With all of the sources for resveratrol out there ( peanuts, grapes, mulberries, etc ) I was curious as to why most supplements were made using Polygonum Cuspidatum, other wise known as, "the Japanese Knotweed."
When referring to resveratrol in the news it is almost always associated with red wine. Why red wine? Because red wine is made from grapes, another popular source of resveratrol. Many people search for " Red Wine Pills" only to find a supplement made from a weed! That just doesn't sound right, or does it?
Well, to answer that question we need to do a little research on Japanese Knotweed and find out exactly what the Resveratrol inside it does.
Japanese Knotweed has the following characteristics:
An "invasive species," AKA a weed. Listed in the Top 100 Worst Weeds category!- A perennial plant, one that lives for greater than 2 years.
- Can be grown in most climates and is found in 39 of the 50 US States. Also found in great quantities in Japan, China, Korea, Canada, and the UK.
- It is very difficult to kill or eradicate from an area.
- It can survive extreme temperatures both hot and cold. ( as low as -30 degrees Fahrenheit)
- It's roots can grow up to nearly 10 feet deep!
I definitely see a pattern going on here. Knotweed is one tough plant! It's hard to kill, grows rapidly, and grows just about any where.
We know from our prior research that resveratrol is produced by plants as an antibiotic of sorts used to fight diseases, fungi, bacteria, and heat resistance.
So if I were a weed, who wanted to dominate the landscape, and be considered "King of the Weed Jungle" then I would want a bunch of resveratrol inside me! Well that is exactly who the Japanese Knotweed is, King of Weeds! Full of resveratrol to fight off all that attacks it.
If we take our ques from nature you can see having "weed like" properties as a human isn't such a bad thing. We would then be difficult to kill, have a greater resistance to sickness, and live longer healthier lives.
The correlation may not be exactly transferred from plant to human, but we should certainly take note and research further.
So why are Resveratrol Supplements made from the Japanese Knotweed?
It's used because they have high concentrations of resveratrol, grow rapidly in many climates, and the resveratrol is easily extracted in a cost effective way. Grapes on the other hand are much more expensive to produce and contain very little resveratrol in comparison to Knotweed.
So next time you're trying to get rid of those nasty looking weeds in your garden, remember, weeds aren't all bad!
Live Longer,
Markus
Japanese Knotweed has the following characteristics: