When deep reserves dwindle
Underlying fatigue that rest does not dispel, a dull complexion, a lower back and knees that tire quickly, hair that loses its shine, less restorative sleep… In TCM, these signs may be associated with a deficiency of Liver Blood and Kidney Essence. According to tradition, the Liver stores the Blood and the Kidney stores the Essence; each transforms into the other, and when this common fund runs low, the whole body lacks resources.
He Shou Wu is a late arrival in the Chinese pharmacopoeia. Its name is that of a man whose story is told in a Tang text, the He Shou Wu Zhuan (《何首乌传》), attributed to Li Ao (李翱). It entered an official materia medica under the Song, with the Kai Bao Ben Cao (《开宝本草》), in 973-974. It was Li Shizhen (李时珍), in the Ben Cao Gang Mu (《本草纲目》) completed in 1578, who made it a first-rank tonic, placing it above rehmannia.
Nourish, then retain
Li Shizhen read its flavours one by one: bitterness supplements the Kidney, warmth supplements the Liver, astringency gathers and retains the Essence and the Qi. It nourishes through sweetness, supplements deeply through bitterness, and keeps what it has nourished through astringency. It is this last trait that sets it apart from the other herbs that nourish the Blood.
Nourishes Blood and Essence: It addresses both the Liver Blood and the Kidney Essence, which tradition considers a single fund. Chinese tradition also associates it with the hair, which it regards as a reflection of the Blood and the Essence.
Nourishes the Liver and Kidney: Slightly warm, it enters these two meridians, which tradition regards as the body’s reserves, and targets the root of the shortfall rather than its outward signs.
Tonifies without heaviness: Tradition judges it lighter than prepared rehmannia: it burdens the digestion less and suits those who wish to nourish themselves gradually.
