Japanese knotweed rhizome

Latin name: Polygonum cuspidatum, Fallopia japonica, Polygonum japonicum

Other names:  Asian knotweed

All knotweeds, including Japanese knotweed (Fallopia), is a plant of foreign origin in Poland. The Japanese knotweed is a plant originating in South Asia – Japan, China, Taiwan and Korea, to Europe was brought in the 19th century and quickly spread. It is undesirable that the occurrences in the wild are undesirable because they are invasive plants (nowadays in Poland they are already common). However, it can be cultivated for medicinal purposes. It is a perennial shrub that can grow up to 3 meters in height in its natural habitat. In Poland, plants are smaller, do not produce seeds in our environment and form rhizomes and extensive leaves. So it reproduce vegetatively creating large communities, stems resemble a bit of bamboo.

The most valuable raw material is the rhizome of Japanese knotwwed, sometimes also used herb. The mainactive substances found in the rhizomes are resveratrol, flavonoids: quercetin, luteoline, phenols, phytosterols, are also a source of selenium, iron, zinc and copper. Fallopia has been known to the medicine of the Far East for centuries, mainly used in cardiovascular diseases and inflammatory conditions.

The remarkable properties of the rhizome of the Japanese knotweed are due to the large amount of resveratrol. Resveratrol lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, also acts as an antioxidant – removes free radicals, inhibits the formation of atheromatous plaques, reduces cholesterol, reduces the risk of thrombosis. It affects the blood vessels and protects the heart muscle. Resveratrol also reduces the risk of macular degeneration, the central part of the retina, which is one of the causes of blindness in the elderly.

Resveratrol and other active compounds also contribute to lowering the risk of cancer (numerous studies have shown anti-tumor activity against many types of tumor cells, and it has also been found that the reseratrol taken during chemotherapy increases its effectiveness).

Knotweed rhizome also protects the liver, it is antimicrobial and antifungal, it has a beneficial effect on the immune system, alleviates the symptoms of allergies (inhibits the secretion of histamine). In the herbarium literature, the herd is also recommended as an aid in the treatment of Lyme disease. Long-term use of rhizome rhizomes also affects the level of sex hormones estrogen and androgens. Therefore, the rhizome can also be used to alleviate symptoms of menopause and acne in women and to alleviate the symptoms of prostatic hyperplasia in men.

50 grams