{"id":11380,"date":"2024-02-21T20:12:46","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T20:12:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.herbalreality.com\/?post_type=herb&p=11380"},"modified":"2025-04-14T10:35:04","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T09:35:04","slug":"japanese-knotweed","status":"publish","type":"herb","link":"https:\/\/www.herbalreality.com\/herb\/japanese-knotweed\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese knotweed"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":11387,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","beyondwords_generate_audio":"1","beyondwords_project_id":"47224","beyondwords_content_id":"79e38f14-480c-452d-8b0b-3053411cf370","beyondwords_preview_token":"53e99c9c-3daa-4be3-9055-839bfc1d3a61","beyondwords_player_content":"","beyondwords_player_style":"","beyondwords_language_code":"","beyondwords_language_id":"","beyondwords_title_voice_id":"","beyondwords_body_voice_id":"","beyondwords_summary_voice_id":"","beyondwords_error_message":"","beyondwords_disabled":"","beyondwords_delete_content":"","beyondwords_podcast_id":"","beyondwords_hash":"","publish_post_to_speechkit":"","speechkit_hash":"","speechkit_generate_audio":"","speechkit_project_id":"","speechkit_podcast_id":"","speechkit_error_message":"","speechkit_disabled":"","speechkit_access_key":"","speechkit_error":"","speechkit_info":"","speechkit_response":"","speechkit_retries":"","speechkit_status":"","speechkit_updated_at":"","_speechkit_link":"","_speechkit_text":""},"tags":[],"conditions":[685,694,701],"sustainability":[1576],"sense":[18,30,27],"western_action":[993,989,992,994,1012,1013,1022],"chinese_action":[],"ayurvedic_action":[],"energetics_action":[1491,1499,1515,1512,1498,1382,1506,1526,1519,1523,1488,1496,1513,1494,1511],"region":[1898],"class_list":["post-11380","herb","type-herb","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","conditions-digestive-system","conditions-cardiovascular-system","conditions-immune-system","sustainability-green-sustainability-status","sense-bitter","sense-sharp","sense-sweet","western_action-antimicrobial","western_action-alterative","western_action-anti-inflammatory","western_action-antioxidant","western_action-galactagogue","western_action-hepatic","western_action-trophorestorative","energetics_action-neutralising","energetics_action-astringent","energetics_action-astringent-taste-chinese","energetics_action-bitter-taste-chinese","energetics_action-bitter","energetics_action-cool","energetics_action-cool-temperature-chinese","energetics_action-gallbladder","energetics_action-liver","energetics_action-lung","energetics_action-moist","energetics_action-sour","energetics_action-sour-taste-chinese","energetics_action-sweet","energetics_action-sweet-taste-chinese","region-traditional-chinese-herbs"],"acf":{"last_reviewed":"20240221","herb_author":null,"banner_text":"Japanese knotweed has a wide range of medicinal benefits","latin_name":"Reynoutria japonica<\/em>","pseudonym_name":"","family_name":"Polygonaceae","herb_summary":"Japanese knotweed is recorded for use as medicine as far back as the late Han Dynasty around 2000 years ago. It is used widely in herbal medicine today. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is used to invigorate the blood, reduce heat and to resolve toxicity.","key_benefits":"Blood tonic\r\nAntioxidant\r\nMild laxative","how_does_it_feel":"Japanese knotweed is pleasant and easy to take as a tincture, decoction or eaten fresh as a vegetable. It has a distinct fresh, tangy or sour flavour much like its relative rhubarb. The tincture is rich and sharp, reflecting this tangy taste profile with additional earthy tones.<\/span>","hdif_image_1":11384,"hdif_image_2":11388,"hdif_image_3":11387,"hdif_video":"","sense":[18,30,27],"what_can_i_use_it_for":"[caption id=\"attachment_11387\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"600\"]\"Japanese Japanese knotweed bush (Reynoutria japonica<\/em>)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nIn traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), Japanese knotweed is used for clearing heat and toxicity in the body, improving blood quality and qi circulation (4). These combined actions mean that it deeply nourishes and supports systemic health. It is believed to increase longevity and is taken as an anti-aging agent. This is unsurprising considering its broad range of health benefits, such as its cardiovascular tonic and antioxidant properties (4).