''Shou Wu Chih'' () is a Chinese patent medicine that is claimed to provide health benefits.

Use

Shou wu chih is claimed by the manufacturers, without evidence from any scientific studies, to increase energy levels, tone, warm, and invigorate the blood, nourish the liver and kidneys, benefit the eyes, and turn gray hair black. Other claims are that regular use may strengthen bones or tendons, or improve sleep. Shou wu chih is sold as a liquid in glass bottles. It is recommended by the manufacturers to be consumed by adding between one and three tablespoons to a cup of hot water, tea, or soup.

Production and export

Shou Wu Chih is produced in

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...

, China, under the brand name Yang Cheng. It is exported to other nations, including the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. Many Shou Wu tonics are produced in many cities in China and can be purchased at many pharmacy shops in China. Some health food stores in the United States import Shou Wu capsules and Shou Wu herb.

Ingredients

*Prepared

root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the sur ...

of '' Polygonum multiflorum'' ( bot.: Radix Polygoni Multiflori (Praeparata); Flowery Knotweed Root, Fleeceflower Root, or Climbing Knotwood; ''He Shou Wu '' or ''Fo-ti'') - 25% *Root of ''

Angelica sinensis ''Angelica sinensis'', commonly known as ''dong quai'' () or female ginseng, is a herb belonging to the family Apiaceae, indigenous to China. ''Angelica sinensis'' grows in cool high altitude mountains in East Asia. The yellowish brown root of th ...

'' (bot.: Radix Angelicae Sinensis; Chinese Angelica Root; ''Dang Gui'', ''Tang Kuei'', or ''Dong Quai'') - 25% *

Rhizome In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...

of '' Polygonatum sibiricum'' (bot.: Rhizoma Polygonati; Siberian Solomon's Seal, or King Solomon Seal Rhizome; ''Huang Jing'') - 20% *Rhizome of ''

Rehmannia glutinosa ''Rehmannia glutinosa'' is one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name ''shēng dì huáng'' (). It is often sold as ''gān dì huáng'' (), ''gān'' meaning "dried". Chemical constituents A number ...

'' (bot.: Radix Rehmanniae; ''Di Huang'') - 10% *Rhizome of ''

Ligusticum wallichii ''Ligusticum striatum'' (syn. ''L. wallichii'') is a flowering plant native to India, Kashmir, and Nepal in the carrot family best known for its use in traditional Chinese medicine where it is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs. It is k ...

'' (bot.: Rhizoma Chuanxiong; Szechuan Lovage Rhizome; ''Chuan Xiong'') - 10% *Root of ''

Angelica dahurica ''Angelica dahurica'', commonly known as Dahurian angelica, is a wildly grown species of angelica native to Siberia, Russia Far East, Mongolia, Northeastern China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. This species tend to grow near river banks, along str ...

'' (bot.: Radix Angelicae Dahuricae; Dahurian Angelica; ''Bai Zhi'') - 7% *Fruit of ''

Amomum villosum ''Wurfbainia villosa'', also known by its basionym ''Amomum villosum'', (Chinese: (Chinese: 砂仁; pinyin: shārén) is a plant in the ginger family that is grown throughout Southeast Asia and in South China. Similar to cardamom, the plant is c ...

'' (bot.: Fructus Amomi; ''Sha Ren'') - 2% *

Clove Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands (or Moluccas) in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring or fragrance in consumer products, ...

- 1% Other ingredients It may also include: *'' Hedychium coronarium'' (white ginger) *'' Jambosa caryophyllus'' Nied. * Citron (''Citrus medica'') *''

Conioselinum ''Conioselinum'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native to Eurasia and North America. Its species are erect perennial plants with deeply toothed compound leaves and umbels of white flowers. Plants of this genus are known com ...

univittatum'' Turcz. (Note: Fo-ti, though not actually a Chinese name, is commonly used in the US for products containing

Polygonum ''Polygonum'' is a genus of about 130 species of flowering plant in the buckwheat and knotweed family Polygonaceae. Common names include knotweed and knotgrass (though the common names may refer more broadly to plants from Polygonaceae). In the ...

References

Traditional Chinese medicine pills {{alt-med-stub

Use

Production and export

Ingredients

See also

References