Tongkat Ali Huberman Protocol Australia 2026: Dose, Timing & Cycling Guide

Last updated: September 27, 2026 · Originally published: May 11, 2026 · By Eternal Elixir Editorial

Quick answer: The Tongkat Ali Huberman protocol, in Andrew Huberman’s own words on his podcast, is 200 to 600mg of tongkat ali a day, starting low: try 400mg for four weeks and, if you notice nothing, go to 600mg “but not higher”. He used to cycle it, three or four months on and then time off, but now takes it continuously and checks his blood work, including liver enzymes. He took Fadogia agrestis at 600mg a day for a long time and has since stopped. For Australians in 2026, our pick is Eternal Elixir Tongkat Ali 200:1 Extract 2000mg at $1.33 a day. Be aware that our label serve (three capsules, 2,000mg) is well above Huberman’s range, as explained below. Talk to your doctor before starting if you take any prescription medicine.

Eternal Elixir makes the Tongkat Ali 200:1 Extract in this guide, and it is our pick. This page sets out what Huberman has actually said about dose, timing, cycling and Fadogia, checks each point against the published trials, and maps the protocol onto the tongkat ali products Australians can buy. For the wider picture, see our tongkat ali Australia guide.

The Huberman tongkat ali protocol at a glance

Tongkat ali (Eurycoma longifolia) is a South-East Asian root sold as an extract. Huberman has discussed it in several episodes of the Huberman Lab podcast. This is what he and a guest said in the episodes we checked:

Two points stand out. Huberman frames tongkat ali as something to test on yourself with blood work, not a fixed recipe. And he says people who start with low testosterone tend to see bigger effects than people who are already in a good range, which matches what the trials suggest.

What the research shows about tongkat ali dose

The trial doses line up well with Huberman’s range:

• 200mg a day for four weeks (Talbott 2013). In 63 moderately stressed adults (32 men and 31 women), a standardised hot-water root extract gave 16% lower salivary cortisol and 37% higher salivary testosterone than placebo.
• 300mg a day for 12 weeks (Ismail 2012). In 109 men aged 30 to 55, a water extract improved a physical-functioning score and sexual well-being scores against placebo, with safety measures similar to placebo.
• 400mg a day for five weeks (Henkel 2014). In 13 men and 12 women aged 57 to 72, total and free testosterone and grip strength rose. There was no placebo group.
• 600mg a day for two weeks (Chan 2021). In 32 healthy young men, total testosterone, free testosterone and oestradiol rose compared with placebo, while LH, FSH and SHBG did not change.
• 200mg a day for six months (Leitão 2021). In 45 men averaging 47 years old with age-related symptoms, tongkat ali combined with training gave the clearest improvements, including higher total testosterone. Knee-extensor strength rose 17% with training plus tongkat ali and 14% with training alone, so most of the strength gain came from the training.

A 2022 meta-analysis pooled five randomised trials and found a significant rise in total testosterone with tongkat ali, in both healthy men and men with low testosterone. The authors said more research is needed (Leisegang 2022).

One detail doesn’t fit the popular story. Huberman says tongkat ali raises free testosterone by lowering SHBG, but in the 600mg trial in young men, SHBG did not change (Chan 2021). The mechanism is still unsettled.

Why 400mg and not 200 or 600?

Huberman’s 400mg is the middle of the 200 to 600mg range used in the trials, and his advice is to start at the lower end and step up only if nothing happens after four weeks. The trials don’t show that 400mg beats 200mg or 600mg, because no trial compared those doses head to head in the same people.

How our capsule maps onto the protocol

Here is the honest maths. Our label serve is three capsules for 2,000mg of a 200:1 extract, which is about 667mg per capsule. One capsule is already above Huberman’s 600mg ceiling by weight, and the full label serve is more than three times it. Extracts are also made differently: the trials used standardised water extracts, and Dr Gillett stressed that the eurycomanone content matters more than the milligram number. So the milligrams on different labels don’t convert one to one, and no trial has tested our exact serve.

If you want to stay inside Huberman’s range, our product is not a neat fit at the label serve, and you should ask your doctor or pharmacist before taking less than the label directs. If you are happy with the label serve, it gives you 90 capsules for $39.99, which is $1.33 a day. Our tongkat ali dosage guide covers the numbers in more detail.

Timing: when to take tongkat ali

In the episodes we checked, Huberman gave no strict timing rule. The trials simply used a daily dose. Our label says to take the capsules on an empty stomach, so a practical routine is first thing in the morning with water, before breakfast. Morning is also the easiest time to remember a daily supplement.

