Out of about 10,000 Chinese medicinal plants only about 60 belong to the class of Superior Tonic Herbs. Out of these 60 herbs He Shou Wu is the most amazing longevity tonic of all. It is widely used in Chinese herbal medicine as a tonic to prevent premature aging by tonifying the Kidney and Liver functions. It also is known to bring up Jing (vital essence), nourishing the blood, and fortifying the muscles, tendons and bones. It strengthens and stabilizes the lower back and knees. He Shou Wu is also used to enhance sexual drive and fertility in men and women. It can increase sperm count in men and help build more semen even in old age. It helps build ova in women as well. It is also widely used in Asia to maintain the youthful condition and color of the hair. This is, for some reason, its most popular attribute but it does so much more than this! There are countless legends of people that have lived well past the century mark taking this herb, including Li Qing Yeun who lived to be 197 years old!
Many people (Including the author) have claimed He Shou Wu has made all the difference in the world as far as stopping pain in the knees and lower back.
He Shou Wu (Called “Foti” by some) is the “Prepared” root of Polygonum multiform – a large vining plant. It is prepared by slicing the root shortly after harvesting and then cooking it 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. This is what makes He Shou Wu a tonic worthy of taking for the rest of one’s life. This process has been done in this way for around 1,500 years. If the herb is not prepared in this way it will not have the same tonic energy. However raw He Shou Wu is often used to stop acne and can have a strong laxative effect.
He Shou Wu is a tonic to the endocrine glands; it improves health, stamina and resistance to disease. It is used to reduce cholesterol due in part to its lecithin content. It is used for angina pectoris, bloody stools, hypoglycemia, diabetes, night sweating and has been found to be helpful in schizophrenia.
Science takes He Shou Wu very seriously:
Studies show that He Shou Wu extract improves the cardiovascular system, enhances immune functions, slows the degeneration of glands, increases antioxidant activity, and reduces the accumulation of lipid peroxidation. Such findings suggest that ho-shou-wu is helpful in combating some of the processes that lead to conditions characteristic of old age, thereby also reducing the risk of fatal diseases (e.g., cancer) and incidents (e.g., heart attack, stroke). He Shou Wu was shown to have effects on the antioxidant system superoxide dismutase (SOD), accumulation of lipid peroxidase, and enhancement of cell-mediated immune responses.
Pharmacological studies have shown that prepared He Shou Wu root extract can prolong the life cycle of somatic cells. Laboratory studies have shown that He Shou Wu can promote strong development and prolonged growing cycle in mammalian cells compared to cells in the control group, which demonstrated aging and degeneration.
He Shou Wu`s effect on protecting the liver:
In experiments on mice, prepared He Shou Wu reduces buildup of hepatic (liver) fat. He Shou Wu also lessens the enlargement of the liver caused by carbon tetrachloride poisoning.
He Shou Wu can significantly counter the liver damage in rats caused by peroxidized (spoiled) corn oil. The damage includes fatty liver, liver function damage and elevated levels of peroxidized lipids in the liver.
At a fundamental level in the liver`s cells, in vitro studies have demonstrated He Shou Wu`s ability to inhibit the lipid peroxidation of rat liver microsomes induced by ADP and NADPH.
These studies show that He Shou Wu`s liver protection mechanism relies largely in its ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation (LPO) and its damage to the liver cells.
Studies have demonstrated that various laboratory animals fed He Shou Wu in their diets lived longer than control animals.
Study 1: A decoction with He Shou Wu as the main ingredient prolonged the lifespan of fruit flies. At 0.1% strength, the decoction could prolong the lifespan by 5.83%. At 0.5% strength, it could prolong the lifespan by 12.03%.
Study 2: He Shou Wu has been shown to slow down the aging of vital organs in aged animals, especially the reproductive organs, the ovary, the uterus and the testicle. The same formula also demonstrated significant results in open human clinical studies.
Study 3: In an attempt to prove Shou Wu`s legendary reputation as being able to reverse grey hair to black, Shou Wu liquor (dilute alcohol extract) was given to 36 people with gray hair. 24 completely recovered their dark hair and 8 more showed improvement. The total effective rate was of 88.9%.
Taking He Shou Wu:
He Shou Wu is best taken in tinctured form, powdered extract, or in a fine sifted powder shaken into juice or other liquid. As a “Tea” it does not have its full potential as it is not completely water soluble. A great way to take it is powder in the morning and a teaspoon of the tincture at night. (It tends to help with sleep in this way)
Be sure to get He Shou Wu from a reliable source and be sure the roots are at least 4 years old and that it is traditionally prepared in black bean soup. 6-10 year old roots are available and can really show off the amazing powerful restorative energy of this Superior Chinese Tonic Herb.
Whether you plan on living to 200 years or you just want to preserve your vital essence and Qi to have the energy of a young person for the rest of your life, He Shou Wu should be tried by anyone. At least for the first 100 years of your life!
About the Author:
Chris Gussa is the Owner, founder and formulator for Plant Cures Incorporated. A family owned business since 1992 handcrafting over one hundred and fifty serious herbal products for specific disorders with over fifty tonic herbal products. People know these formulas work and Plant Cures has never needed to advertise.
Plant Cures Incorporated is here for those who keep their bodies running on what God has provided and for those who do not trust the Pharma/Medical system due to bad experiences or due to just good common sense!
Chris is also an Arizona Cattle Rancher raising grass-fed organically grown black Saler cattle. His small herd is well known for their prolific and gentle black polled Saler bulls.
Chris wrote the best selling book entitled “His Hand Has Provided” – “A Christian Cowboys Guide To Nutrition And Natural Healing With Herbs” It is available here.
Plant Cures Incorporated is here for those who keep their bodies running on what God has provided and for those who do not trust the Pharma/Medical system due to bad experiences or due to just good common sense!
Chris is also an Arizona Cattle Rancher raising grass-fed organically grown black Saler cattle. His small herd is well known for their prolific and gentle black polled Saler bulls.
Chris wrote the best selling book entitled “His Hand Has Provided” – “A Christian Cowboys Guide To Nutrition And Natural Healing With Herbs” It is available at www.plantcures.com as well as all major book stores.
