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The literal English translation of Fo-Ti is "vine to pass through the night." With a distinctive sweet yet bitter taste, fo-ti was thought to unblock the channels of energy through the body, allowing the escape of the pathogenic influences that cause generalized weakness, soreness, pain, and fatigue. The plant is also used as a wash for itching and skin rashes. |
Prep Methods :Teas and tinctures. Sometimes found in capsule form.
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- Fo ti root tea
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In Traditional Chinese Medicine, fo-ti is one of the herbs used to nourish the heart and calm the spirit. Do not however go to a Chinese herbalist and ask for fo-ti, for you will get only a curious look. The Chinese know the plant root as he-shou-wu. Over the centuries he-shou-wu's reputation has bordered on the mythical for its power to produce longevity, increase vigour, and promote fertility. |
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| Side Effects: |
| Safety in young children, pregnant or nursing women, or those with severe liver or kidney disease is not known. The root is considered to have minimum toxicity, however,excessive use can cause numbness in the hands and feet.
The unprocessed root can cause loose stool, diarrhea, with abdominal pain, and nausea.
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A perennial twining herbaceous vine growing 3 to 6 feet long or more. The smooth branching stems are reddish with oval leaves. The thick tuberous rhizomes a somewhat woody, and may weight over 6 pounds. Native to China it can be found in grasslands, roadsides, and forest edges. The plant can also be found in Japan.
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A Tang dynasty legend about a man named He Shou-wu is the basis for the common name of this member of the bindweed family. He Shou-wu was credited for remarkable vigor, youthfulness and fathering of many children.During the time of the Tang dynasty, a Chinese legend about a man named He Shou-wu, who became depressed because he had no children and was impotent. he drank himself into a supor and passed out on a mountainside. Apon awakening, he saw two intertwined herbs growing next to the spot where he lay. He dug up the root and took it to a old village herbalist, who told him it had fabulous restorative powers. He made a decoction of the root and started drinking it everyday. Legend has it that over the next 10 years he fathered several children, his hair never turned grey, and he lived to be 130 years old. Since that time this Chinese member of the bindweed family has been known as He Shou-wu. |
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