<\/span>\r\n\r\nIt is sometimes used for viral respiratory tract infections as it clears phlegm and relieves coughs (3). As a tincture it may be taken to help bolster the defences and reduce stagnation and congestion associated with the common cold and other respiratory infections (3).<\/span>\r\n\r\nJapanese knotweed is widely used as a food in Asia. When foraging for Japanese knotweed in non-native countries, one must consider the risk of contamination with chemicals such as herbicides. As it is considered a highly invasive species, it is often subject to treatment with highly toxic pesticides. See \u2018Quality control\u2019 for more guidance on sourcing safe and effective medicinal plants.<\/span>\r\n\r\nJapanese knotweed is packed with valuable nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin C and an important antioxidant and cardio-protective flavonoid called rutin. It also contains important minerals including zinc, potassium, phosphorus, and manganese (8). This nutritive quality of Japanese knotweed makes it particularly nourishing as a food and an excellent tonic for blood health.<\/span>","into_the_heart_of":"[caption id=\"attachment_11384\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"600\"]\"Fresh Fresh Japanese knotweed plant (Reynoutria japonica<\/em>)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nJapanese knotweed is a nutritive blood tonic due to the content of its flavonoids, minerals and vitamins. It also has a nourishing and antioxidant effect on the vascular tissues and is used to reduce irritation and inflammation (4, 5, 7). It may be well applied in conditions that present with alternating constriction and relaxation due to its ability to support the structural health of the micro-circulation whilst neutralising tension and relaxing the capillaries (7).<\/span>\r\n\r\nAs a circulatory tonic, it is indicated in peripheral stagnation as it facilitates a healthy balance of tone in the micro-circulation therefore improving blood flow to the tissues. It also allows better flow of blood to the extremities\u00a0 and, therefore, also helps to reduce stagnation and congestion (9).<\/span>\r\n\r\nKnown as <\/span>hu zhang <\/span><\/i>(tiger\u2019s cane) in China, Japanese knotweed is energetically cold and bitter in TCM and affects the organ systems of the liver, gallbladder and lung. While this herb offers a range of therapeutic functions in TCM, the combination of bitter and cold properties in a herb lend it to heat and stagnation-clearing in the body. As such, the primary therapeutic function of <\/span>hu zhang<\/span><\/i> is to invigorate blood and remove stasis and it is particularly indicated in cases where heat is present. This is especially true where pain is involved as it may cut through the stasis of blood generating the discomfort and dissipate the associated inflammation. The bitter flavour also has a strong downward-draining tendency; it clears excess from the body (heat, dampness, toxicity) as well as descends counterflow, meaning it energetically directs downwards and can help in cases such as cough which is seen in TCM as rebellious lung <\/span>qi<\/span><\/i> (ie. lung <\/span>qi<\/span><\/i> that ascends rather than descends).<\/span>","tradtional_uses":"[caption id=\"attachment_11389\" align=\"alignright\" width=\"438\"]\"Japanese Japanese knotweed flowers and leaves (Reynoutria japonica<\/em>)[\/caption]\r\n\r\nJapanese Knotweed has a long history of human use in China and Japan and is to this day used as a food source; the shoots being most commonly consumed. In traditional Eastern medicine it has been a herbal ally since at least 500CE where it was first recorded in the <\/span>Ming Yi Za Zhu <\/span><\/i>(Miscellaneous Records of Famous Physicians). <\/span>In this written text it is included in more than 77 classic formulas and used frequently by physicians of the time (4)<\/span>. It\u2019s blood-activating and heat-, phlegm- and damp-clearing properties have traditionally been applied to alleviate the conditions of:<\/span>\r\n