About He Shou Wu
Traditional Chinese Medicine herb (also called He Shou Wu, Polygonum multiflorum) used historically for hair greying and as a longevity tonic. ⚠️ Documented hepatotoxicity: 450+ published cases of drug-induced liver injury, including deaths and liver transplants — fo-ti is the most-cited herbal cause of DILI in TCM literature. Regulatory actions: UK MHRA Yellow Card alert (2006), China CFDA daily caps (2014, ≤1.5 g raw / ≤3.0 g processed in health foods), prescription-only restriction for some products. Processing with black bean ("processed" / 制何首乌) reduces but does not eliminate hepatotoxicity risk. Idiosyncratic immune-mediated injury — HLA-B*35:01 allele is a major genetic risk factor. No human RCT cleanly attributes hair-greying reversal, hair growth, or longevity benefit to fo-ti alone. Avoid in pregnancy, breastfeeding, existing liver disease, and with concurrent hepatotoxic medications, warfarin, or other anticoagulants. No RDA or UL established.
What He Shou Wu supports
- Traditional Chinese Medicine herb used for hair and longevity — no modern RCT confirmation
Clinical evidence
Limited clinical evidence. Zero human RCTs attribute hair-greying, hair-growth, or longevity benefit to fo-ti alone. Most-cited herbal cause of drug-induced liver injury — handle with caution.
NIH Fact Sheet