He shou wu root extract for hair health

Product Name: He shou wu/fo-ti extract

Latin Name: Polygonum multiflorum Thunb

Specification:  10:1 TLC, 10%  stibene glucoside HPLC

Appearance: Brown fine powder

Part Used: Root

Particle Size: 100% through 80 mesh

Function: Enhance immunity

What is He Shou Wu?

He Shou Wu is one of the most popular and highly revered tonic herbs in Asian herbalism. He Shou Wu is the prepared tuberous root of Polygonum multiflorum, a plant that grows in the mountains of central and southern China. It shares the position as the primary essence (Jing) tonic of Chinese herbalism with the Goji berry.

Active Constituents

The tuberous root of Polygonum multiflorum has many active constituents. He Shou Wu is rich in anthraquinones, including many phospholipids such as lecithin (3.7%) . A stilbene glycoside known as 2,3,5,4-tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (henceforth refered to as “he shou wu super-glycoside”)  is considered to be the principle active constituent responsible for He Shou Wu’s very powerful antioxidant activity. There are many similar stilbene glycosides present in He Shou Wu.

Difference between ”Prepared” and ”not prepared”

The tuber of He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum) must be “prepared” in order to be used as a regularly-consumed tonic herb. Unprepared He Shou Wu does not possess the tonic effects and can have unwanted side effects. The freshly picked tubers are sliced, stewed in black bean soup (in a proportion of 10 parts He Shou Wu to 1 part black beans) until the soup is exhausted. The “prepared” roots are then dried. That is all there is to the “preparation.” Of course, no chemicals are used in the making of “prepared” He Shou Wu.

“Prepared”versus “raw”He Shou Wu

The tuber of He Shou Wu must be “prepared” in order to be used as a regularly consumed tonic herb. The roots are sliced, gently stewed in black bean soup (in a proportion of 10 parts He Shou Wu to 1 part black beans) until the soup is exhausted. The “prepared” roots are then dried. That is all there is to the “preparation.” Of course, no chemicals are used to prepare He Shou Wu.

Why Prepared He Shou Wu Is Much Milder and Safer than Unprepared He Shou Wu 

The conjugated anthraquinones (such as emodin) present in unprepared He Shou Wu are laxative. After preparation, the amount of conjugated anthraquinones in He Shou Wu decreases, while the free form anthraquinones that have many health-supporting and protective benefits significantly increase. This is why prepared He Shou Wu has a much milder or nil laxative effect compared to raw, and why prepared He Shou Wu is so safe and effective.

Efficacy and Function Difference: The “preparation” eliminates the laxative effect of He Shou Wu and brings out the tonic effect. In addition to toxicity elimination, the special preparation process also enhances He Shou Wu’s therapeutic efficacy. He Shou Wu is known to support macrophages. In a test where mice were fed He Shou Wu prepared by different methods, or not prepared at all, at the dose of 6g/kg, only the prepared He Shou Wu that was stewed and steamed with black soybean soup for 32 hours was shown to support the phagocytic activity of abdominal macrophage. He Shou Wu that was raw or prepared differently showed no obvious results.

Raw, un-prepared He Shou Wu is used as a laxative in Chinese herbalism, and is not used in tonic herbalism.

Our He Shou Wu products are always made from PREPARED He Shou Wu. Unfortunately, many nutritional supplement companies and marketers in America are unaware of this distinction between prepared and un-prepared He Shou Wu (Polygonum multiflorum). Raw He Shou Wu is of course less expensive, and that is often the driving force behind the way many herb companies make their purchasing decisions. As a result, He Shou Wu is sometimes blamed for the unwanted side effect of loose stool that results from the use of the incorrect herb (raw He Shou Wu). Again, Our is extremely aware of this issue and only uses PREPARED He Shou Wu to make its tonic products.

Function and benefits of He Shou Wu

Prepared He Shou Wu extract increases the cellular antioxidant activity 

He Shou Wu supports the body’s innate ability to efficiently clear superoxide, the highly reactive pro-oxidant (free radical), from the body. This is a normal function that occurs trillions of times a day in every human being.

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) 

Superoxide dismutase, generally referred to as SOD, is a class of closely related enzymes produced within the human body. He Shou Wu supports the normal dismutation process.

He Shou Wu has been shown to help maintain youthful levels of SOD in laboratory animals even as they age. It is widely believed that the SOD generating capacity of He Shou Wu is one of the reasons it has been found to have anti-aging and longevity increasing activity.

He Shou Wu enhances immunity 

He Shou Wu has been found to support fundamental immunological functions in mammals.

He Shou Wu enhances adrenocortical function

He Shou Wu has been found to support adrenal gland functioning. He Shou Wu supports adrenal fortitude. He Shou Wu traditionally functions as a Kidney tonic. Jing controls the functions of adrenal cortex.

He Shou Wu’s Blood Tonic Actions 

He Shou Wu enhances the proliferation of blood producing cells

Scientific research supports He Shou Wu’s traditional function as a blood tonic. Prepared He Shou Wu can supports the hematopoietic(blood producing) function of the body. It does this by directly promoting the blood generating hematopoietic stem cells.

Improves red blood cell membranes 

Extracts of this herb have been demonstrated to help support the membranes of erythrocytes (red blood cells) and to support the growth and development of erythrocytes in test animals.

He Shou Wu is a rich source of lecithin which is an important raw material of red blood cell and other cell membranes (lecithin is also a major component of nervous tissues).

Protects the Liver 

Classically, He Shou Wu is considered a Liver tonic. Many studies now support He Shou Wu’s protective and function-regulating actions on the liver. Throughout our lifetime liver cells continually replenish themselves. Adult humans do not die with the same liver they were born with. In experiments on mice, prepared He Shou Wu helps maintain healthy structural integrity of the liver. He Shou Wu acts as a powerful antioxidant in the liver.

A zinc supplement 

He Shou Wu contains zinc. The zinc content of prepared He Shou Wu is as high as 42 mg per 100 grams the herb. This is several dozen times higher than that of most herbs. Animal type foods are considered to be high in zinc, but they only have 3-5 mg per 100 gram, much lower than the 42 mg in He Shou Wu.

Effect on Memory 

Dietary supplementation with either ethanol or water extracts of He Shou Wu can help maintain brain function and support learning and memory ability.

Potential Adverse Effects of He Shou Wu 

Adverse effects are not common (very rare) with extracts of properly prepared He Shou Wu. Potential adverse effects of this herb are mainly digestive canal reactions, usually resulting in thin stool in cases where the herb is not tolerated, and occasional light abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Raw, unprepared He Shou Wu is a laxative and should not be consumed as a tonic herb, i.e. on a long term basis. Some companies of He Shou Wu products are unaware of this issue and sell unprepared He Shou Wu, resulting in adverse effects.

Precautions:

He Shou Wu is considered to be a very mild and safe herb. Mild gastrointestinal disturbance, characterized by soft stool, is the only side effect associated with Polygonum multiflorum. However, moderate doses of processed He Shou Wu rarely result in such an effect. Should this occur, the herb may be combined with certain other herbs, and the problem can be eliminated. Consult your herbalist. Again, this side effect is rare.