From the YINA Materia Medica — a living library of the plants we formulate with, read in two languages at once: the classical and the molecular.
THE ENTRY
Chinese — 何首乌 (hé shǒu wū), a name traditionally associated with "Mr. He's black hair" Related medicinal forms — 制首乌 zhì shǒu wū, the prepared root · 首乌藤 shǒu wū téng, traditionally called 夜交藤 yè jiāo téng, the dried stem used as a separate medicine Botanical — Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. (currently accepted botanically as Pleuropterus multiflorus; synonyms include Fallopia multiflora and Reynoutria multiflora), Polygonaceae
Pharmacopoeial — Polygoni Multiflori Radix / Polygoni Multiflori Radix Praeparata
Category — 补血药, herbs that tonify the blood — and, in its prepared form, nourish Liver and Kidney, essence and blood
Nature — slightly warm
Flavor — bitter, sweet, astringent
Channels — Liver, Heart, Kidney
Actions — prepared: tonifies the Liver and Kidney · nourishes essence and blood · traditionally blackens the hair · strengthens sinews and bones · raw: resolves toxicity, reduces swellings, moistens the intestines, and unblocks the bowels
Common names — fo-ti, Chinese knotweed, flowery knotweed
Part used — dried tuberous root, either raw or processed; traditionally prepared by steaming or stewing, commonly with black-soybean decoction.
FIELD NOTES
He Shou Wu — also known as fo-ti — is a climbing vine of the knotweed family that can reach as high as 30 ft, with heart-shaped leaves, pale flowers, and stems that twist around the plants beside them. Its medicinal power lies underground, in a dark, dense tuberous root that enlarges with age.
Slice a mature root and the cut face reveals an intricate cloud-brocade pattern created by its vascular structure. It is one of the plant's characteristic identifying features, long noted by herbalists examining the quality and authenticity of the root.
Prepared He Shou Wu replenishes essence and blood — the reserves that Chinese medicine associates with growth, reproduction, hair, bone, and the gradual changes of age.
It is the root traditionally reached for when those reserves appear diminished: when hair greys early, when the lower back and knees feel weak, when dizziness accompanies depletion, or when the body's deep store of essence and blood seems to need replenishing.
THE CLASSICAL RECORD
Some herbs are named for what they do. He Shou Wu is named through a legend.
A Tang-dynasty account, 何首乌录 — Record of He Shou Wu, tells of a man who discovered the root after seeing two vines intertwine at night. After taking it, the legend says his vitality returned and his family became known for longevity. Later retellings linked the herb with dark hair, renewed youth, fertility, and long life.
By the time Li Shizhen compiled the Bencao Gangmu (本草纲目) in 1596, He Shou Wu had secured a lasting place within the tonic tradition, associated with nourishing the Liver and Kidney, enriching essence and blood, strengthening the sinews and bones, and addressing premature greying.
These are important associations within Chinese medicine. The Liver is said to store the blood; the Kidney stores essence, or jīng 精. Together they participate in the traditional physiology of hair, bone, reproduction, growth, and aging.
The classical tradition also insists upon an important distinction: raw He Shou Wu and prepared He Shou Wu are not the same medicine.
Raw 何首乌 (shēng shǒu wū) is traditionally used for a narrower set of functions, including moistening the intestines, relieving constipation, addressing skin issues, and resolving certain patterns described historically as toxicity and swelling.
Through processing — traditionally steaming or stewing, often with black-soybean decoction — it becomes 制首乌 (zhì shǒu wū), whose therapeutic emphasis shifts toward tonification:
肝肾不足，精血亏虚 when Liver and Kidney are insufficient, and essence and blood are depleted.
Premature greying, thinning hair, dizziness, ringing in the ears, and soreness or weakness of the lower back and knees form part of this traditional pattern language.
In TCM theory, the hair is not treated as an isolated cosmetic surface. It is an expression of the body's internal landscape.
THE PHYTOCHEMISTRY
Modern research has begun to map the chemistry behind He Shou Wu's long traditional use.
One of its most studied compounds is TSG — a stilbene glycoside related to the same chemical family as resveratrol. In cell and animal studies, TSG has shown antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective activity. Researchers have also explored its effects on melanocytes and tyrosinase, both central to the production of hair pigment.
He Shou Wu is more than a single active. Whole-root extracts sometimes perform differently — and even more strongly — than isolated TSG, suggesting that its effects may come from several compounds working together.
The root also contains anthraquinones, including emodin and physcion. These are thought to contribute to the raw herb's laxative action and have also been investigated in relation to liver toxicity. The safety story, however, is complex: the risk appears to depend not only on the herb and dose, but also on the individual taking it.
