Pharmacological Actions

Anti-inflammatory^{[1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 11, 12, 13]}

Anticancer (preclinical)^{[1, 3, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13]}

Antioxidant^{[1, 3, 5, 6, 11, 12, 13]}

Traditional & Indicated Uses

Arthritis / joint pain^{[9, 11, 12, 13]}Traditional · 2/10

inferred from anti-inflammatory action

more plants for arthritis / joint pain →detailed sources →

Cardiovascular / heart health^{[6, 11, 12, 13]}Traditional · 1/10

more plants for cardiovascular / heart health →detailed sources →

Inflammation (general)^{[2, 11, 12, 13]}Good · 7/10

inferred from anti-inflammatory action

more plants for inflammation (general) →detailed sources →

Skin irritation^{[11, 12, 13]}Traditional · 1/10

inferred from anti-inflammatory action

more plants for skin irritation →detailed sources →

Safety, Cautions & Contraindications

Safety note^{[11, 12, 13]}Caution

Japanese knotweed root contains resveratrol and emodin; high doses of emodin may cause GI discomfort and have laxative effects. Not recommended during pregnancy (emodin has potential teratogenic effects in animal studies). May interact with anticoagulants and antiplatelet medications. Quality control of commercial preparations is important as invasive weed extracts vary significantly.

Safety note^{[11, 12, 13]}Info

Duke (2002) rates Japanese knotweed (listed as Hu-Zhang, Fallopia japonica) as +++ and highlights its rich content of resveratrol and emodin. Experimental evidence (score 1) supports COX-2 inhibitory, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, and lipid-lowering activities — largely attributed to resveratrol. Duke notes its use in traditional Chinese medicine for fractures, burns, abscesses, and gynecological conditions. No significant clinical trials were available at time of publication, but resveratrol's biological activity is well-documented in vitro (Duke, 2002).

References

REF-0979, REF-0980, REF-0981, REF-0982, REF-0983, REF-0984, REF-0985, REF-0986, REF-0987, REF-0988

References & Sources

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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2023.154896
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https://doi.org/10.1080/10286020.2019.1646730
Liu, Y., Wang, J., Li, Q. and others (2024) 'The Possibility of Polygonum cuspidatum against Osteoarthritis based on Network Pharmacology', Current Computer-Aided Drug Design, 20(2), pp. 121-133. doi:10.2174/1573409919666230403114131 Preclinical
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Espinosa-Andrews, H., Morales-Hernandez, N., Garcia-Marquez, E. and others (2025) 'Physicochemical and rheological characteristics of commercial Greek-style yogurt enriched with Polygonum cuspidatum roots or the P. cuspidatum beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complex', Food Research International, 203, pp. 115854. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2025.115854 Preclinical
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Burns, J., Yokota, T., Ashihara, H., Lean, M.E.J. and Crozier, A (2002) 'Plant foods and herbal sources of resveratrol', 50(11), pp. 3337--3340. Traditional / reference
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https://powo.science.kew.org
World Health Organization (2007) 'WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants'. Traditional / reference
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