Abstract
Coffee infused with the additive Eurycoma longifolia, also known as Tongkat ali (TA), has become widely available in the Malaysian market. Safety evaluations for consumption of the products have been called for due to the herbal addition. This study investigates the acute, subacute and chronic effects of a commercial TA coffee in Sprague Dawley rats when given in a single, repeated and prolonged dosage. The dosages of 0.005, 0.05, 0.30 and 2 g/kg body weight (BW) were used in the acute study and 0.14, 0.29 and 1 g/kg BW were used in the repeated dose studies. The in-life parameters measured were food and water intake, body weight and clinical observations. Blood were collected for hematology and clinical biochemistry analyses. All animals were subjected to full necropsies. Non-toxicity-related changes were observed in the food and water consumption parameters. Body weight showed normal increments and none of the animals had any clinical signs of toxicity. Microscopically assessed organ tissues did not reveal any abnormalities. There was significant decrease of platelet count in all the chronic study male treated groups. Significant elevation of renal profile parameters in both gender groups given 0.29 g/kg BW, along with liver and lipid profile elevation in some female groups of the chronic study were noted. No dose-dependent relationship was apparent in the dosage range tested, though these changes may suggest an initial safety indication to the TA coffee. The study concludes that the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) for this commercial TA coffee was 1 g/kg BW.
Highlights
Eurycoma longifolia, known as Tongkat ali (TA), is a native plant to Southeast Asian rain forests.The roots are believed to boost wellness while having aphrodisiac, anti-malarial and other therapeutic properties, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-osteoporosis [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]
No mortality was recorded during the 14-day observation period and the test system (TS) showed no sign of toxicity
As the calculated human equivalent dose (HED) is twice the predicted average daily consumption dosage, the present study suggests that the highest dose tested in the prolonged toxicity study (1 g/kg body weight (BW) per day) of E. longifolia infused coffee, may be well tolerated for human consumption
Summary
Known as Tongkat ali (TA), is a native plant to Southeast Asian rain forests.The roots are believed to boost wellness while having aphrodisiac, anti-malarial and other therapeutic properties, such as anti-inflammatory and anti-osteoporosis [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8]. TA has received considerable attention among Malaysian consumers and is traditionally processed into a drink, coffee makers tout it as a healthy additive in coffee drinks. Safety information such as the no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) for E. longifolia in its aqueous extract form has been previously reported to be more than 3 g/kg in mice [9] and more than 1 g/kg and 5 g/kg in rats in two separate studies [10,11], while the powdered form of the root was reported to have an acute limit dose of more than 6 g/kg [12]. Information for TA extract long-term consumption is Nutrients 2020, 12, 3125; doi:10.3390/nu12103125 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
