The Herb Cabinet 本草

何首乌 hé shǒu wū

Polygonum multiflorum · fo-ti

Slightly warm Bitter · Sweet · Astringent LiverKidney

“Named for a man whose hair turned black again, or so the story goes. I keep this drawer a little higher than the others — read the safety section before you reach for it.” — Lao Xinglin

What the tradition says

The name is a legend: "Mr. He's black hair," after the frail villager who, the story insists, took the root and grew young — dark-haired, long-lived, and abundantly fertile. Beneath the folklore, the tradition uses prepared he shou wu (制首乌, steamed with black-bean juice) to nourish liver and kidney essence: early graying, weak lower back and knees, dizziness, and blood-deficient dryness^[1]. The raw root is a different tool — moistening the bowels and resolving toxin — and the tradition itself always separated the two preparations^[1].

What the research says — read this one

He shou wu is the cabinet's clearest case of a tradition-versus-toxicology tension. Liver injury from Polygonum multiflorum products is well documented: a 2020 review compiles retrospective analyses covering more than 800 reported cases of he-shou-wu-associated liver injury — mostly reversible on stopping, occasionally severe — with anthraquinone components implicated and raw-root preparations and idiosyncratic susceptibility raising the risk^[2]. China's regulators have issued warnings on the herb. Evidence for the hair-darkening and longevity claims, meanwhile, remains folkloric.

Where to be careful

Everywhere, respectfully:

• Do not self-prescribe this herb, and avoid it entirely with any

liver condition or alongside hepatotoxic medication^[2].

• If it is used at all, that means the prepared form, at modest doses,

through a practitioner who knows the case — never the raw root as a daily supplement^[2].

• Stop at once and seek care if fatigue, nausea, dark urine, or yellowing

appears^[2].

In the pharmacy

The knobby root of Polygonum multiflorum (now Reynoutria multiflora), sold raw (生首乌) or black-bean-steamed (制首乌) — an old distinction that modern toxicology has turned out to care about too. This is the drawer where "natural" least means "harmless," and the honest page says so.

Reviewed 2026-08-25