COVID-19. The Science Behind Male Vulnerability and the Emerging Role of PHYSTA® Tongkat Ali.

When Testosterone Fell, COVID-19 Became Deadlier.

A Scientific Story Connecting Hormones, Immunity & PHYSTA® Tongkat Ali.

During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, one observation consistently stood out across hospitals worldwide: men were dying at higher rates than women. For a long time, the reason was unclear.

 

That changed in July 2021, when Professor Andrea Salonia and his team from San Raffaele University Hospital, Milan, presented a landmark finding at the 36th Annual European Association of Urology Congress (EAU21).

Testosterone Test.

Study reveals that almost 90% of men have hypogonadism at the time of hospital admission for Covid-19.

What they discovered shocked even seasoned clinicians.

“I have never seen anything like this in my 25 years in the field.”

Prof. Andrea Salonia, EAU21, 2021

The Milan Discovery: Testosterone & COVID-19 Severity

In a cohort of 286 men hospitalized with COVID-19:

·       89.8% had low testosterone (hypogonadism) at admission

·       Only 14.9% of healthy controls showed low testosterone

The lower the testosterone level, the higher the risk of:

·       Severe disease

·       Intubation

·       Death

Ref : COVID-19 Is Associated With Low Testosterone in Men.

https://www.renalandurologynews.com/reports/male-hypogonadism-associated-with-sars-cov-2-severity-mortality-death/#:~:text=Low%20testosterone%20levels%20are%20highly,14.9%25)%20of%20health%20controls 

While the study did not definitively determine whether COVID-19 caused low testosterone or exploited it, the signal was unmistakable:

·       Low testosterone was strongly associated with poor COVID-19 outcomes and mortality in men. 

Men with low testosterone more likely to die from Covid-19.   

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/707995#:~:text=Men%20with%20symptomatic%20Covid%2D19,cent%20of%20the%20healthy%20volunteers. 

This was not an isolated observation. Independent reports (including EurekAlert) reinforced the same conclusion:

·       men with low testosterone were significantly more likely to die from COVID-19.

·       Why Testosterone Matters in Viral Infections

Testosterone is not merely a “male hormone.” Scientifically, it plays critical roles in:

·       Immune regulation (T-cell balance, cytokine modulation)

·       Inflammation control (preventing cytokine overreaction)

·       Muscle, lung & metabolic resilience

·       Stress hormone (cortisol) suppression

When testosterone collapses:

Inflammation rises

Immune response becomes dysregulated

Recovery capacity weakens

COVID-19 did not just attack the lungs it exposed metabolic & hormonal vulnerabilities, particularly in aging or stressed men.

PHYSTA® Tongkat Ali: Where Hormonal Science Meets Antiviral Evidence

This is where PHYSTA®, the standardized water extract of Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali), becomes scientifically relevant not as speculation, but through published evidence.

1. Clinically Proven Testosterone Support

PHYSTA® is one of the most clinically studied Tongkat Ali extracts globally, with human trials demonstrating:

Restoration of testosterone levels in men with deficiency

Reduction of cortisol (stress hormone)

Improvement in energy, vitality & physiological resilience

These effects directly address the risk profile identified in severe COVID-19 patients.

2. Direct Antiviral Activity Against SARS-CoV-2 (In Vitro)

In May 2024, a peer-reviewed study published in the

Malaysian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Vol. 22, No. 1, pp. 77–86) reported:

“Antiviral activity of PHYSTA® standardized water extract of Eurycoma longifolia against SARS-CoV-2: An in vitro study”

PHYSTA® Tongkat Ali

Antiviral Activity of Physta®, Standardised Water Extract of Eurycoma longifolia against SARS-CoV-2: An in vitro Study

https://www.academia.edu/145229646/Antiviral_Activity_of_Physta_Standardised_Water_Extract_of_Eurycoma_longifolia_against_SARS_CoV_2_An_in_vitro_Study

Source: Universiti Sains Malaysia https://share.google/Ky3KJJ5TrNaso7M3u

Conducted by:

Biotropics Malaysia Berhad

Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre (TIDREC)

University of Malaya

Key findings:

·       PHYSTA® inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication in Vero cells

·       IC₅₀: 36.3 μg/mL (50% viral growth reduction)

·       No cytotoxicity at effective antiviral concentrations

·       Clear suppression of viral plaque formation within 72 hours

·       Favorable Selectivity Index (SI), indicating safety vs efficacy balance

Mechanistically, the antiviral activity was attributed to:

·       Eurycomanone

·       Saponins interfering with viral capsid protein synthesis

·       Immunomodulatory effects reducing excessive inflammation

3. Intellectual Property Protection

This discovery is further reinforced by a registered patent:

·       Patent No: PI2022005089

·       Title: Use of Eurycoma longifolia extract against Coronavirus

·       This reflects novelty, scientific merit & translational potential, not anecdotal use.

Connecting the Evidence Carefully & Scientifically

What the science allows us to say responsibly:

·       Severe COVID-19 is strongly associated with low testosterone in men

·       PHYSTA® is clinically proven to support testosterone

·       PHYSTA® has peer-reviewed in-vitro evidence showing inhibition of SARS-CoV-2

·       PHYSTA® demonstrates immune-modulating and anti-inflammatory properties

What science does not claim:

·       PHYSTA® is not positioned as a drug or a cure

·       In-vitro antiviral activity does not replace clinical COVID-19 treatment

 

Nu-Prep

Nu-Prep is powered exclusively by PHYSTA® a clinically studied, standardized Tongkat Ali extract.

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a critical but under-recognized factor in men’s vulnerability: hormonal resilience, particularly testosterone status.

The convergence of:

·       European clinical observations (EAU21, Milan)

·       Hormonal biology

·       Peer-reviewed antiviral laboratory evidence

Clinically validated Tongkat Ali standardization (PHYSTA®)

places PHYSTA® in a unique scientific position not as speculation, but as a biologically plausible, evidence-supported natural intervention worthy of serious academic & clinical attention.

PHYSTA® is currently among the very few standardized herbal extracts with both:

·       Human clinical evidence for testosterone support &

·       Published in-vitro evidence against SARS-CoV-2

This does not close the chapter it opens a new one for future translational, clinical & preventive research at the intersection of men’s health, immunity & viral resilience.

nu-prep 

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