Fo-Ti Root

Botanical name: Polygonum multiflorum

^Organic

Fo-Ti Root, also known as he shou wu in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), is a woody tuber found in China. This flowering vine, scientifically named Polygonum multiflorum, is widely used in TCM for its therapeutic benefits and its ability to nourish the heart and promote relaxation. Part of the Polygonaceae family, Fo-Ti is typically prepared through decoction or tincture methods.*

Fo-ti has red stems, heart shaped leaves and either white or pink flowers. The literal English translation of its name is "vine to pass through the night." With a distinctive sweet yet bitter taste, fo-ti was thought to unblock the channels of energy through the body, allowing the escape of the pathogenic influences that cause generalized weakness, soreness, pain, and fatigue.*

Depending on the method of processing, there are four different types of fo-ti on the market: raw, cured, wine, and steamed. Raw and cured are the most used, and the ones mostly imported into the US. Another use of the herb is bringing color back to graying hair. The Chinese nickname for the herb, ho shou wu, literally means "Mr. He's Black Hair," Mr. He being a man of Chinese legend who restored his youth and sexual potency by taking fo-ti tea. Chinese tradition teaches that the herb should be used by itself or cured in the water used to cook black beans for this purpose. The curing of fo-ti has been found to increase the phosphates (presumably lecithin) by close to 30%, also increasing the sugar content. According to TCM, the production of traditional fo-ti root is revered and kept as a close secret. However, the basic process involves curing raw fo-ti roots in a soup of black bean sauce. This product does not contain gluten.*

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. For educational purposes only.