Full Spectrum Extract
Wild Cultivated
Additive & Filler Free
Gluten Free
Vegan
He Shou Wu Root Extract · Prepared Roots · Full Spectrum · Wild Cultivated
✧ What is He Shou Wu?
He Shou Wu (何首烏), known in the West as Fo-Ti, is one of the most treasured tonic herbs in the Traditional Chinese Medicine tradition. It comes from the root of Polygonum multiflorum, a climbing plant native to the mountains of China. The name means "Mr He's black hair", after an old folk tale of an elderly man whose hair was said to return to its dark colour after he took the prepared root.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, He Shou Wu is classified as a Jing tonic, one of the herbs traditionally used to nourish the body's deeper reserves. It has been valued this way for centuries, almost always in its prepared form: the root simmered slowly with black beans before use. Our He Shou Wu is the prepared root, readied the classical way and extracted into a full-spectrum powder.
✧ Is He Shou Wu the same as Fo-Ti?
Yes. He Shou Wu and Fo-Ti are two names for the same root, Polygonum multiflorum. He Shou Wu (何首烏) is the traditional Chinese name; Fo-Ti is the name it became known by in the West. You may also see it written as ho shou wu.
The more important distinction is not the name but the preparation. In tradition, the raw root and the prepared root are treated as two quite different things. When people speak of He Shou Wu as a tonic, they almost always mean the prepared root, simmered with black beans. Ours is the prepared root, which is why the preparation method matters so much.
✧ What's in our He Shou Wu?
Ingredients
100% Pure - Full Spectrum He Shou Wu Root Extract
- 10:1 full-spectrum extract of prepared He Shou Wu root (Polygonum multiflorum)
- Prepared by simmering with black beans before extraction (the classical method)
- Wild cultivated, single-source
- Water-extracted, no solvents or carriers
- Supplied in dark glass to protect the extract
- Free from fillers, preservatives, bulking agents, and humectants
- GMO, dairy and gluten free
Product carefully sourced from the Changbai Mountains, China. Click here for info on our sourcing policy. Tested for purity: heavy metals, pesticides and other contaminants. View the Certificate of Analysis.
Explore our full range of tonic herbs.
✧ How is our He Shou Wu prepared?
The preparation is what separates a true He Shou Wu tonic from raw root, and ours follows the classical method. The roots are first simmered with black beans for around ten hours, and this is repeated over nine cycles, roughly ninety hours in total. This long, slow preparation is the traditional way the root has been readied for use.
The prepared roots are then extracted using purified water, with a temperature-controlled process suited to the root's nature, so the naturally occurring components are captured in the same proportions as in the whole plant. This gives a full-spectrum 10:1 extract. The liquid is gently dehydrated into a micro-fine powder that dissolves back into warm water or any drink, with no fillers or carriers added.
✧ How to take He Shou Wu?
1g (about half a level teaspoon) in warm water, or stirred into your favourite tea, smoothie or drink. It can also be sprinkled over salad or warm food. Many people take it daily as part of a tonic-herb routine.
He Shou Wu sits well alongside other classical tonics, such as our levigated pearl powder or wild-harvested pine pollen. Start with a smaller amount and find the rhythm that suits you.
✧ Is He Shou Wu safe?
He Shou Wu has been used as a tonic in Traditional Chinese Medicine for many centuries, and tradition has always insisted on one thing: the root must be properly prepared. The raw, unprepared root is considered harsh, which is exactly why the classical method simmers it slowly with black beans over many hours. This long, careful preparation gentles the root, and it is this prepared form that has been taken as a tonic for generations.
Many of the modern concerns have centred on raw or poorly prepared root, very large doses, or low-quality and mixed products, rather than carefully prepared, single-source He Shou Wu taken in sensible amounts. Ours is prepared the traditional way over nine cycles, sourced from a single origin in the Changbai Mountains, and tested for purity. Taken as a tonic rather than in large doses, this follows the way the root has always been used.
Even so, everybody is different, and on rare occasions some people can be individually sensitive to the root. For this reason we would not recommend it during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, and if you have any liver concerns, take regular medication, or are under medical care, it is worth speaking to a qualified healthcare practitioner before adding He Shou Wu to your routine. It is also prepared with black beans, so it is not suitable for anyone who needs to avoid them.
✧ Your questions, answered
› Is your He Shou Wu raw or prepared?
It is the prepared root, never raw. This matters, because in the Chinese tradition raw He Shou Wu and prepared He Shou Wu are treated almost as two different things, and when the root is used as a tonic it is nearly always the prepared form that is meant.
You may come across raw root, or unprepared slices, offered elsewhere. Ours is always the prepared root, simmered with black beans before it is extracted. You can read the full preparation method further up this page.
› Why does the taste or colour vary from one batch to the next?
He Shou Wu is a natural, wild cultivated root, and its taste and colour can shift a little from batch to batch. Our standards are strict when it comes to sourcing, potency and purity, yet we do not standardise a batch to a fixed taste or a fixed colour, so no two batches are ever guaranteed to be identical.
One jar may be a shade darker, or a touch sharper, than the last. This is simply the character of a whole, single-source root rather than a sign that anything is wrong, and it does not mean the root is raw or under-prepared. Every batch is prepared the same classical way.
› Do you test your He Shou Wu for heavy metals?
Yes. Every batch is tested for purity, including heavy metals, pesticides and other contaminants, before it reaches you. You can view the current Certificate of Analysis for the details.
Heavy metals are a fair thing to ask about with any root drawn from wild soil, and it is why we test rather than assume.
› How do I keep the powder from clumping, and can I use hot water?
Because our He Shou Wu contains no anti-caking agents or humectants, the fine powder naturally draws in a little moisture from the air and can firm up over time, especially once the jar has been opened. This is normal, and it is still perfectly good to use. Keep the jar sealed and away from steam and humidity, and if it does set firm, break off a piece and crumble it, or give it a moment in a small grinder.
Warm or hot water dissolves it more smoothly than cold, which can leave it clumping. It stirs happily into your morning tea, a smoothie or any warm drink.
› How often should I take it, and how long will a jar last?
The suggested serving is 1g, about half a level teaspoon, taken once a day. If He Shou Wu is new to you, it is sensible to begin with a little less and let your routine settle from there.
At 1g a day, an 80g jar lasts around eighty days, and a 225g jar around two hundred and twenty-five days, so a single jar goes a long way.
› Can I take He Shou Wu alongside other tonic herbs?
Yes. Many people enjoy He Shou Wu as part of a wider daily ritual, and it sits comfortably beside other tonic herbs. It is often paired with our Desert Cistanche, Schisandra Berry or Pine Pollen, sometimes in the same warm drink and sometimes at different points of the day.
There is no need to take everything at once. Start with one herb, find your rhythm, and add others as it suits you. If you take regular medication or are under medical care, it is worth speaking to a qualified healthcare practitioner first. You can explore our full range of tonic herbs whenever you are ready.
