Effects of Eurycoma longifolia Jack on sexual qualities in middle aged male rats

• Published in: Phytomedicine (Stuttgart) 2003-01, Vol.10 (6), p.590-593
• Main Authors: Ang, H.H., Ngai, T.H., Tan, T.H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aging; Animals; Aphrodisiacs - pharmacology; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; electrical grid; Eurycoma; Eurycoma longifoliaJack; Evaluation; hesitation times; Male; Materia medica, Vegetable; middle aged; Physiological aspects; Phytotherapy; Plant extracts; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Roots; preference of choice; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Rattus; Sex; Sexual Behavior, Animal - drug effects; sexual qualities; Statistics; Testing; Time Factors
• ISSN: 0944-7113; 1618-095X
• DOI: 10.1078/094471103322331881

The effects of Eurycoma longifoliaJack were studied on the sexual qualities of middle aged male rats after dosing them with 0.5 g/kg of various fractions of E. longifolia whilst the control group received 3 ml/kg of normal saline daily for 12 weeks. Results showed than E. longifolia Jack enhanced the sexual qualities of the middle aged male rats by decreasing their hesitation time as compared to controls with various fractions of E. longifoliaJack produced 865–916 (91–96), 860–914 (92–98), 850–904 (93–99), 854–890 (95–99), 844–880 (94–98), 840–875 (94–98), 830–870 (94–98), 825–860 (94–98), 820–850 (96–99), 800–840 (93–98), 750–795 (94–99) and 650–754 sec (82–95%) in contrast to controls which produced 950 (100), 934 (100), 910 (100), 900 (100), 895 (100), 890 (100), 885 (100), 880 (100), 855 (100), 860 (100), 800 (100) and 790 sec (100%) throughout the investigation period. Besides these, there was a transient increase in the %of the male rats responding to the right choice after chronic administration of 0.5 g/kg E. longifoliaJack, with more than 50% of the male rats scored right choice after 2 weeks post-treatment and the effect was more prominent at the dose of the observation period.However, there was no sexual enhancement of the middle aged male rats which consumed normal saline since only 45–55% of the male rats responded to right choice throughout the investigation period. Hence, this study shows that E. longifoliaJack enhanced the sexual qualities of the middle aged male rats, further supports the folkuse of E. longifolia Jack as an aphrodisiac.