Is Chinese Herb Fo-ti/He Shou Wu Safe?

[dq139]

I saw a thread on here about it being able to boost dopamine and longevity and its good for hair regrowth/greying hair, also its good for the kidneys..but other research I did said that it was heavily estrogenic as much as soy (which is wierd because the he shou wu root is high in Zinc which is anti estrogen)..and it could be dangerously toxic for the liver if not prepared properly or over dosed.

So I'm not sure wether to try it or not because it seems a lot of people have had great mood boosting, beard growth and head hair growth/darkening effects from this so called "longevity herb" but I'm affraid of the high estrogenic content and liver damage..and I cant find anybody who actually used it and gives any insite about how it effected theyre hormones ect...

If anybody has any experience with he shou we/fo ti please share! Id love to hear more about it.

Thanks for the help as always!

 

[michael94]

I saw a thread on here about it being able to boost dopamine and longevity and its good for hair regrowth/greying hair, also its good for the kidneys..but other research I did said that it was heavily estrogenic as much as soy (which is wierd because the he shou wu root is high in Zinc which is anti estrogen)..and it could be dangerously toxic for the liver if not prepared properly or over dosed.

So I'm not sure wether to try it or not because it seems a lot of people have had great mood boosting, beard growth and head hair growth/darkening effects from this so called "longevity herb" but I'm affraid of the high estrogenic content and liver damage..and I cant find anybody who actually used it and gives any insite about how it effected theyre hormones ect...

If anybody has any experience with he shou we/fo ti please share! Id love to hear more about it.

Thanks for the help as always!

I took it as a tincture before. I noticed the effects of the alcohol in the tincture more than anything else but it didnt feel damaging at all. How I would feel taking it now is hard to say. I used the tincture from this site but I would assume most tinctures are relatively similar given how theyre made ( simple alcohol extraction ).

 

[dq139]

I took it as a tincture before. I noticed the effects of the alcohol in the tincture more than anything else but it didnt feel damaging at all. How I would feel taking it now is hard to say. I used the tincture from this site but I would assume most tinctures are relatively similar given how theyre made ( simple alcohol extraction ).

Thanks for the info!..you didnt notice any estrogenic effects? How long did u take it for?

 

[michael94]

Thanks for the info!..you didnt notice any estrogenic effects? How long did u take it for?

I didn't notice estrogenic effects but I think you are so smart to be worried about that with any herb, especially when taken highly concentrated. Estrogenic effects when it comes to the liver seems...tricky.. to say the least. We know coffee has a generally "anti-estrogen" effect via caffeine relaxing the liver and allowing passage of bile as well as caffeine's general stimulation of respiration. But in some people coffee flares up their gyno! In others, coffee just doesn't do much anymore. So in a slow metabolism you have to really walk a fine line with anything because it very easy for them all to be estrogenic.

 

[dq139]

I didn't notice estrogenic effects but I think you are so smart to be worried about that with any herb, especially when taken highly concentrated. Estrogenic effects when it comes to the liver seems...tricky.. to say the least. We know coffee has a generally "anti-estrogen" effect via caffeine relaxing the liver and allowing passage of bile as well as caffeine's general stimulation of respiration. But in some people coffee flares up their gyno! In others, coffee just doesn't do much anymore. So in a slow metabolism you have to really walk a fine line with anything because it very easy for them all to be estrogenic.

I see what your saying. But not everything has high amounts of phytoestrogens in them like supposedly Fo-ti..so you recommend trying to take the tincture with sugar or coconut oil to keep metabolism high?

 

[michael94]

I see what your saying. But not everything has high amounts of phytoestrogens in them like supposedly Fo-ti..so you recommend trying to take the tincture with sugar or coconut oil to keep metabolism high?

If it has a lot of phytoestrogens like you say I would be wary.

 

[johnwester130]

I am interested in some of these herbs and superfood powders

You could try adding some to coffee/milk/sugar and see how you react. something that looks interesting is coffee sachets with chaga and lions mane.

 

[dq139]

If it has a lot of phytoestrogens like you say I would be wary.

Exactly what I thought. But considering I'm not overweight & i hear people saying it was mood boosting & good for theyre libido & hair its confusing. Cause I would think phytoestrogens do the opposite right? Lol

 

[dq139]

I am interested in some of these herbs and superfood powders

You could try adding some to coffee/milk/sugar and see how you react. something that looks interesting is coffee sachets with chaga and lions mane.

Yeah ive tried coffee sachets with tongkat ali in them, theyre very sweet, a little too sugary maybe lol...just watchout about those mushrooms they can lower 5ar/dht I think I heard.

 

[michael94]

Exactly what I thought. But considering I'm not overweight & i hear people saying it was mood boosting & good for theyre libido & hair its confusing. Cause I would think phytoestrogens do the opposite right? Lol

Beer has phytoestrogens ( a lot ) and people report those things, lol. So I wouldnt dismiss phytoestrogens having a protective effect in some people.

Anyways, I did look up a few studies on shou wu and it was reported to improve testosterone and sperm quality ( for rats ).

 

[dq139]

Beer has phytoestrogens ( a lot ) and people report those things, lol. So I wouldnt dismiss phytoestrogens having a protective effect in some people.

Anyways, I did look up a few studies on shou wu and it was reported to improve testosterone and sperm quality ( for rats ).

Interesting!, so you defiantly think this supplement is worth a try then?..aslong as you say you felt good/pro testosterone while taking it because you seem pretty knowledgeable about it lol...but im guessing rats get the same effects more or less from supplements or steroids as humans?

 

[michael94]

Interesting!, so you defiantly think this supplement is worth a try then?..aslong as you say you felt good/pro testosterone while taking it because you seem pretty knowledgeable about it lol...but im guessing rats get the same effects more or less from supplements or steroids as humans?

I didnt feel pro testosterone but I didnt feel negative effects. You know something Ray peat says is that when your metabolism is very weak you lose sensitivity to substances. So it likely could have just been that as I was very low metabolism at the time. In short, I really have no idea what to make of it. I would try asking someone who sells Chinese Herbs ( over the phone ) about it. Those sorts of people can be surprisingly helpful and might say something you would never hear otherwise.