Fo ti

Our Fo-Ti Slices and powder have been cured by simmering in a black bean liquid. These are not unprocessed roots.



Fo-ti (Polygonum multiflorum), also known as fo-ti-tieng and Chinese knotweed, is a vine native to China, Japan and Taiwan. In fact, the Mandarin Chinese word for fo-ti is he shou wu, which means, “black-haired man.” This name is in reference to the Chinese herbalist, Li Ching Yuen, who allegedly consumed fo-ti daily and lived until the age of 132 years—or 197, or 256, depending on which version of the story you care to subscribe to. Although it is clearly established that Li left this world on May 6, 1933, exactly how long he inhabited remains a mystery. Some Imperial Chinese government records show his birth occurring in 1677, although Li maintained that he wasn’t born until 1736. Yet, the man was photographed while visiting the home of Chinese General Yang Sen in 1927, which prompted the general to record the event in a document titled, “A Factual Account of the 250 Year-Old Good-Luck Man.”

Several articles appearing in Time magazine and the New York Times in the 1920s and 1930s reported on Li’s secrets to long life, which included keeping a tranquil mind, sitting like a tortoise, walking spritely like a pigeon and sleeping like a dog.