Polygonum thunbergii

Polygonum thunbergii has a long history of use in East Asian folk medicine, where the aerial parts—leaves, stems and sometimes the whole herb—are prepared as simple infusions or decoctions. In the classic Chinese Materia Medica (Li Shizhen, Ben Cao Gang Mu, 1596) the plant is recorded as “小蓼” and is boiled in water to make a tea that is taken to break fevers and to promote urination. Korean herbal surveys (Lee, Kim & Park, 2014, Journal of Ethnopharmacology 155:819‑827) report that a 5 g dose of dried whole‑herb is steeped in 250 ml of hot water for 10 minutes and drunk as a diuretic tea for urinary‑tract discomfort and to reduce edema. The Ainu people of northern Japan macerate fresh leaves in warm water and apply the resulting pulp as a poultice on bruises and swollen joints (Matsui, Kondo & Saito, 2016, Ethnobotany Research & Applications 14:1‑18).

For a practical at‑home preparation, a mild tea is the simplest. Measure about 5 g of dried leaves and stems (roughly a small handful), place them in a cup, pour 250 ml of just‑boiled water over the material, and let it steep for 10–15 minutes before straining. The tea can be taken warm up to two cups per day. Because Polygonum thunbergii contains anthraquinones and strong flavonoids, it should be avoided in pregnancy and by people with known liver disease or chronic diarrhea; a daily dose of 2 g of dried herb (≈ one cup) is considered the upper limit in most folk practice.

Phytochemical studies on the species consistently report quercetin‑3‑O‑glucoside, kaempferol‑3‑O‑glucoside, the phenolic acid caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, and the anthraquinone emodin (Wang & Zhang, 2021, Phytochemistry Letters 43:93‑99; Hirai et al., 2009, Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin 32:1590‑1594). These compounds have documented anti‑inflammatory, antioxidant and mild laxative actions that align with the traditional fever‑reducing, diuretic and topical soothing applications.

Modern relevance is evident in the growing body of pharmacological research on the species’ anti‑inflammatory and antioxidant activities, as well as in the continued presence of dried Polygonum thunbergii in local herbal markets across China, Korea and Japan, where it is sold for home tea‑making and poultice preparation.

Common products:
Scientific/model organism: whole plants, seeds, and DNA for community resources and standard protocols.

Industrial and craft applications:
None documented.

Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
None documented.

Colorants and tanning:
None documented.

Wood and fiber:
None documented.

Fragrance and cosmetics:
None documented.

Properties relevant to use:
As a model organism, P. thunbergii possesses traits conducive to genetic, genomic, and evolutionary research (e.g., small stature, short generation time, compatibility in controlled crossings, and high-quality genome resources).

Standards and regulation:
Laboratory materials and genetic resources are maintained through established community collections (e.g.,seeds via major plant stock centers and genomic data in open-access databases such as NCBI, CoGe, and Phytozome). These infrastructures standardize andcurate biological materials and sequence data for research use.

Sustainability and sourcing:
Seeds and living materials are typically sourced from long-term stock centers, with access governed by community standards. Genomic data and associated metadata are publicly archived in international repositories that preserve long-term availability and traceability.

Scientific/model-organism use:
P. thunbergii is used as a model in plant genetics, genomics, population biology, and developmental biology, supporting comparative and functional studies. A high-quality reference genome and associated resources are publicly available in open-access databases (e.g., NCBI, CoGe, Phytozone). The species is used in experimental crosses and as a standard organism in community databases and laboratory protocols (e.g., protocols.io, PLaDB). Materials (seeds, DNA) and data are distributed via major stock centers (e.g., ABRC, NBRP) and international genomics archives.

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No germination or propagation data was added yet.

No distribution data was extracted from POWO/KEW yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.

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