Fo-Ti herb and root health benefit, extract and supplement uses by Ray Sahelian, M.D. Chinese herbal medicine used for hair health, does it help with hair growth?

According to Chinese herbal medicine, Fo Ti is used to invigorate the kidneys and liver, and serve as a tonic to increase overall vitality. In China, Fo-Ti is known as Ho Shou Wu (or He Shou Wu) and has a reputation for enhancing longevity and energy. I have not seen any long term human studies regarding the anti-aging benefits of this herb.

What's in Fo-Ti herb?
Fo Ti contains a number of compounds, including stilbene glucosides, , anthraquinone glucosides and anthraquinone derivates physcion, emodin, and questin.

Nature's Way Fo-Ti Root, 610 mg
Fo Ti herb (Polygonum multiflorum) is known in China as He Shou Wu. Considered one of China's four great herbs, it is used on an alternating basis with Ginseng.

Fo Ti root Supplement Facts
Fo-Ti (root) - 610 mg *

Recommendation: Take 1 Fo-Ti capsule before breakfast or lunch.
* Fo Ti daily value not established

Click here to buy Fo-Ti, Mind Power Rx, Eyesight Rx, Passion Rx, or to sign up to a FREE newsletter Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter. Twice a month we email a brief abstract of several studies on various supplements and natural medicine topics.

Mind Power Rx with Fo Ti - Formulated by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

This product a sophisticated cognitive formula. It combines a delicate balance of brain circulation agents and neurotransmitter precursors with powerful natural brain chemicals that support:

Memory and Mood
Mental clarity
Concentration 
Alertness & Focus
Why buy all the individual herbs and nutrients separately -- at great expense -- when you can buy this excellent combination?

The herbs in Mind Power Rx include: Ashwagandha, Bacopa, Fo-Ti, Ginkgo biloba, Ginseng, Mucuna pruriens, and Reishi.  The nutrients and vitamins in Mind Power Rx include Acetyl-l-carnitine, Carnitine, Carnosine, Choline, DMAE, Inositol, Methylcobalamin, Pantothenic acid, Trimethylglycine, Tyrosine, and Vinpocetine.  
Click Fo Ti above in blue for more information

Aphrodisiac Properties
Fo Ti is sometimes claimed to be a sex enhancer. I have not come across any studies regarding this property of Fo Ti.

Passion Rx -- Medical Doctor formulated for Men and Women

This natural aphrodisiac formula provides results that are often seen within a few days, and continue to improve with use. Our feedback thus far indicates more than 90% user satisfaction.

Dr. Sahelian and his research staff have tested various doses and extracts of dozens of herbs from a number or raw material suppliers to determine the ideal dosage and combination for optimal aphrodisiac properties with the fewest side effects. After years of trial and error,  a UNIQUE proprietary blend with 15 herbal extracts from the best raw material suppliers has been created which works within hours. The exact dosages and potencies of this UNIQUE aphrodisiac blend is a close kept secret only known to the doctor and his research staff. You will only find this exact combination in Passion Rx.

Fo Ti side effects and cautions, risk
There have been rare reports of chronic consumption of high doses of Fo-Ti inducing liver damage or hepatitis. The title of the medical report is "New case of acute hepatitis following the consumption of Shou Wu Pian, a Chinese herbal product derived from Polygonum multiflorum." Mind Power Rx has very small amounts of Fo-Ti.

I was reading your analysis page regarding this Chinese herb. I am wondering if you have received any responses / feedback concerning negative reactions to taking this herb. I have been taking 1500 mg daily in divided doses, and I seem to feel a lot less energy and just a general unmotivated feeling. I have heard of certain supplements causing a "detox" or "die-off" effect when first starting them. Do you know if Fo Ti may result in something similar? If not, is there any logical reason why it would cause such a reaction?
    Sometimes taking a high dosage of any herb can reduce wellbeing. It may have to do with exhausting certain levels of hormones or neurotransmitters. A good option is to take a break for a week and then resume at a third of the dosage a day and to take frequent breaks from use.

Fo Ti extract
Fo Ti is sold by raw material suppliers in various extract potencies, including 2% Phosphatide.

Fo Ti anthraquinones
The main anthraquinones in fo ti herb are emodin, physcion and questin.

Myocardial protective effect of an anthraquinone-containing extract of Polygonum multiflorum ex vivo.
Planta Med. 1998 Oct. Department of Biochemistry, Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, Clear Water Bay, China.
An ethyl acetate extract of Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. was fractionated into an anthraquinone-containing fraction and a non-anthraquinone-containing fraction. The more complete myocardial protection afforded by the anthraquinone-containing fraction of fo ti extract may be related to its ability to sustain the glutathione antioxidant status under the condition of oxidative stress.

