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Japanese Knotweed is considered an invasive species. It is a persistent plant that can be chopped, tilled, cut down and it will still grow back. It is considered by many to be a nuisance but what few realize is the incredible healing power of this herb.  The properties that give it life against all odds translate into amazing healing in the human body. The herb is native to Japan and China but was brought to Great Britain as a decorative garden plant.  The plant somewhat resembles bamboo and when cut and dried remains hard and rigid.  For centuries the Japanese have used this plant medicinally and recognized its amazing properties.

The plant is championed for its high concentrations of Resveratrol a very special Polythenol phytoalexin(it inhibits growth of parasites and free radicals) that protects and heals the plant from injury. Resveratrol is found in various sources including cranberries, raspberries, mulberries, blueberries, peanuts and grapes however in very low amounts compared to Japanese Knotweed. Trans-resveratrol is the preferred source of Resveratrol which Japanese Knotweed contains. There is no known source on the planet that comes close to the concentration of Resveratrol found in JK.

Beyond Resveratrol which we are only beginning to appreciate for its mind blowing healing abilities, Japanese Knotweed also contains many antioxidants, phenols and natural compounds that have been found to protect the heart, brain, liver and nervous system.

This plant may seem annoying but it isn’t simply very healing it also increases topsoil mineral nutrition so should be considered for agriculture as a cover crop.

Cancer

Studies have researched the effect of Resveratrol on cancer, specifically breast cancer and found that “the effect of Resveratrol on T-resistant breast cancer cell proliferation was significant.”^[1]Resveratrol, through NF-Y/p53/Sin3/HDAC1 complex phosphorylation, inhibits estrogen receptor α gene expression via p38MAPK/CK2 signaling in human breast cancer cells

T-resistant means Tamoxifen resistant. Tamoxifen is an Estrogen Modulator drug that is used to treat Breast Cancer.  This is a major problem with all cancer drugs, they create resistance that is potentially more deadly than the actual disease and if it comes back it will come back stronger and the drugs will be ineffective – whereas had you treated the condition with herbs, there is no known resistance for any herb. I want to make this point really clear as well, T-resistant cells are cells that are resistant to current/previous drug treatment. Japanese Knotweed SIGNIFICANTLY inhibited these cancer cells that are resistant to drugs, so what if we had just treated the cancer with JK instead of the drug?  Reading through this study there are numerous ways in which JK activates, deactivates or regulates different mechanisms to control cancer cells without doing any harm to the body.

Wormwood has been found to have a synergistic anti-cancer effect when taken with Resveratrol or Japanese Knotweed.

One study concluded: “Apoptosis analysis showed that combination of ART(wormwood) and Res(resveratrol) significantly increased the apoptosis and necrosis rather than use singly… ART in combination with Res could be an effective therapeutic strategy for cancer.”^[2]Synergic effects of artemisinin and resveratrol in cancer cells

Unlike chemo drugs which destroy cells equally Resveratrol is “highly selective towards malignant cell lines”. It prevents cancer cells from interacting with cell DNA and suppresses tumor progression. It has an overall carcinogen-detoxifying effect while preventing adverse effects caused by toxins.  Resveratrol works on multiple levels to suppress, inhibit and destroy cancer in a manner which is not rivaled by any drug and very few other herbs. While many herbs have anti-cancer properties few work on as many levels as Resveratrol.^[3]A reappraisal of the potential chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic properties of resveratrol

Skin Cancer and Tumors

Resveratrol has been shown to “significantly” reduce the number of skin tumors in mice models. It also greatly inhibited TPA-induced cell transformation in a dose-dependent manner.  Furthermore it inhibited free radical formation in HL-60 cells, human leukemia cells. It also exhibited substantial anti-leukemic activity in cell proliferation and apoptosis and also inhibiting DNA damage^[4]A reappraisal of the potential chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic properties of resveratrol

Chemo-damage

Please see the Cardiotoxicity section below for research on how Resveratrol/Japanese Knotweed prevents and reverses chemo-caused damage.

