Fo-ti Root, the scientific name of which is Polygonum multiflorum, goes by many different names, the most colorful of which may be He-Sho Wu, a Mandarin name meaning "He has black hair." According to Chinese legend, Fo-ti Root restores youthful vigor in older men; Lord He-Sho Wu reportedly lived to the ripe old age of 132. All Fo-ti Root is cured in a black bean solution during processing.
Fo-ti Root has an important place among the medicinal herbs that make up the pharmacopeia of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). According to Chinese tradition, dried Fo-ti Root should be prepared by boiling it in the same water used to cook black beans; its primary purpose is to restore balance to the body's systems when the yin is weak.