Why We No Longer Sell Tongkat Ali

What Happened

Early this year, a local arm of the UK's food regulatory body contacted us and strongly recommended we cease selling Tongkat Ali immediately. Not via email. Not via a formal written notice with reasonable response time. They sent an investigator to our door.

We were not told explicitly to cease, or that we were breaking any laws — just that it is highly recommended we stop, with the implied threat of further action if we did not. All of this over a powdered root that has been used safely across Southeast Asia for centuries.

The reason? Tongkat Ali has no documented history of use in Europe. Under UK and EU food law, that places it in the category of a "novel food" — meaning it requires pre-market authorisation before it can be legally sold here, regardless of how extensively it has been studied, regardless of the centuries of traditional use in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand, and regardless of the fact that the science on its safety and efficacy is freely available to anyone with a PubMed account.

What the Approval Process Actually Involves

To reinstate a novel food, a vendor must submit a formal application that includes full supply chain documentation, complete spectral and molecular analysis of the compound, peer-reviewed scientific evidence demonstrating safety at the prescribed dosage, and batch-to-batch consistency evidence.

The science already exists. It is published. It is free. But the process requires us to compile, fund and submit it independently. And if we receive approval, the approval applies only to us. Every other vendor must run the same process independently. The system is not designed to establish safety. It is designed to establish compliance — which is a different thing entirely.

Why This Matters Beyond One Product

We have been here before — with Urolithin A, another compound with a robust body of research behind it, removed because the patent is owned by one of the largest food manufacturers in the world and only their licensed products may carry it.

Meanwhile, untested peptides for self-injection are sold online with no regulatory visit. No investigator at the door. No urgency at all. The framework as it stands does not protect people from harm — it protects the categorisation system from disruption.

Where We Stand

We are working to reinstate it. The application process is long and the burden is significant for an independent brand, but we believe that when a compound has been regulated this heavily, it is usually because it works. That belief has guided everything we do. We will not stop.

In the meantime, if you were a Tongkat Ali customer, thank you for your patience and your trust. We will be in touch when it is back.