Heart

Protective Against Cardiotoxicity

Resveratrol (component of Japanese Knotweed) was evaluated against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Doxorubicin is a chemotherapy drug known to cause serious cardiovascular problems. Rats were fed either placebo or placebo + Doxorubicin. Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded on 1st and 7th weeks, cardiomyopathy was assessed using transthoracic echo. The Resveratrol-treated group prevented blood pressure and heart rate alterations significantly as compared to the placebo treated group. Another important discovery of this study was that “Doxorubicin treatment caused a significant decrease in total antioxidant capacity”^[5]Resveratrol treatment protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by alleviating oxidative damage

Plasma LDH activity is considered an accurate indication of tissue damage. Plasma LDH activity showed a 2.5-fold increase in the saline-treated chemo group, indicating generalized tissue damage. But treatment with Resveratrol after chemo was found to suppress the LDH activity. This was not an isolated occurrence, the study found that Resveratrol reversed all of the parameters of damage indication caused by chemo. This included total cholesterol levels and triglycerides.  It is important to note that Resveratrol significantly reversed the negative effects of the chemo drug however it could not entirely nullify them. It must be understood that chemo is a potent poison and causes significant harm to the body. Researchers stated “The clinical use of anthracyclines, namely doxorubicin, is associated with the development of life-threatening cardiomyopathy“ However, if Chemo is your only option research suggests Resveratrol/Japanese Knotweed can at least significantly reverse the negative effects.^[6]Resveratrol treatment protects against doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by alleviating oxidative damage

Secondary references:
Collateral damage in cancer chemotherapy: oxidative stress in nontargeted tissues. Explains the injury, damage and toxicity of chemo drugs, specifically the heart and the brain. Very serious!
Adriamycin-induced heart failure: mechanism and modulation – Adriamycin is Doxorubicin a chemo drug.  This paper details that while Dox is considered an “effective” chemo agent against a variety of cancers “its usefulness is seriously curtailed by the risk of developing heart failure” – the conclusion of researchers is to take Probucol, another drug to deal with the issues caused by the chemo drug. But while on the surface it does appear that Probucol will improve the irregular levels caused by chemo, it has its own problems. Probucol causes long QT syndrome(heart rhythm disorder) at least partially related to the unnatural way in which it suppresses the hERG potassium channel in the body. To deal with the issues caused by Probucol you would be prescribed a beta blocker which causes even more problems. As you can see modern medicine creates more problems which it is all too happy to prescribe new drugs for.  But instead of taking poison you can take Resveratrol/Japanese Knotweed which has all the benefits with none of these major health concerns. Somebody is sure to say but wait it isn’t proven medicine! Let me tell you what is proven, we have established that Chemo is a potent poison that wreaks havoc on your heart (we haven’t even discussed the damage it causes to the brain, gut, liver and kidneys), that is proven!

Many studies have been examined and they all show cardiac benefits  from Resveratrol and beyond that which antioxidant properties alone produce. In another in vitro study, “It has been found that RSV (10 ìM administered at 15 min before 30 min global ischemia-2h reperfusion) has a cardioprotective action”^[7]Bradamante S, Barenghi L, Villa A. Cardiovascular protective effects of resveratrol. Cardiovasc Drug Rev 2004;22:169188. [15] Fremont L. Biological effects of resveratrol. Life Sci 2000;66:663673. – Another interesting point from this study revealed that Resveratrol modulated and equalized heart rate, blood pressure and coronary flow.  It is almost like it knows where you need to be. 

Kidneys & Liver

Rats treated with a kidney specific carcinogen, when pre-treated first with Resveratrol totally prevented oxidative damage to Kidney DNA^[8]A reappraisal of the potential chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic properties of resveratrol – It should be noted that this was pre-treatment and does not prove that post-treatment would totally reverse any damage – however is worth looking into.  NSAIDs have been directly linked to Kidney cancer, so drugs like ibuprofen, Advil, Motrin, naproxen(Aleve), Celebrex and Tylenol all are toxic to your liver and kidneys.  If you plan to take one of these toxic poisons you might consider using Resveratrol as a preventative measure to protect from cancer and toxicity. It should be noted that even the corrupt dung-heap WebMD which is sponsored by and sold out to big pharma, admits that NSAIDs are linked to a 51% increase in kidney cancer. Risk increased with duration of medication. 

