Rheumatism, arthritis treated with TCM Japanese knotweed

What is Japanese knotweed(Polygonum Cuspidatum, Hu Zhang)?
Medicinally it mainly refers to the dried rhizomes and roots of Polygonum cuspidatum Sieb. et Zucc., a plant in the family Polygonaceae. This plant is native to China, Japan, and Korea. Therefore, it gets a variety of different names, such as Bushy Knotweed Root, Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati, Knotweed Rhizome, Fallopia japonica, giant knotweed, Japanese bamboo, Japanese Knotwood, Mexican Bamboo, Reynoutria japonica, Japanese Fleece flower and so on. In China it is mainly found in Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shandong, Sichuan and other places. Best harvesting seasons are spring and autumn. After the digging, remove fibrous roots, wash clean, chop into segments or thick slices when it is fresh, dry in the sun, and used raw or fresh.

This is a shrub-like herbaceous perennial, 1 meter or more. Underground rhizomes is decumbent, woody, yellow, and with obvious knots. Stems are erect, cylindrical, hollow, and with glabrous surface scattered with many red or purplish spots. Leaves are alternate, broad ovate to nearly oblong, 7 to 12cm long, 5 to 9cm wide, and with short pointed apex and rounded or cuneate base. Petiole is 1 to 2.5cm long. Membranous sheath is brown and caducous. Small but dense flowers are unisexual, dioecious, and with axillary panicles. Pedicels are long and with wings in the upper part. Achene is ovate, reddish-brown, shiny, wrapped in the wing-shaped perianth, and with three edges. Its flowering period is from July to September and Fruiting period is from September to October.

Japanese knotweed benefits
When it comes to Japanese knotweed uses, something has to be mentioned is the resveratrol, which actually is a natural antibiotics from 72 plants, covering 12 families and 31 genera. And it is mainly found in grape peel, peanuts, mulberry, pines (for example, Scotch Pine, Eastern white pine, etc.), and plants in the family Polygonaceae (giant knotweed or Hu Zhang). Resveratrol was first purified from a leguminous plant native to Peru in 1974. Resveratrol is actually a type of chemical produced to increase the plant’s resistance to the environmental stresses, such as bad weather, microbial infection, etc. This matter has significant pharmacological and biological effects, such as fighting cancer, protecting nerve, defying aging, reducing inflammation, prolonging life, and so on. The best example that can illustrate its health benefits is the phenomenon called French Paradox, namely the fact that Frenchman’s diet contains a lot of saturated fat but few people suffer from Coronary Heart Disease. And later studies revealed that this should give the credit to resveratrol-rich table wine at the French dinner tables. So, today on the market you can buy a variety of related products, such as Japanese knotweed supplement, extract, capsules, tincture, tablets, tea, and more.