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Japanese Knotweed

Japanese knotweed is a plant whose roots are rich in resveratrol and related plant compounds, which act as antioxidants in the body. People mostly look at it for metabolic health, but the evidence is very limited: one small study of 20 people found no clear difference in blood glucose or overall glycemic control. That is far too little to draw firm conclusions, so it remains an open question whether it helps at all.

Best evidence
Grade D
Conditions studied
1
Outcomes
11
Graded outcomes
0002

Evidence by condition

  • Strong
  • Moderate
  • Limited
  • Very limited

1 condition

Metabolic Health: outcomes studied for Japanese Knotweed
GradeOutcomeEffectSizeStudiesPeopleStudies list
Blood glucose

No effect

NoneNo effect20 people
Glycemic Control

No effect

NoneNo effect20 people
TriglyceridesImproves (the measure goes down)1 study20 people
High-density lipoprotein (HDL)Improves (the measure goes up)20 people
InflammationImproves (the measure goes down)20 people
InsulinChanges; see studies20 people
LeptinImproves (the measure goes up)20 people
Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)Improves (the measure goes down)20 people
Oxidative Stress BiomarkersImproves (the measure goes down)20 people
TNF-AlphaImproves (the measure goes down)20 people
Total cholesterolImproves (the measure goes down)20 people

Key findings

  • Blood glucoseMetabolic Health
  • Glycemic ControlMetabolic Health

Studies cited

1 study from PubMed

  1. An antiinflammatory and reactive oxygen species suppressive effects of an extract of Polygonum cuspidatum containing resveratrolJ Clin Endocrinol Metab · PMID 20534755