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Fo Ti (Ho Shou Wu)

Q: Is Fo Ti (Ho Shou Wu) natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: No perfumery extraction exists. Used in TCM as dried root slices or powder..

GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / earthy · green · sweet

Fo Ti (Ho Shou Wu)

Category	GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory	earthy · green · sweet
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Reynoutria multiflora (Thunb.) Moldenke (syn. Fallopia multiflora, Polygonum multiflorum)
Appearance	dark brown to black viscous liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	China
Pyramid	Heart

Earthy, rooty-bitter, faintly sweet. Fo-ti root smells of traditional medicine — dried roots in a wooden box, astringent, ancient.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Earthy, rooty, slightly bitter. Dried medicinal root with tannin-like astringency and a faint underlying sweetness. The specific character of a TCM root preparation — less pungent than ginseng, more purely earthy.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Earthy-rooty, bitter, medicinal-dry

After a few hours

Astringent warmth, faint sweetness emerges

After a few days

Faint earthy-root residue, clean-bitter trace

The Full Story

Fo-Ti (Polygonum multiflorum, He Shou Wu) is a climbing plant whose tuberous root is a fundamental herb in Traditional Chinese Medicine. The dried root has an earthy, slightly bitter scent with a faint sweetness.

No perfumery extraction exists. The concept note captures the TCM pharmacy experience: dried roots, earthy-woody, medicinal-bitter, with a tannin-like astringency. Related to but distinct from ginseng's character.

Functions in TCM-inspired, earthy, and medicinal compositions as an atmospheric element.

This note in Première Peau. Simili Mirage · Gravitas Capitale. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Alpha Pinene · Angelica · Angelica Root · Angelica Root Oil · Artemisia · Barrenwort · Beachheather · Behini Tree

Did You Know?

Did you know?

'He Shou Wu' means 'Mr. He's black hair' — named after a legendary Tang Dynasty man who supposedly reversed his grey hair by consuming the root. Modern research shows the root contains emodin and physcion (anthraquinones) with documented hepatotoxicity, leading the UK's MHRA to issue safety warnings about fo-ti supplements.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No perfumery extraction exists. Used in TCM as dried root slices or powder.

Molecular Formula	Complex mixture — key compound: emodin (C₁₅H₁₀O₅)
CAS Number	84929-24-8 (extract)
Botanical Name	Reynoutria multiflora (Thunb.) Moldenke (syn. Fallopia multiflora, Polygonum multiflorum)
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	He Shou Wu, Foti, Chinese Knotweed
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Lasting Power	48 hours
Appearance	dark brown to black viscous liquid

In Perfumery

Fantasy concept providing dried-root, TCM character. No extraction exists. Built from earthy, rooty-bitter, and tannin-like elements. Functions in medicinal and East Asian-themed compositions.