If you find tongkat ali makes it harder to wind down at night, keep it to the morning. What matters most for a four-week test is taking it every day at about the same time, so that when you judge the result you are judging the supplement rather than a patchy routine.

Cycling tongkat ali: do you actually need to?

No trial has tested cycling. The longest trial ran daily for six months (Leitão 2021), so data beyond that are limited. What we have is expert opinion:

• Huberman used to take it for three or four months and then take time off. He now takes it continuously and relies on blood work, including liver enzymes, to check for problems.
• Dr Kyle Gillett, a physician who appeared on the podcast, suggested about 11 months on and one month off for tongkat ali alone, and three weeks on, one week off when it is combined with Fadogia.

A sensible middle path for most men is to take it daily for 8 to 12 weeks, get a follow-up blood test, and then decide whether to continue or take a break. A break also tells you something: if you feel no different when you stop, the supplement probably wasn’t doing much for you. Read how long tongkat ali takes to work before you judge it.

Stacking: the tongkat ali and Fadogia combo

The “Huberman stack” people talk about is tongkat ali plus Fadogia agrestis. On the podcast, Huberman said he took Fadogia at 600mg a day for a long time and stopped because he was testing other things, not because of side effects. He described Fadogia as potent, said it raises luteinising hormone, and said its dose range has to be kept narrow.

The evidence for Fadogia is much weaker than for tongkat ali. Dr Gillett noted that its toxicity studies are in rats. In one of those studies, 28 days of an aqueous stem extract at 18, 50 and 100mg per kg changed several markers of testicular function in ways the researchers described as adverse, with recovery mainly at the lowest dose (Yakubu 2008). We found no published human trial.

Our Tongkat Ali + Fadogia formula is out of stock, and we don’t sell Fadogia on its own. Given the thin human evidence, we’d suggest starting with tongkat ali alone. Our Fadogia agrestis research review covers the studies. If you want a second supplement with a human trial behind it, tongkat ali vs shilajit compares the two.

Tongkat ali in Australia: products against the Huberman range

Prices are from each brand’s or retailer’s product page, as of Sep 2026. Cost per day uses the label serve, and the last column shows how each label lines up with Huberman’s 200 to 600mg.

Add Tongkat Ali to cart · $39.99

How to read it: Eternal Elixir gives the most extract per serve and 90 capsules to a bottle, shipped from Sydney within 24 hours, with a 30-day money-back guarantee and free shipping over $100. Evolution Botanicals has the lowest cost per day and states its eurycomanone content. AKARALI’s 200mg capsules make it easiest to hit exactly 200 or 400mg. Solaray is plain root powder, so its milligrams can’t be compared with extracts. Our comparison of the best tongkat ali supplements in Australia covers more brands.

Safety, side effects and drug tests

In the trials above, side effects were few, and in the 12-week trial safety measures were similar to placebo (Ismail 2012). The trials were short, though, and none tested doses as high as our label serve. Huberman himself checks his liver enzymes with regular blood work while taking it.

Talk to your doctor before taking tongkat ali if you take any prescription medicine, are on testosterone or other hormone therapy, or have a hormone-sensitive condition. It is not for anyone under 18, or for anyone pregnant or breastfeeding (see our guide to tongkat ali for women). Our tongkat ali side effects guide covers what people report. For workplace and sport testing questions, see our piece on whether testosterone-support supplements show up on drug tests.

Who the Huberman protocol suits, and who it doesn’t

It suits you if

• You are an adult man who wants to test tongkat ali with a before-and-after blood test.
• Your sleep, training and diet are already in decent shape. Our natural testosterone protocol for men over 35 covers those basics first.
• You are patient enough to give each dose four weeks.

It doesn’t suit you if

• Your testosterone is consistently low on repeat blood tests. See your GP first.
• You are already on testosterone therapy, or you want a supplement that works in days.
• You want to copy Huberman’s full stack including Fadogia, which has no published human trials.

Frequently asked questions

What dose of tongkat ali does Andrew Huberman take?

On his podcast, Huberman recommends 200 to 600mg a day, starting with the minimum effective dose. His step-up rule is to try 400mg for four weeks and move to 600mg only if nothing happens, but not higher. He has said he takes tongkat ali continuously and checks his blood work.

Should I cycle tongkat ali or take it every day?

No trial has tested cycling. Huberman used to cycle it (three or four months on, then a break) and now takes it continuously with blood tests. His guest Dr Kyle Gillett suggested about 11 months on and one month off. A reasonable approach is 8 to 12 weeks, a follow-up blood test, then a decision.

What happens if I take tongkat ali every day?

In trials of 200 to 600mg a day lasting two weeks to six months, testosterone measures rose in several studies and side effects were few. Long-term daily use hasn’t been studied beyond about six months, which is why some people take breaks and why Huberman monitors his blood work.

