- Type
- Tubers & Storage Roots
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Season
- Fall
- Sowing
- From tuber
Fleeceflower
Polygonum multiflorum
Stilbene glycosides and anthraquinones · a vine's tuber that swells to the size of a fist
Fleeceflower is the tuber of a climbing plant in the knotweed family. The stem twines up whatever it can reach, and the root end swells into a lump about the size of a fist. Herb stalls in traditional markets always have it as dried slices, to be simmered as a tea, taken as a powder or steeped in spirits. Reported constituents include stilbene glycosides and anthraquinones such as emodin and chrysophanol. Slices repeatedly steamed in black-bean liquor and dried are called je-hasuo and have long been distinguished from the raw material. The naming around this plant is badly tangled: the red kind is red fleeceflower, while the place of the white kind has been filled by Cynanchum wilfordii, a plant from an entirely different family, and in 2015 the substitution of Cynanchum auriculatum for it became a national issue in Korea. The Donguibogam lists it in the Herb section as 何首烏, recording a nature both neutral and warm, a taste bitter and astringent with a note that some call it sweet, and no toxicity. Its original name was yagyodeung (夜交藤), the entry says, and it took the name hasuo from a man who ate it; the vine is purple, the flowers yellow and white, the leaves resemble those of yam but without gloss and always come in opposite pairs, and the root is the size of a fist.
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Where It Grows
- Origin Both the plant's place of origin and its largest producing area. It grows wild and is cultivated on the hill slopes of Henan, Hubei, Guizhou and Sichuan.
- Wild population It grows wild along forest edges in the low and mid mountain belt.
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Major producer
It is grown in the central region and southward, and planted stock sometimes escapes into the surrounding fields. Harvest October, November
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It is native to the hill slopes of south-central China, its wild range reaching as far as Taiwan; in Korea and Japan, only planted stock grows. Baek-ha-su-o, which shares part of the same Korean name, is keun-jorong (Cynanchum wilfordii) of the milkweed family, Asclepiadaceae — a plant that differs from this species (Reynoutria multiflora, formerly Polygonum multiflorum) of the knotweed family, Polygonaceae, at the level of the family itself. Colouring both onto one map would blur the two distributions together, so only the Polygonaceae fleeceflower is shown here.
- Optimum
- 15~25℃
- Range
- 5~32℃
- Hardiness
- Hardy
The vine stems dry off at the first frost, but the tuber underground overwinters — it survives the cold season — and sends up new growth the following year. The plant does well in the southern temperate zone, where summers are hot and rain falls evenly, and the tuber only bulks up in deep, free-draining soil. Where water sits, the tuber rots.
Harvested 2–3 years after planting. Nothing is lifted in the year of planting; the crop is grown for two or three years and harvested only once the tubers have set. The month of planting and the month of lifting do not fall in the same year.
In Korea Central Korea and south
It is grown in fields and on hill slopes in the central region and southward. Tubers or stem pieces are buried in March–April, grown on for two or three years, and lifted in October–November as the leaves wither. The vines also need a support to twine up.
How to grow
- Light
- A spot with half a day of sun or more. It also needs a support or fence for the vine to climb
- Soil and depth
- Deep, free-draining ground. The tuber needs soil that does not pack hard, and standing water rots it
- Spacing
- 50 to 60cm between plants. The vine runs long, so set supports to give it a direction
- Watering
- Water when the surface dries. Once established it largely carries itself on rainfall
- Feeding
- Work in plenty of compost before planting and add nothing after. Excess nitrogen lengthens the vine and leaves the tuber undeveloped
- Harvest
- Lift plants two or three years old in October or November, as the foliage begins to die back. The tuber sits deep, so dig a wide circle around it and lever it up. A damaged tuber grows mould as it dries
What makes the difference. Wash lifted tubers, slice them thin and dry them in the sun. Choose lumps that feel heavy with a close-grained cut face, and when buying slices, buy only what carries the source plant and botanical name. Treat the raw material and je-hasuo as two different ingredients
Why this one is harder. The vine runs long and takes up support and space, and the tuber needs two or three years to fill. Above all this is a plant whose names are tangled, so check the botanical name on the stock you plant, or you will not know what you have lifted
Common problems
- Aphids You will see Colonies on new vine tips, leaves turning sticky What to do Wash off with a jet of water; if it recurs, use an egg-yolk oil spray. Cut back on sprays where the root is to be used
- Root rot You will see Leaves yellow after a wet spell and the tuber is soft when lifted What to do Avoid spots where water sits and raise the ridge. Dig out rotted plants and do not grow it in the same ground again
- Powdery mildew You will see White powder settles on the leaf surface and spreads What to do Thin the vines for airflow and remove affected leaves. Avoid spots where damp lingers after rain
This page describes how a crop is grown and used. It does not claim health effects for any food, nor is it intended to prevent or treat disease. Component and study notes are references only and do not mean the same result occurs in people. Consult a medical professional about health concerns.