Anti-Inflammatory

Japanese Knotweed has been researched in several studies, in vitro and in vivo and discovered to be significantly anti-inflammatory. One study took a small group of otherwise healthy basketball players and pitted JK against placebo. While the placebo group so no change the JK extract treated group saw “significant reduction” in inflammatory markers.^[9]Effects of Polygonum Cuspidatum Containing Resveratrol on Inflammation in Male Professional Basketball Players  This could indicate possible use as a post-workout supplement.

Antioxidant

Many diseases are caused, induced or promoted by free radicals, lipid/protein peroxidation and DNA damage. Plant extracts have for thousands of years been used for their antioxidant effects which act as scavengers to eat up free radicals.  Free radicals such as Superoxides are linked to hypertension^[10]Does superoxide underlie the pathogenesis of hypertension?, respiratory diseases, aging, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis(Lou Gehrig’s disease)^[11]Mitochondria, oxygen free radicals, disease and ageing, therefore plants that inhibit and reverse the effects of free radicals are very important.  So when we examined a study that looked at the antioxidant properties and activity of Japanese Knotweed we were excited to see the results. 20µg/ml extract almost completely inhibited superoxide free radicals.^[12]Antioxidant activity of extract from Polygonum cuspidatum Japanese Knotweed was found to be superior in many ways for its antioxidant properties.  What we found really interesting however is the protective effect that JK has on DNA. DNA protection was dose dependent, at 5000µg/ml a nearly complete DNA protective effect was observed. While this is a large dose it is also an unheard of activity. There is NO drug that protects the DNA, in fact most of them damage the DNA. Based on the research that we evaluated Japanese Knotweed appears to be one of the highest active sources of antioxidants to prevent and protect against DNA damage and auto immune related diseases.

Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is an almost taboo subject. Doctors have had credentials revoked for diagnosing it, clinics have been shut down for treating it, Herbalists have disappeared after claiming to have cured it. While this may sound like a wild conspiracy these are simply facts. Lyme disease is not mentioned in Scientific literature or research by that name but rather as PTLDs(post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders), Borellia or Bartonella and sometimes other bacteria are referenced. Research on EBV (Epstein Barr Virus) and Fibromyalgia have striking similarities to Lyme.

Before we discuss Japanese Knotweed as a treatment for Lyme disease we need to address the concerns of antibiotic use. Antibiotics used directly after infection have indicated relief from symptoms however long-term antibiotic use has shown no efficacy in the treatment of this disease. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases funded three placebo-controlled clinical trials to address this very topic. In the first trial patients who received daily intravenous antibiotic for a period of a month, followed by oral antibiotic for 2 months, there was found to be “no evidence treatment was beneficial”

So a second trial was done, just in case there was a mistake. Patients received daily antibiotics intravenously for 28 days. Patients reported overall improvements (which could be a placebo effect), but there was no cognitive improvement and patients had serious adverse reactions, 4 of which required hospitalization. Researchers concluded that “additional antibiotic therapy is not supported by the evidence”

So a third study was commissioned… this study specifically looked at patients with objective memory impairment. These patients were given 10 weeks of Intravenous Ceftriaxone, an antibiotic. 26% of the patients had an adverse reaction. Researchers again concluded there was no efficacy in treatment.

The conclusion of these studies is significant. There is no efficacy in long term antibiotic treatment. In fact it is probably dangerous as it creates antibiotic resistance and super bacteria that are harder to kill. Short term initial treatment with antibiotics may indeed have efficacy but Science does NOT support the long-term use. In fact the direct opposite has been found.