Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica, or You Ji Hu Zhang in Chinese) is native to eastern Asia. It is most famously known for containing high amounts of resveratrol. Unlike foods like grapes or drinking wine, Japanese Knotweed contains mostly trans-resveratrol, which is the form best absorbed and used in ones body. Resveratrol is a type of phenolic compound called stilbenes and acts as an antioxidant. Japanese Knotweed also contains other beneficial components such as emodin, flavonoids (including rutin and quercetin), oleanolic acid, etc.

At Supreme Nutrition Products we believe that whole plants (not an extract) often work better than extracts that alter the normal ratios found in nature. Resveratrol is the main and best known component of Japanese Knotweed, but as shown in studies below, there is great synergy between the components of Japanese Knotweed, which have benefits that either isolate does not possess
on its own.

One of the most studied benefits of resveratrol are its benefits with reducing cardiovascular disease. It has been shown to decrease low-density lipoprotein–cholesterol oxidation and platelet aggregation as well as having antiatherosclerotic and vasorelaxation action (1). New studies have also shown how it can induce autophagy and regenerate myocardial ischemic tissue treated with stem cells. In a study on rats, resveratrol decreased inflammatory cell infiltration, decreased and cardiac fibrosis (2).

With resveratrol being a known anti-inflammatory, it has been looked at to help with arthritis. A recent study showed resveratrol suppresses apoptosis and inflammatory signaling through its actions on the NF-κB pathway in human chondrocytes (3). Also it has been shown that resveratrol is an effective inhibitor of chondrocyte apoptosis in vitro by Inhibiting IL-1β–Induced stimulation of caspase-3 (4). Similar to taking a non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs, it inhibits COX-2–derived prostaglandin E2 synthesis (5). Injection of resveratrol into the knees of those suffering from osteoarthritis showed that it might protect cartilage against the development of experimentally induced inflammatory arthritis (6).

Resveratrol has also been shown to potentially help with Alzheimer’s, liver disease, age induced cognitive decline, macular degeneration, neurodegenerative disease, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis (7, 8, 9, 10,11, 12, 13). Studies have even shown it to cause similar benefits in the body as when undergoing calorie restriction therapy (14).

Japanese Knotweed itself has been shown to be a potent antimicrobial, including against drug resistant bacteria. In one study it showed complete inhibition of pathogen growth and did not induce resistance to the active components (15). It has also been shown to inhibit streptococcus mutans and streptococcus sobrinus, potentially helping with dental plaque formation and subsequent dental caries formation (16). Multiple components of Japanese Knotweed were shown to synergistically work against Influenza A virus, including H1N1 (17). Emodin, one of the active components of Japanese Knotweed has been shown to inhibit Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) replication as well as Coxsakievirus virus. (18, 19). Studies have shown it to be very effective against Propionibacterium acnes biofilm (20).

Due to these properties some of the top Lyme Literate Doctors in the field have called Japanese Knotweed the most important herb in regards to helping those with Lyme Disease.

Dosage: 1-2 pills 3x per day

Do not take during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Consult your physician before taking if on any prescription blood thinners. Discontinue use two weeks before undergoing surgery.

Research Links

1. Das, Manika, and Dipak K. Das. "Resveratrol and cardiovascular health." Molecular aspects of medicine 31.6 (2010): 503-512.

2. Chan, Vincent, et al. "Resveratrol improves cardiovascular function in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats." Current Pharmaceutical Biotechnology 12.3 (2011): 429-436.

3. Shakibaei, Mehdi, et al. "Resveratrol suppresses interleukin-1β-induced inflammatory signaling and apoptosis in human articular chondrocytes: potential for use as a novel nutraceutical for the treatment of osteoarthritis." Biochemical pharmacology 76.11 (2008): 1426-1439.

4. Shakibaei, Mehdi, et al. "Resveratrol Inhibits IL‐1β–Induced Stimulation of Caspase‐3 and Cleavage of PARP in Human Articular Chondrocytes in Vitro." Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1095.1 (2007): 554-563.

5. Dave, Mandar, et al. "The antioxidant resveratrol protects against chondrocyte apoptosis via effects on mitochondrial polarization and ATP production." Arthritis & Rheumatism 58.9 (2008): 2786-2797.

6. Elmali, N., et al. "Effects of resveratrol in inflammatory arthritis." Inflammation 30.1-2 (2007): 1-6.

7. Vingtdeux, Valérie, et al. "Therapeutic potential of resveratrol in Alzheimer's disease." BMC neuroscience 9.2 (2008): S6.

8. Parekh, Palak, et al. "Downregulation of cyclin D1 is associated with decreased levels of p38 MAP kinases, Akt/PKB and Pak1 during chemopreventive effects of resveratrol in liver cancer cells." Experimental and toxicologic pathology 63.1-2 (2011): 167-173.

9. Gocmez, Semil Selcen, et al. "Protective effects of resveratrol on aging-induced cognitive impairment in rats." Neurobiology of learning and memory 131 (2016): 131-136.

10. Nagineni, Chandrasekharam N., et al. "Resveratrol suppresses expression of VEGF by human retinal pigment epithelial cells: potential nutraceutical for age-related macular degeneration." Aging and disease 5.2 (2014): 88.

11. Sun, Albert Y., et al. "Resveratrol as a therapeutic agent for neurodegenerative diseases." Molecular neurobiology 41.2-3 (2010): 375-383.

12. Jin, Feng, et al. "Neuroprotective effect of resveratrol on 6-OHDA-induced Parkinson's disease in rats." European journal of pharmacology 600.1-3 (2008): 78-82.

13. Shindler, Kenneth S., et al. "Oral resveratrol reduces neuronal damage in a model of multiple sclerosis." Journal of Neuro-Ophthalmology 30.4 (2010): 328.

14. Chung, Jay H., Vincent Manganiello, and Jason RB Dyck. "Resveratrol as a calorie restriction mimetic: therapeutic implications." Trends in cell biology 22.10 (2012): 546-554.

15. Su, Pai-Wei, et al. "Antibacterial activities and antibacterial mechanism of Polygonum cuspidatum extracts against nosocomial drug-resistant pathogens." Molecules 20.6 (2015): 11119-11130.

16. Song, Ju-Hee, et al. "In vitro inhibitory effects of Polygonum cuspidatum on bacterial viability and virulence factors of Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus." Archives of Oral Biology 51.12 (2006): 1131-1140.

17. Lin, Chao-jen, et al. "Polygonum cuspidatum and its active components inhibit replication of the influenza virus through toll-like receptor 9-induced interferon beta expression." PloS one 10.2 (2015): e0117602.

18.  Yiu, Ching-Yi, et al. "Inhibition of Epstein-Barr virus lytic cycle by an ethyl acetate subfraction separated from Polygonum cuspidatum root and its major component, emodin." Molecules 19.1 (2014): 1258-1272.

19. Liu, Zhao, et al. "In vitro and in vivo studies of the inhibitory effects of emodin isolated from Polygonum cuspidatum on Coxsakievirus B4." Molecules 18.10 (2013): 11842-11858.

20. Taraszkiewicz, Aleksandra, et al. "Innovative strategies to overcome biofilm resistance." BioMed research international 2013 (2012).

21. PATOCKA, JIRI, ZDENKA NAVRATILOVA, and MARIBEL OVANDO. "BIOLOGICALLY ACTIVE COMPOUNDS OF KNOTWEED (Reynoutria spp.)."