Q.  I really like your formula Mind Power Rx. Recently I see that the herb fo ti is a part of the formula, and that fo ti contains anthraquinones. Are these toxic? I read that California has listed these substances as a liver carcinogen. Also, the FDA has recently added a black box warning to Cipro which is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. Are anthraquinones and fluoroquinolnes related? Thanks for your great formulas and educational service.
   A. Anthraquinones and fluoroquinolnes are very different substances in terms of their physiologic effects. The amount of fo it herb in Mind Power Rx is very small. Any harm from the use of most herbs comes when excessive amounts are ingested. I doubt that the small amounts of anthraquinones in fo ti would be carcinogenic unless a person ingests a very high amount of fo ti herb for many months and years. Shou Wu Wan (Fu Fang Shou Wu Pian, HairVive is an herbal formula with fo ti as a prominent herb ingredient but it contians other herbs such as Radix Rehmanniae. Radix Achyranthis Bidentatae, Fructus Ligustri Lucidi, Folium Mori, Semen Sesami Nigrum, Semen Cuscutae, Fructus Psoraleae, Herba Siegesbeckiae, Flios Lonicerae, Fructus Mori, Herba Ecliptae, Fructus Rosae Laevigatae and perhaps others. It is difficult to say at this time whether fo ti causes hepatitis, if it does, it is a rare occurrence.

New case of acute hepatitis following the consumption of Shou Wu Pian, a Chinese herbal product derived from Polygonum multiflorum.
Ann Intern Med. 2004 Apr 6.

Fo Ti Research studies
Estrogen bioactivity in fo-ti and other herbs used for their estrogen-like effects as determined by a recombinant cell bioassay.
PJ Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Sep;88(9):4077-9.
One of the most important issues in women's health concerns the risks and benefits of estrogen replacement therapy. Continual uncertainty and lack of consensus regarding estrogen replacement therapy has driven many women to seek alternative sources of estrogen, including herbal remedies. We adapted a recombinant cell bioassay to measure estrogen bioactivity in herbs. We studied, in vitro, estrogen bioactivity in red clover, dong quai, black cohosh, soy, licorice, chaste tree berry, fo-ti, and hops. Soy, clover, licorice, and hops have a large amount of measurable estrogen bioactivity, as suspected, based on previous reports using other methods. We discovered surprisingly high estrogen activity in extracts of fo ti not previously reported. Chaste tree berry, black cohosh, and dong quai did not have measurable activity with this method. We also discovered that removal of a glycone group from soy increases its estrogen bioactivity significantly. We conclude that this recombinant cell bioassay for estradiol can be used to measure bioactivity in herbal products. The preparations of fo-ti studied had estrogen activity of 409 +/- 55 pmol/liter estradiol equivalents per microgram of herb, which is 1/300 the activity of 17 beta-estradiol. Clinical studies are underway to determine the estrogen bioactivity in women using dietary supplements containing these herbs.

Protective effect of polygonum multiflorum thunb on the cerebral cholinergic neurofibers in rats
Hunan Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao. 2003 Aug;28(4):361-4.
To observe the number and morphological changes of cholinergic neurofibers in rats under the destruction of kainic acid, and to investigate the protective effect and the mechanism of polygonum multiflorum thunb (Fo-Ti) on acetyl-chorine esterase (AChE) neurofibers. Excitative neurotoxin kainic acid was injected into the basal forebrain, Meynert neucleus, medial septal neucleus and the Broca neucleus to establish the destruction model. Then the destructive experimental group was fed with Fo-Ti, and the histochemical method was used to display the changes of AChE fibers, the protection and activation of Fo-Ti. The number of projecting AChE fibers to the cortex and the hippocampus in PMT group was larger than that in the control group, and no morphological destruction was seen in the experimental group. Fo-Ti has a protective effect on AchE projecting fibers in rats.

Polygonum multiflorum (Fo-ti) extracts improve cognitive performance in senescence accelerated mice.
Am J Chin Med. 2003;31(2):171-9.
The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of Polygonum multflorum ( Fo-ti ) on the learning and memory ability in one and seven-month-old male senescence accelerated mice. The mice were fed with two different diets for 18 weeks; they were casein dietary group (control group) and casein diet supplemented with Fo-ti extracts. Active shuttle avoidance test was performed to determine the learning and memory ability of the mice while the spongy degeneration and the lipofuscin, malondialdehyde, and total thiol levels of the brain were measured to evaluate the extent of the brain degeneration and oxidative status. Results of active shuttle avoidance test showed the mice fed with the PM extracts had significantly better learning and memory ability than the control group. The spongy degeneration and the lipofuscin and malondialdehyde concentrations of the mice in the Fo-ti groups were significantly lower than the control in both age groups, whereas the total thiol levels were higher but not significantly different. It was concluded that the supplement of the Fo-ti extracts could improve the learning and memory ability and reduce the brain pathological changes in mice. This might be due to the antioxidant phytochemicals of the Fo-ti extracts.

