THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2001

KL's Tongkat Ali promoted as tonic

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - A Malaysian jungle plant famed as an aphrodisiac is to be promoted as a healthy tonic rather than an aid to love-making.

Tongkat Ali (Ali's walking stick) can "become the king of Malaysian herbs," an executive with the Malaysian Herbal Council was Wednesday quoted as saying. Syed Kamaruddin Wazir, chief operating officer, told the New Straits Times that the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia have been studying the plant's medicinal value.

He said his council wanted to promote the "ginseng of Malaysia" as a healthy tonic drink rather than an aphrodisiac.

Syed Kamaruddin said commercial cultivation was viable because of lucrative returns and strong demand but so far only two farms had begun large-scale cultivation of Tongkat Ali.

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