Detection and Quantification of Eurycomanone Levels in Tongkat Ali Herbal Products

Tongkat Ali is most famous for its aphrodisiac property and has gained reputation\udworldwide. Due to this, Tongkat Ali products are in demand and can be obtained\udin various forms. The quality of these products is not often authenticated. As\udMalaysia is one of the major producing countries of Tongkat Ali products, this\udstudy adapted a method which is used to determine the quality of Tongkat Ali\udproducts in the market. The quality of those products is based on the level of\udeurycomanone, the major compound in Tongkat Ali and the level should be around\ud0.8-1.5 w/v (%). A total of 41 products were obtained internationally and from\udMalaysia, with different pharmaceutical dosage, single or combined formulation.\udThose products were analyzed for eurycomanone content using HPLC, C18 column\udwith acetonitrile and water as the mobile phase. The result indicated that 24 of\udthe products contained eurycomanone. Eleven out of the 24 products complied\ud(0.84-8.48% w/v) with the criteria set by Malaysian Standard and 9 of the products\udeven have the eurycomanone level above (1.6-8.48% w/v) the set criteria. It was\udobserved no eurycomanone was detected in some products even though the\udproducts have been registered with Malaysian herbal regulatory body, National\udPharmaceutical Control Bureau (NPCB). In conclusion, this study suggests that the\udeurycomanone level should be utilized as a mandatory regulatory parameter for\udTongkat Ali herbal preparation in the market besides the current parameters;\udmicrobial load and heavy metal contents alon