Beneficial effects of different Polygonum multiflorum Thunb extracts on memory and hippocampus morphology.
J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2002 Dec;48(6):491-7.
Four groups of 1-mo-old male senescence-accelerated mice (SAMP8) were fed Fo-Ti extract for 18 wk to determine the effect of PM on memory ability and histopathological changes in mice. The baseline diet consisted of a casein diet group, and the three test diets were supplemented with 50% ethanol, 95% ethanol, or water extracts of Fo-Ti. It was found that the mice fed with Fo-Ti extracts had better active shuttle avoidance response, fewer vacuole numbers, less lipofuscin in the hippocampus, and lower MDA concentrations in the brain. Our data showed that the ethanol Fo-Ti extract groups (both 50% and 95% groups) had lower lipofuscin percentages and MDA concentrations, and higher total thiol concentrations than the water PM extract group. The 50% ethanol Fo-Ti extract group showed significantly lower total cholesterol and triglyceride values than the other groups, but the HDL cholesterol level was the same. These results suggest that dietary supplementation with either ethanol or water extracts can reduce brain pathological changes and promote learning and memory ability. The performance of Fo-Ti extracts depended on the extraction method, with ethanol extraction tending to obtain better results.

The radical scavenging effects of stilbene glucosides from Polygonum multiflorum.
Arch Pharm Res. 2002 Oct;25(5):636-9.
The extract of the root of Polygonum multiflorum ( Fo-Ti ) exhibited a significant antioxidant activity assessed by the DPPH radical scavenging activity in vitro. The bioassay-guided fractionation of the extract yielded a stilbene glucoside, as an active constituent responsible for the antioxidant property. Compound 1 demonstrated a moderate DPPH radical scavenging activity, while the corresponding deglucosylated stilbene 2 exhibited a much higher activity.

Antimutagenic property of an herbal medicine, Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. detected by the Tradescantia micronucleus assay.
J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol. 1999;18(2):127-30.
The root extracts of a Chinese herb, Polygonum multiflorum ( Fo-ti ) have been used for centuries as an internal medicine to improve liver and kidney functions. In this study, we evaluated the antimutagenic property of this drug with the Tradescantia micronucleus (Trad-MCN) assay. This antimutagenic effect could be attributed to the antioxidant action of Fo-ti, enhancement of DNA repair, or the radical elimination from the irradiated plant cells.

Effect of the root of Polygonum multiflorum ( fo-ti ). and its processed products on fat accumulation in the liver of mice
Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi. 1992 Oct;17(10):595-6, 639.
Experiments have shown that the root of Fo Ti exhibits inhibitory effect on triglyceride accumulation in the liver of mice induced by CCl4, cortisone acetate and thioacetamide (TAA). Its processed products (I, II) were found to be effective in lowering the accumulated triglyceride induced by cortisone acetate. The root of Fo-Ti and its processed products also reduced the enlargement of liver by CCl4.

New case of acute hepatitis following the consumption of Shou Wu Pian, a Chinese herbal product derived from Polygonum multiflorum - Fo ti.
Ann Intern Med. 2004 Apr 6;140(7):W30.

Fo-Ti herb supplement emails
Q. What is your opinion of the DHT inhibiting effects of He Shou Wu (Fo Ti herb)?
     A. We have not come across research evaluating the relationship of DHT to Fo-Ti .

Q. Is Fo Ti herb for hair loss?
     A. Some people claim Fo Ti helps hair loss, but we have not seen such research.

Q. Initially my girlfriend gave me Fo-Ti. which made me sleep a lot better. As side effect I noticed that it made me produce more sperm, usually it takes abort 24 hours for me to recover fully after orgasm; with taking Fo-Ti however I could have sex in the morning and later the same day I would again have as much sperm as I did in the morning. I have also noticed that I some times can have a release and than continue without losing my erection. This is some thing I really think is great. Reading more abbot Fo-Ti I learned that it really is a “sex herb” and I'm not surprised.

I read an article on a web site written by a Chinese herbal doctor Dr. Maoshing Ni that "Shou wu" (also called "fo-ti" or polygonum root) is a hair nurture supplement available in Asian herb stores, used to restore hair growth and reverse graying. Rich in vitamin E and the B-complex vitamins, Shou wu has many other health benefits: It supports healthy estrogen profiles in women, stimulates red blood cell production, builds your immune system, maintains healthy cholesterol levels, and improves intestinal regularity. I just want to know if Dr. Maoshing Ni is right about this herb helping with hair growth. He also says, "The Chinese have long discovered that black sesame seeds, black beans, and walnuts reverse graying. For healthy and shiny hair, eat foods everyday that are rich in essential fatty acids and omega-rich nutrients: flaxseed oil, sesame oil, olive oil, virgin coconut oil, avocado, beans, nuts and seeds."
    As of December 2009, I have not seen any human studies that have shown this herb to reverse hair loss. I doubt that eating sesame seeds, black beans and walnuts reverses graying hair.

Fo Ti - Polygonum multiflorum -- Fleeceflower -- He Shou Wu -- Shouwu --