This is also where traditional processing becomes especially interesting. Steaming or stewing He Shou Wu changes its chemical profile significantly. Some constituents decrease, others increase, and experimental research suggests that proper processing can reduce certain forms of toxicity. Modern chemistry does not "prove" the classical theory of 炮制 — the traditional art of processing herbs — but it reinforces one of its central ideas: raw and prepared He Shou Wu are not the same medicine.
The research is compelling, especially around oxidative stress and hair pigmentation, but most of it remains preclinical. While human clinical studies are still limited, the emerging science offers an intriguing insight to the herb's long-standing role in Chinese medicine for nourishing essence and blood and supporting healthy hair as we age.
AS AN INGESTIBLE
Taken internally, prepared He Shou Wu is traditionally considered first and foremost a tonic for Liver and Kidney, essence and blood.
It appears in classical formulas for patterns that may include premature greying, thinning hair, dizziness, weakness of the lower back and knees, and other signs understood in Chinese medicine as 精血亏虚 — depletion of essence and blood.
Keep in mind that the raw root serves a distinctly different purpose and should not be treated as an interchangeable form of the same tonic.
And the stem — 首乌藤, or 夜交藤 — is another medicine again. Sweet and neutral, traditionally entering the Heart and Liver, it is used in Chinese herbal medicine to nourish blood and calm the spirit, especially when restlessness and disturbed sleep occur against a background of deficiency.
A word of caution
He Shou Wu has a long history of traditional use and is generally well tolerated, but uncommon cases of liver injury have been reported. Risk appears to depend on factors including preparation, dose, duration of use, and individual susceptibility — some people may simply be more sensitive to the herb than others.
For concentrated or standalone internal use, He Shou Wu should be properly prepared and taken under the guidance of a qualified practitioner, especially for anyone with liver concerns or taking medications.
The medicine is not simply the plant. It is the preparation, the dose, the person, and the context in which it is used.
AS A TOPICAL
He Shou Wu's traditional connection to hair has also drawn interest from modern researchers.
Laboratory studies suggest that its root extract may help protect melanocytes — the cells that produce hair pigment — from oxidative stress. Research using human hair follicles outside the body has also found signs that He Shou Wu extract may help support pigmentation.
Other studies have explored TSG and whole-root extracts for their effects on pigment production and the hair-growth cycle. The research is still early and does not yet prove that topical He Shou Wu can reverse grey hair or regrow thinning hair in people. Still, the emerging science offers an intriguing modern insight to its long-standing use in Chinese medicine for supporting healthy hair and aging
养生 · THE SEASONAL RITUAL
Winter, in Chinese medicine, is the season associated with the Kidney — a time traditionally understood as one of storing, conserving, and turning inward. It is therefore a fitting season to work with the ritual surrounding He Shou Wu.
On a quiet evening, give your scalp ten mindful minutes. Warm a little botanical hair oil between your palms. Using the pads of your fingers — or a smooth comb — work slowly across the scalp from the front hairline toward the nape, then along the sides.
Press, circle, and release with light to medium pressure. Let the movement be deliberate enough that your attention follows your hands. This is what 养生 (yǎng shēng) is all about: nourishing life through small, repeated acts.
Chinese medicine calls the hair:
血之余 the surplus of the blood.
The phrase reflects a TCM way of seeing beauty that reaches beyond the surface. Hair reflects what the body has available to nourish it; what appears outwardly is connected to the state of the inner terrain.
Tending the scalp, then, is more than grooming. It is a small practice of attending to that whole internal landscape — circulation, nourishment, rest, and the reserves we spend slowly over a lifetime. It is a reminder, like the season, to turn gently inward.
SELECTED SOURCES
Li Ao, He Shou Wu Lu (何首乌录 / Record of He Shou Wu), Tang dynasty, traditionally dated 813 CE · Li Shizhen, Bencao Gangmu (本草纲目), 1596 · Chinese Pharmacopoeia, entries for 何首乌, 制何首乌, and 首乌藤 · Bensky, Clavey & Stöger, Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, 3rd ed. · Wang et al., "A Review of Pharmacology, Toxicity and Pharmacokinetics of 2,3,5,4′-Tetrahydroxystilbene-2-O-β-D-Glucoside (TSG)," Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2022 · Polygonum multiflorum, LiverTox: Clinical and Research Information on Drug-Induced Liver Injury, NCBI Bookshelf · experimental research on Polygonum multiflorum extract, TSG, melanogenesis, human melanocytes, dermal papilla cells, and ex vivo human hair follicles.