Health Benefits
The old record — hasuo (何首烏). The Donguibogam lists it in the Herb section as 何首烏. It records a nature both neutral and warm, a taste bitter and astringent with a note that some call it sweet, and no toxicity. Its original name was yagyodeung (夜交藤), the entry says, and it took the name hasuo from a man who ate it. The vine is purple, the flowers yellow and white, the leaves resemble those of yam but without gloss and always come in opposite pairs, and the root is the size of a fist. It also records a red kind and a white kind. What an old medical text wrote differs from how it is judged today.
Analyses of the tuber. Repeated analyses report the isolation of stilbene glycosides and anthraquinones such as emodin and chrysophanol from the tuber. The same work reports that the composition shifts through the steaming and drying of the processing cycle. This is an analysis of composition.
Plants that share a name. The red kind and the white kind of the old record resolve today into plants of different families. Red fleeceflower belongs to the knotweed family, while Cynanchum wilfordii, long called the white kind, belongs to the milkweed family; in 2015 the substitution of Cynanchum auriculatum for it came to light. It is the reason a shared name is not enough to treat them as the same thing.
Nutrition
- Stilbene glycosides (isolated from the tuber) — the signature compound class reported in fleeceflower
- Anthraquinones (emodin, chrysophanol) (present alongside them in the tuber) — compounds commonly reported in knotweed-family roots
- Tannins (the source of the astringency) — what comes forward when the raw root is simmered as it is
- Starch (the flesh of the tuber) — the storage component that makes a lump heavy and solid
Raw and processed Fleeceflower divides into material simply dried after lifting and je-hasuo, repeatedly steamed in black-bean liquor and dried. Analyses report that steaming and drying shift the composition, and the market prices and uses the two differently. Check which one you are buying.
Stilbene glycosides and anthraquinones Repeated analyses report the isolation of stilbene glycosides and anthraquinones such as emodin and chrysophanol from the tuber. Anthraquinones are a class common in knotweed-family roots. This entry stays with the compositional record.
Astringency Simmered raw, the astringency comes forward. The old record set the taste down as bitter and astringent too. That je-hasuo drinks more easily than the raw material comes down to that astringency being reduced.
What the safety reporting says Cases of raised liver values and liver injury have been reported in Korea and abroad after prolonged use of fleeceflower as a decoction or a powder, and several countries have carried out safety reviews of it. The reaction is uncommon, but the reports have accumulated, so anyone planning to take it over a long stretch should speak to a doctor or pharmacist first.
Pairings
○ Black-bean liquor — je-hasuo — Soak sliced fleeceflower in the liquor from boiled black beans, steam it and sun-dry it, and repeat. Done the old way the cycle runs many times; the colour deepens and the astringency falls away. It is laborious enough that buying it already processed is the common route.
○ Jujube and liquorice root — Simmered with jujube, the sweetness holds down the astringency. Bring it to the boil, then drop to a low steady heat. Make only a day's worth and finish it that day. Jujube · Licorice
○ Slicing and drying — Wash lifted tubers, slice them thin and dry them in the sun. Left whole they never dry through and grow mould. Once fully dry, seal them in a container somewhere cool, and freeze anything being kept long.
△ Do not buy on the name alone — Red and white fleeceflower belong to different plant families, and in 2015 the substitution of Cynanchum auriculatum for the white kind became a national issue in Korea. Buy only material labelled with its source plant, botanical name and origin, and leave unlabelled material alone. Do not assume a vine root dug in the hills is fleeceflower.
△ Do not take it long and strong as a routine — Cases of liver injury have been reported in Korea and abroad after prolonged use as a decoction or a powder. Avoid drinking it strong every day for months, and if you are on any medication, check with a doctor or pharmacist first. If severe fatigue sets in, or the eyes or skin yellow, stop at once and seek medical attention.
△ Do not eat vine roots dug in the wild — Once lifted, the roots of climbing plants look much alike and cannot be told apart by appearance. Fleeceflower is a cultivated crop, so do not put that name on something dug in the hills. If you are not certain, neither dig it nor eat it.
Varieties
- Red fleeceflower (species) — Polygonum multiflorum, a knotweed-family vine with a reddish cut face. The original referent of the name
- White fleeceflower (Cynanchum wilfordii) (species) — A plant of the milkweed family altogether, used in the place of the white kind, which is how the names became entangled
- Je-hasuo (processed) — Repeatedly steamed in black-bean liquor and dried. Sold separately from the raw material
Source: Donguibogam (Treasured Mirror of Eastern Medicine), Herbs section (Chobu), entry "Hasuo" (fleeceflower root)