Add Tongkat Ali to cart · $39.99

Does tongkat ali block cortisol?

It doesn’t block it, but one trial found lower cortisol. In moderately stressed adults, 200mg a day for four weeks gave 16% lower salivary cortisol than placebo (Talbott 2013). That is one small trial measuring saliva, so treat it as a promising signal.

Is 1000mg of tongkat ali too much?

It is above Huberman’s 600mg ceiling and above the doses in the trials we cite, so there is little safety data at that level for standardised extracts. Dr Gillett said he recommends 300 to 1,200mg a day to patients, with attention to eurycomanone content. Our label serve is 2,000mg of a 200:1 extract, which is higher again and has not been tested in a trial, so talk to your doctor if you are unsure which amount suits you.

How long until tongkat ali starts working?

The trials measured changes after two weeks to six months. Huberman’s rule of four weeks per dose is a sensible minimum before you judge it, and a blood test at 8 to 12 weeks tells you more than how you feel.

Is tongkat ali available at Chemist Warehouse in Australia?

When we searched Chemist Warehouse’s website in September 2026, it listed no tongkat ali capsules. Australians mostly buy it from specialist brands online. See our look at tongkat ali at Chemist Warehouse and the Australian alternatives.

What is the best testosterone booster for men over 40 in Australia?

For a single-ingredient supplement, our pick is Eternal Elixir Tongkat Ali 200:1 Extract 2000mg, which we make. Tongkat ali has the most placebo-controlled human trials on testosterone of the herbs we sell, and our bottle holds 90 capsules for $39.99 ($1.33 a day), shipped from Sydney within 24 hours. Our serve is above the trial doses, as explained above. Sleep, body fat and training still matter more than any supplement.

Add Tongkat Ali to cart · $39.99

The bottom line

The Tongkat Ali Huberman protocol is simple: 200 to 600mg a day, start low, give each dose four weeks, and check your blood work. The trials support that range, and the testosterone effects are real but modest, largest in men who start low. Huberman no longer takes Fadogia, and its human evidence is thin. Eternal Elixir Tongkat Ali 200:1 Extract 2000mg is our pick at $1.33 a day, with a label serve above the Huberman range, so read the dose section and talk to your doctor if you take other medicines.

Related reading

• Tongkat ali benefits: what the research shows
• Tongkat ali vs ashwagandha
• Shop the full Eternal Elixir range

Sources

• Huberman Lab podcast. Developing a rational approach to supplementation for health and performance. hubermanlab.com
• Huberman Lab podcast. Dr. Kyle Gillett: How to optimize your hormones for health and vitality. hubermanlab.com
• Huberman Lab podcast. Dr. Kyle Gillett: Tools for hormone optimization in males. hubermanlab.com
• Talbott SM, Talbott JA, George A, Pugh M. Effect of Tongkat Ali on stress hormones and psychological mood state in moderately stressed subjects. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2013;10(1):28. PubMed 23705671
• Ismail SB, Wan Mohammad WM, George A, et al. Randomized clinical trial on the use of PHYSTA freeze-dried water extract of Eurycoma longifolia for the improvement of quality of life and sexual well-being in men. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:429268. PubMed 23243445
• Henkel RR, Wang R, Bassett SH, et al. Tongkat Ali as a potential herbal supplement for physically active male and female seniors: a pilot study. Phytother Res. 2014;28(4):544-550. PubMed 23754792
• Chan KQ, Stewart C, Chester N, et al. The effect of Eurycoma longifolia on the regulation of reproductive hormones in young males. Andrologia. 2021;53(4):e14001. PubMed 33559971
• Leitão AE, Vieira MCS, Pelegrini A, et al. A 6-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial to evaluate the effect of Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali) and concurrent training on erectile function and testosterone levels in androgen deficiency of aging males (ADAM). Maturitas. 2021;145:78-85. PubMed 33541567
• Leitão AE, Vieira MCS, Gomes DA, et al. Exercise associated or not to the intake of Eurycoma longifolia improves strength and cardiorespiratory fitness in men with androgen deficiency. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2021;42:101301. PubMed 33445146
• Leisegang K, Finelli R, Sikka SC, Panner Selvam MK. Eurycoma longifolia (Jack) improves serum total testosterone in men: a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Medicina (Kaunas). 2022;58(8):1047. PubMed 36013514
• Yakubu MT, Akanji MA, Oladiji AT. Effects of oral administration of aqueous extract of Fadogia agrestis stem on some testicular function indices of male rats. J Ethnopharmacol. 2008;115(2):288-292. PubMed 18023305