Polygonum multiflorum, most well known as fo-ti is a Chinese herb that is said to rejuvenate the body. In Mandarin, the herb is pronounced as Hoshouwu or Heshouwu (simplified Chinese: 何首乌; traditional Chinese: 何首烏; pinyin: hé shǒu wū). Other names that are less commonly used for this herb are fo-ti-teng, Chinese knotweed, or Flowery knotweed,

Etymology

Heshouwu ('Black-haired Man'), a Chinese man who is reputed to have lived until the age of 132, is the first consumer of this herb to be reported^{[citation needed]}. The Chinese patent medicine called Shouwuzhi has Polygonum multiflorum as one of its primary ingredients.

Characteristics

As a herb specimen, it is a quickly spreading vine that will cover anything rapidly.

Medicinal use

In traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), P. multiflorum is believed to:

• Tonify the kidneys
• Balance a fragile yin.
• Treat weak bones and premature graying of hair, hair loss treatment.
• Protect the skin against UVB damage^[1]

When taken internally, P. multiflorum also has a laxative effect.

P. multiflorum contains stilbene glycosides similar to resveratrol and with superior antioxidant activity.^[2]

Resveratrol is extracted from P. multiflorum's close relative, Japanese knotweed (P. cuspidatum). Resveratrol has been suggested to extend lifespan by a variety of mechanisms.

See also

• Chinese herbology
• Traditional Chinese medicine
• Shou Wu Chih
• Polygonum Cuspidatum

References

Notes

1. ^ I.K. Hwang, K.Y. Yoo, D.W. Kim, S.J. Jeong, C.K. Won, W.K. Moon, Y.S. Kim, D.Y. Kwon, M.H. Wo and D.W. Kim (September 2006). "An extract of Polygonum multiflorum protects against free radical damage induced by ultraviolet B irradiation of the skin". Braz J Med Biol Res 39 (9): 1181–1188. doi:10.1590/S0100-879X2006000900005. PMID 16972004. http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0100-879X2006000900005. 
2. ^ L.V. Li-Shuang, Xiaohong Gu, Chi-Tang Ho (June 2006). "Stilbene Glycosides from the Roots of Polygonum Multiflorum Thunb. and Their Antioxidant Activities". Journal of Food Lipids 13 (2): 131–144. doi:10.1111/j.1745-4522.2006.00039.x. http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1745-4522.2006.00039.x. 

General references

• Shinju, H., M. Higuchi, et al. (1994). Studies on cultivation of Polygonum multiflorum Thunberg (Part 1) on the methods of vegetative propagation. Natural Medicines 48(2): 126-130. Tsumura Cent. Res. Lab., 3586, Yoshihara, Ami-machi, Inashiki-gun, Ibaraki 300-11, Japan.
• Monograph in the Plants For A Future database
• Teeguarden, Ron. The Ancient Wisdom of the Chinese Tonic Herbs. New York, NY: Warner Books, 1998.

External links

• Several photos
• Reported warning of adverse liver reactions, by MHRA (2006)