PLANTS ORDERED TODAY WILL BEGIN SHIPPING LATE SEPTEMBER, 2023
He-shou-wu (Polygonum multiflorum) potted plant, organic
$8.50 – $57.00
Family: Buckwheat (Polygonaceae)
Hardy to zone 7 to 12
(Ho-shou-wu, He shou wu) (Fo-ti is a misnomer) Vining herbaceous perennial from China. The plant is almost unstoppable and is a good choice for summer shade, for living houses, shade porches, fences, etc. Plant prefers full sun and rich, well-drained soil. Traditional usage: In TCM, the processed, brown-orange underground tubers used to nourish the jing–it is considered to be a sexual tonic. Space plants 4 to 5 feet apart.
Potted Vine, Certified Organically Grown
Question
Mari –
Hi, Can the leaves be eaten ?
If so how do they taste ?
Are the leaves also medicinal ?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Mari,
Thanks for writing. The leaves are edible, neutral, not spectacularly tasty, astringent, with a hint of mucilage. not too different from eating a plantain leaf. I would stick with the Chinese method–cured or uncured tuber or the stems without the leaves. You can get the full Writeup including growing and curing methods on pages 261 to 262 of “Growing Plant Medicine Vol 1”
Richo
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Question
Brian –
So would you consider Ho sho wu semi deciduous in NorCal ie let some light through in the winter months? Thinking “ seasonal shade”
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Richo Cech –
hi brian, leaves should fall off in the winter. vines themselves may stay budded or may dry up and go down to the crown. but the crown will ont die in ncal. r
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Richo Cech –
hi brian, leaves should fall off in the winter. vines themselves may stay budded or may dry up and go down to the crown. but the crown will not die in ncal. r
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Richo Cech –
hi! in Ncal, he shou wu should lose its leaves in the winter but the crown will remain live.
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Beatrice –
I live in a plant zone 6 will He Shou Wu survive if I can keep it protected outside from the weather elements out here? I know it says the plant hardiness.
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Richo Cech –
hi beatrice! these are listed for zones 7 to 12 so 6 is a bit cold for it. the plant does great in a 3-gallon pot, brought indoors or into a protected spot for the winter. r
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Richard –
Regarding the “rich soil” – I have several plants on my property near Gainesville, Florida growing in incredibly poor soil, only slightly better then beach sand. They just keep spreading, getting bigger every season. Some day I need to go root-hunting.
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Question
JD –
Does this root contain resveratrol? Would it be made available by making a tea from the root?
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Richo Cech –
Hi JD,
It is true that processed he-shou-wu can be made into tea or decoction. I suggest reading “making plant medicine” for more on this. As for resveratrol content, some studies seem to indicate this. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4471648/
Richo
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Margaret –
Is this plant grow in Solomon Islands as well.
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Richo Cech –
hi margarent, i think it grows there, yes, but not native. native distribution China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Hainan, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam r
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Question
Kevin (verified owner) –
Dear Strictly Seeds Medicinals ,
Do you have a tutorial on how to process the roots so that we may make a tea out of them ? So young just dig them up and boil them ? I tried to look this up on YouTube but there aren’t any videos that I found that had a step by step process . Thank you
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Richo Cech –
Hi Kevin, I’ll put this on the list for upcoming videos. I think the reason for cooking them is to convert the oxalic acid. There’s a much more detailed description in my upcoming book. Maybe let them mature another year before digging. richo
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Rhonda –
Will this survive in Central Texas?
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Richo Cech –
yes
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Question
Michael –
I’d love to let it vine up the orchard fence. Is it deer-proof?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Michael, Relatively deerproof by my recollection. Its been years since we let the deer in the he-shou-wu area but I remember they don’t like it much. richo
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Marcia –
Is this herb the same as Fo-ti? When will you get more roots to sell?
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Richo Cech –
Hello MArcia,
Yes, He-shou-wu is the correct Chinese name but it went under the marketing name of “fo-ti” at one point. These are available, you can order them.
Richo
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Richo Cech –
these are in stock. fo-ti is a misnomer but I know what you mean–he-shou-wu is correct.
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Question
Adrias Meisenheimer (verified owner) –
What stage of growth/ What age are the plants that will be shipped in March?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Adrias, Our he-shou-wu is always pretty well grown-out and reliably rooted. They could easily have a foot of aerials on them. Everyone assumes that because we start shipping plants in March that they will receive their plants in March, but this is not necessarily the case–we start shipping to warm weather zones first and may defer shipping to cold weather areas for several weeks until things warm up. If you need the plants shipped at a certain time, my advice is to order immediately and put your desired ship date in the “order comments” field at checkout. Richo
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Question
Mina –
I am looking for He-shou-wu seeds. I see that you can supply plants, but I need to germinate seeds under sterile conditions (research project) and supplies from China come with difficulties.
