoff is that the effect profile differs from root extract. Users report a faster and sharper onset. Some find this preferable. Others find it too stimulating, reporting agitation or disrupted sleep if dosed late in the day. It is not a better product than root extract. It is a different one. If you are considering it, start with a smaller dose than you would with root extract and see how you respond before scaling up.

Disclaimer: The information on this page has not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.