Herbal Corner: Tiger Cane
Once upon a time, the agricultural town of Lang in Sichuan Province, was well known to doctors of traditional Chinese medicine because of its natural beauty as well as the expertise of its inhabitants in the use of medicinal herbs. Dr. Sun, Si Miao (541 AD), later known as the “King of Herbal Medicine,” spent his life in search of the best herbal treatments for his patients and during his travels, he came upon Lang, where the townspeople kindly shared what they knew about their local herbs and their use in treating a variety of conditions.
They told Dr. Sun about an herb that grows in the high mountains that is particularly helpful in treating arthritis and encouraging the healing of injuries. One day as Dr. Sun was gathering these herbs in the mountains, he came upon a tiger that was lying on the ground and unable to move—something appeared to be wrong with its legs! The good doctor carefully approached the tiger and saw that the tiger’s legs were red and swollen. Dr. Sun chewed a handful of herbs in his mouth and made them into a poultice that he applied to the tiger’s legs; then he returned to the town and told the people of his encounter with the wounded tiger.
A few days later, some of the townspeople accompanied the doctor into the mountains to look for the tiger, but the tiger had disappeared from where Dr. Sun had left it. In later times, locals occasionally sighted the tiger, but the tiger never bothered or harmed them which the townspeople attributed to the good deed that Dr. Sun performed when he helped the tiger—and that is why they named that particular herb, “Tiger Cane.”
Tiger Cane or Hu Zhang 虎杖, is also known as Rhizoma Polygoni Cuspidati, or Reynoutria japonica. It is a perennial plant in the knotweed and buckwheat family, and it is commonly known as Asian Knotweed. Tiger Cane is native to East Asian countries like China, Japan and Korea, and it is currently listed by the World Conservation Union as one of the world’s top one hundred most invasive plant species; its strong root system has been known to damage pavement, concrete foundations, and even buildings. The success of this resilient species is attributed to its tolerance for a wide variety of soils, its ability to survive in many climates, its resistance to cutting, and its large network of underground roots.
Tiger Cane root can be taken internally or applied externally as a poultice; it is widely used to speed up the healing of bone fractures, cuts, burns, and tissue injuries as well as in the treatment of arthritis. Its use was later expanded to treating jaundice, cough, amenorrhea, pelvic masses, and skin disorders. Tiger Cane also has antibacterial and antiviral properties that can be used in certain kinds of infections. Modern researchers who analyzed the root found emodin, physcion, and resveratrol, among its many components. Resveratrol is in a group of naturally occurring antioxidant polyphenols that are believed to protect the body from damage that can increase the risk of cancer and heart disease, and it has also been found to help lower cholesterol and blood sugar.
The majority of resveratrol supplements found in the marketplace are extractions of Tiger Cane root, but resveratrol should be taken with care before surgery, during pregnancy, or in conjunction with certain other medications.
When you visit us at Tao of Wellness, we will be happy to help you with any questions you may have about nutrition, your diet, or herbs. We can also arrange for a consultation via Tele-Medicine if that is what you would prefer. Here’s to everyone's good health in 2021: yours, mine, and ours!