01/03/2026

ON SUNDAY March 1, 2026 theSunday Special VIII

7PRCEMKPI VJG DGPGƓVU QH VJG PCVKQPũU OQUV KEQPKE JGTDU 6QPIMCV #NK CPF -CEKR (CVKOCJ The science and myths behind Tongkat Ali and Kacip Fatimah BY ASHRAF WAHAB

More than a sheepish joke Mention Tongkat Ali or Kacip Fatimah at a dinner table and the reaction is often predictable. Nervous laughter. Raised eyebrows. A sheepish grin. “That’s one of the biggest misconcep tions. People immediately associate these herbs with sexual performance, as if that’s all they’re good for,” Lim said without hesitation. The truth, she explained, is far broader and far more grounded in overall health. Traditionally, Orang Asli communities and rural Malaysians used these herbs to support the body as a whole. They were brewed to help manage blood pressure, regulate sugar levels, reduce uric acid and strengthen the immune system. The idea of Tongkat Ali and Kacip Fatimah as mere aphrodisiacs is a modern RYHUVLPSOL¿FDWLRQ “When people talk about libido, they’re really talking about hormones. But hor mones affect almost everything,” Lim explained. Although both genders have testos terone and estrogen circulating in their body, the former is a primary male hor mone while the latter is a primary female hormone. Tongkat Ali LQÀXHQFHV WHVWRV terone, linked not just to sexual health but also energy, strength, muscle mass, metabolism, red blood cell production, bone density and even stress regulation. Kacip Fatimah , on the other hand, is

associated with estrogen, which plays a role in fertility, menstrual health, cardio vascular protection, mood stability and skin and hair regeneration. As hormone levels naturally decline with age, these functions weaken. Tradi tional users may not have understood the science, but they understood the results. “When your hormonal foundation improves, everything else follows. Feel ing healthier, more energetic and more aligned. Increased libido is just a side H̆ HFW QRW WKH JRDO ´ VKH VDLG

People immediately associate these herbs with sexual performance, as if that’s all they’re good for.”

I T started, as many meaningful Malaysian stories do, with a chance encounter at an expo. Almost ten years ago, Elizabeth Lim was walking through a Halal exhibition with her mother, browsing stalls in search of something that felt au thentic. Not trendy. Not gimmicky. Just … meaningful. Amid the usual buzz of health claims and shiny packaging, one small booth stood out. An Orang Asli vendor was quietly displaying wild-harvested jungle herbs, roots still rough with soil, leaves dried naturally under the sun. Two names kept coming up in conver sation that day: Tongkat Ali and Kacip Fatimah . “Before that moment, we’d only heard about them. Seeing the herbs in their natural form changed everything. Espe cially when we learned how many types of Tongkat Ali actually exist in the wild,” Lim recalled. There wasn’t just one Tongkat Ali , as many Malaysians assume. There were yel low, red, black and even ginseng Tongkat Ali HDFK JURZLQJ GL̆ HUHQWO\ DQG XVHG VOLJKWO\ GL̆ HUHQWO\ E\ LQGLJHQRXV FRP munities. Curiosity quickly turned into FRQQHFWLRQ 7KDW ¿UVW PHHWLQJ JUHZ LQWR a friendship and soon Lim and her mother were visiting the Orang Asli village itself, trekking into the jungle to see how these herbs were hand-harvested. What they discovered there was both inspiring and unsettling.

“There was real demand for these herbs, but the market lacked accurate information, quality control and proper representation of traditional knowledge,” she said. That realisation marked the beginning of a journey that would stretch across a decade, one rooted not in selling products but in preserving knowledge. Lim co founded Ayu Flores Malayan Herbals, which the Malaysia Book of Records re cently recognised as the country’s largest store for Tongkat Ali and Kacip Fatimah .

Lim

From jungle pots to capsules Traditionally, consuming these herbs was not convenient. Tongkat Ali roots were cleaned, chopped and boiled for hours to create a bitter decoction. Kacip Fatimah was brewed whole, with leaves and stems included and was often prepared fresh rather than stored. “It required time, patience and knowl edge. You had to know how much to use and how long to boil it,” she explained. Modern life, of course, does not al low for that kind of daily ritual. Today, Tongkat Ali and Kacip Fatimah appear in many forms: Sliced dried roots, tea VDFKHWV SRZGHUV FR̆ HH EOHQGV FRQFHQ trated extracts, capsules and even honey mixtures. While purists may prefer the traditional approach, Lim believes modern formula tions play an essential role. “They make these herbs accessible. Not everyone can spend hours preparing an herbal brew, but people still deserve DFFHVV WR WKH EHQH¿WV ´ VKH DGGHG

Ayu Flores’ processing factory in East Malaysia.