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Richo Cech –
The plant rarely makes seeds and when we got them once from China they were a no-germ.
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Question
Sarah Danielsen (verified owner) –
I brought 3 plants from you, planed in an area with full afternoon sun,
it has been a few weeks now; doesn’t seem to be growing much.
i read on another site, it says it should be planted in shady area?
so, sun or shade? please advice!
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Richo Cech –
Hi Sarah, They will grow in sun or shade. It may take longer than a few weeks for them to kick in. They will want a trellis or a pole to climb up on. I always make sure to disturb the roots at transplant, otherwise the plant can think its still in a pot and refuse to throw new roots. Once it does root in, then aerial growth will increase accordingly. Richo
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Question
Thanh Pham –
Does it die in winter? I live in Northern California
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Richo Cech –
Not really, even here in southern oregon the plant tends to stay somewhat green through the winter and returns with vigor as soon as the ground warms up.
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firstdowndogs –
Can you grow this as a potted plant inside?
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Richo Cech –
Yes, will climb curtains.
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firstdowndogs –
Thank you! I love your speedy replies and great products!!
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Daniel (verified owner) –
I bought one of the small He Shou Wu plants and it arrived very well packaged. When I planted it in a pot it took right off, very vigorous growth. Thank you.
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Admin Richo Cech –
Oh, good, this was what we had hoped would happen. r
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WyWy –
Hi there, with the US-China trade war…. I wondered here’s the shipping base?
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Admin Richo Cech –
If I understand this correctly, the shipping base is Williams, Oregon, USA and the “trade war” has nothing to do with it, except if we want to wear sneakers, they cost 25% more!
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Luiz Fernando Cerdeira Grimuza –
Can you send seeds? Because I´m in Brazil and i think the plant would die because of the time between sending, clearence and all…
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Richo Cech –
Hello Luiz,
I’m sorry, we cannot send seeds or plants to Brazil. They are destroyed at Brazilian customs and a brochure is sent back to us, stating that these kinds of things are not allowed into Brazil.
Richo
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Ernesto Carbajal –
Hi i just saw your message. Outs November 25th. Cam i still get a plant to me now? Please let me know. I’m very interested.
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Richo Cech –
Hi Ernesto, Right, we have shut down plant shipping for the season. Feel free to contact us in the spring, we normally do not run out of he-shou-wu. richo
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Jerry (verified owner) –
My plant is well-established here in El Paso but hasn’t grown upwards so much as sideways (ground cover). I think the low humidity has something to do with it. Prefers some shade.
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Alice –
Will this grow in 10a (SW Florida)? Should I grow it in well drained, or in damper/wetter soil?
I need a good list of greens to grow for eating in salads and juicing. Would this be one of them?
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Richo Cech –
Hi Alice, Yes, He-shou-wu is hardy to zones 7 to 12 and will be evergreen in a z 10. The plant will grow in any soil including clay or gravel, but deep, well-drained soils will encourage formation of larger tubers. Wet soils are probably OK. richo
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Richo Cech –
this isn’t a salad green. here’s a link to the leafy greens section: https://strictlymedicinalseeds.com/product-category/seeds/vegetable-seeds/leafy-greens/
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Melvin Woodard –
Hello, I live in Chicago Il., but I am purchasing land in Hudspeth County Texas. I plan to move there in a few years and I’m happy to know that this plant can grow easily in that area of the country. Thank you for your excellent insight and I look forward to speaking with you in the future. In the meantime would it be feasible to grow a plant indoors here in the Chicago area?
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Richo Cech –
hi melvin, thanks for staying in touch. he-shou-wu makes an easy potted plant and will really grow anywhere as long as it doesn’t get too cold. one thing that always perplexes, why don’t more people move to texas? r
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Tamar Dachoach –
Hi Richo,
Any chance you’re selling seeds of this special plant? My guess is the germination rate is low and that’s why you’re not (maybe?) but I’m willing to pay to try and to fail ! because I’m not able to get a live plant. ps thanks for everything y’all do
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Richo Cech –
hello tamar, i’ll e-mail you if our plants make seeds. it is indeed a rare occurrence. richo
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Tamar Dachoach –
Thank you so much! I would be absolutely thrilled ! I’ve been known to baby my seeds and plants, and these will receive the royal pampering.
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