He Shou Wu - Dragon Herbs

He Shou Wu (pronounced huh — similar to English “huh”, but not as open — show woo) 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.

By virtue of its ability to accumulate tremendous quantities of Qi into its root, this herb can tonify the human and animal organs and can tonify and nourish the blood. He Shou Wu is not a stimulant. However, it is one of the greatest energy tonics known to mankind. Its action is cumulative, as any truly healthy tonic dietary supplement would be. Because it is a very mild sedative, it will calm the nervous system. So it can be said that He Shou Wu is both energizing and calming. That is the magic of a great tonic herb.

He Shou Wu helps maintain the strength and stability of the lower back and knees. It is used to maintain youthful sexual drive, normally abundant sperm count in men and to support the health of the ova in women. It is widely used in Asia to maintain the youthful condition and color of the hair. It can calm the nervous system. It has components that are potent antioxidants with gentle actions in the liver and the eyes.

Its strength partially comes from its remarkable ability to support and maintain the healthful cleaning functions of the kidney and liver, which in turn clean the blood.

He Shou Wu is a good source of iron. He Shou Wu contains potent antioxidants and in antioxidant-potentiating molecules. He Shou Wu supports the body’s innate ability to efficiently clear superoxide, the highly reactive free radical, from the body. Free radicals are produced at every moment of our life as part of the living process and our health depends upon our clearing them from our body on a moment to moment basis. This support generally comes from foods and herbs humans consume. It is widely believed that the SOD–generating capacity of He Shou Wu is one of the reasons it is considered by many to have “anti–aging” and “longevity increasing” activity. These actions help maintain healthy physical and mental functions and structures. 

He Shou Wu contains zinc. Zinc is an essential trace mineral required by all forms of life. Numerous aspects of cellular metabolism are zinc–dependent. Zinc plays important roles in growth and development, the immune response, neurological function and reproduction. Zinc is important to our sexual and reproductive functions.

He Shou Wu has been found to support fundamental immunological functions. He Shou Wu has been found to improve adrenal gland functioning.

He Shou Wu is unsurpassed in its ability to provide deep, primordial energy (Jing, essence) to the cells of the body via the Kidney system as described in Chinese health philosophy. He Shou Wu supports the human body’s “functional reserve.”

He Shou Wu is widely used in Chinese tonic herbalism as a tonic to promote healthy aging by tonifying the Kidney and Liver functions, toning up Jing (vital essence), nourishing the blood, and fortifying the muscles, tendons and bones.

A freshly harvested He Shou Wu root.

Dragon Herbs 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, Dragon Herbs is extremely aware of this issue and only uses PREPARED He Shou Wu to make its tonic products.*

See Science below for more information regarding the difference between prepared and uprepared He Shou Wu.

Left: A freshly harvested He Shou Wu root illustration. Right: He Shou Wu is prepared and then sliced for efficient extraction.

The Legend of He Shou Wu

Li Ao from the Tang Dynasty (618-907) wrote a book called “The Legend of He Shou Wu” documenting in detail its discovery.

Neng Si is the name of the man who is said to have discovered He Shou Wu in China.

Neng Si was born with a weak constitution. Due to his chronic frailty, he had never been able to marry and as time went by had given up on the prospect of either marrying or bearing children. In addition, he had taken to strong liquor. Nevertheless, he was an enthusiastic follower of Taoism and often shadowed his Taoist teacher in the mountain.

One day, at the age of 58, he fell into a drunken stupor in the forest. When he awoke, he observed a pair of vines entwined for more than 3 yards. He thought to himself that they appeared to be making love, and in a whimsical mood he dug up the root of the plant, which he took back to his cottage. No one in the local village recognized the herb. A hermit from the mountain saw it, however, and told him, “This climbing plant struck you as peculiar, now surely it is supposed to serve you as a divine tonic. Why don’t you take it”?

He agreed and ground up the root into powder and swallowed a small amount on an empty stomach. In seven days, he started to “realize the Tao of Muman.” He started to feel an unknown vitality flowing through his veins and after a little while he noticed certain urges starting to develop. Soon this previously hapless guy began to experience something very unfamiliar to him – incredible virility – he could barely control his sexual desire. Over the next several months, he became strong. He decided to continue taking the herb, doubling his dosage. In several years, his hair grew dark again, and his appearance became youthful. Over the next ten years, he fathered several boys and changed his name to Neng Si, meaning “Capable of Bearing Offspring.””

Though the herb called He Shou Wu’s was well famed as an anti–aging tonic and a fertility enhancing sex tonic, it did not gain much attention from the health cultivationists (preservationists) after the He family had made it famous. Revered herbalist Li Shi Zhen, who authored a book named The Great Herbalism (published in 1578), the greatest contribution to the development of Chinese herbal pharmacy, noted that though He Shou Wu had been established for a long while, few people were taking the herb at the time. A royal endorsement from an emperor changed that. Ming Dynasty Emperor Shi Zong (reigned from 1521 to 1566) was gifted an herbal elixir called Seven Treasure Beard Beautifying Pill. He enjoyed “great success,” fathering several royal princes and credited the herbal formula for his success. This formula, with He Shou Wu as the main ingredient, became an instant hit among the commoners and He Shou Wu became a household herb throughout Asia ever since.

Li Ao’s Personal Commentary on He Shou Wu

Li Ao, the Taoist sage who recounted the Legend of He Shou Wu, is famous as the sage whose walk “resembled a swift wind.” He had this to say regarding his personal experience with the herb:

“I will reveal to you an herbal secret. Taking He Shou Wu helped me to father children. Originally, I preferred peace of mind, and under no circumstances did I want to take this herb, because I had heard it said that it was ‘harmful to peace of mind’ (referring to its stimulation of sexual desire). However, my spouse took it accidentally and we attained the greatest happiness (the highest level of sexual ecstasy). Since then I have continued taking this miraculous herb.”