Indigo Herbs is very happy to bring this traditional Chinese ingredient with its very long history of use and steady reputation as being 'second only to ginseng' in Chinese medicine. We stock Organc Fo-ti Powder and Fo-ti Tincture of the highest quality, stemming from the best examples of the Polygonum multiflorum root. Known in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for unblocking the channels of heart and spirit, its properties have a long esteemed history of use within Chinese medicine with its strong roots now reaching western shores. Indigo Herbs brings you this unadulterated powder in its purest form so you might benefit as much as those have in the East. Fo-ti Capsules are also available from our guest brands. 

China, with its long tradition of medical practice, issuing from thousands of years of practical study and evaluation, has come to recommend Fo-ti as one its premier herbs. Being rich in legend the Chinese call this herb "He-Shou-Wu” and attribute it with many legends and folklore. The root is considered to be able to soak up generous amounts of Qi (life giving force or divine energy) from the ground which it then stores.

This quality is evident from the legend of the man who Chinese folklore credits as finding out the properties of this amazing plant. Li Ao of the Tang dynasty wrote a book called "The Legend of He-Shou-Wu" which tells of a sickly 58 year old man called Neng Si finding the plant in a drunken stupor. After a hermit tells him he must make the root of the plant into a tonic and drink it, Neng Si undergoes a great many changes in which some elements of a youthful body are restored to him. The legend goes on to tell how Neng Si lives to 160 years old and fathers many children in old age. It is from this story and many like it that Fo-ti has become so highly prized in Chinese medicine.

Fo-ti is a herbaceous perennial vine reaching heights of 2-4 meters. The leaves are 3-7 cm long and form an upside-down arrow shape with the vine producing flowers of a whitish-green. It is the large woody tuber that is prepared and used for its almost magical properties.