Although we commonly think of resveratrol as coming from grape skins and red wine, many resveratrol supplements obtain their high doses of the powerful antioxidant from the Japanese knotweed plant. Native to parts of Asia including Japan, China and Korea, Japanese knotweed is successfully grown in North American and Europe as well.
Providing a more concentrated source of resveratrol, Japanese knotweed is preferred over grape skins by many dietary supplement manufacturers. Unlike grapes, Japanese knotweed can be grown year round, allowing manufacturers to have a consistent source of resveratrol for their pills.
What is Japanese knotweed?
Japanese knotweed - an excellent source of the potent antioxidant resveratrol - is a plant that is characterized by its hollow stems and its wide, oval-shaped leaves. The Japanese knotweed plant also grows a profusion of small, white flowers during the late summer and early fall. Once only found in Asia, Japanese knotweed is now cultivated and prized around the world for its high quantities of resveratrol, which has been shown to have a large number of excellent health benefits and is becoming more and more popular as a diet supplement.
Medicinal uses for Japanese knotweed
Japanese knotweed has been used for centuries as a gentle laxative. Therefore, it has held many medicinal uses before the discovery of its high doses of resveratrol. People in Asian countries, though, are probably more familiar with Japanese knotweed's use as a laxative rather than its beneficial qualities due to the presence of resveratrol. In dietary supplements, resveratrol is extracted from Japanese knotweed in order to provide it with the necessary dosage and recommended daily allowance of the antioxidant. Otherwise, most people rarely encounter Japanese knotweed, and are unlikely to eat it raw for any sort of medicinal purpose - although it is considered to be very delicious and not unlike rhubarb in flavor.
Resveratrol and Japanese knotweed extract
Most people who purchase resveratrol supplements - often known as the red wine pill - are actually consuming Japanese knotweed extract rather than grape extract. This is because Japanese knotweed extract is a more concentrated and consistent source of resveratrol than grape extracts, and therefore less expensive.
Since so many people are concerned about watching their budget, Japanese knotweed is a great product that helps lessen the expense of supplements with resveratrol in them. The very same benefits that one can receive from the resveratrol in grapes and red wine can be enjoyed via supplements that use Japanese knotweed extract. Learn more about the health benefits of Resveratrol.
