Safety question
Is He Shou Wu (Fo-Ti) safe?
Use with caution — established risks require monitoring. He Shou Wu (Fo-Ti) scores 2/5. Cardiovascular, neurological, or psychiatric adverse events appear in the clinical record. Not appropriate for casual or untracked use. Coordinate with a clinician, particularly if you have any cardiovascular, hepatic, or psychiatric history.
Safety score
2 / 5
Evidence grade
C
Severe reactions on file
2
Pubmed cites
400
Key facts
- typical dose
- 500–2000 mg
- dose frequency
- 1-2 doses
- timing
- AM
- with food
- with meal
- safety score
- 2/5
- evidence grade
- C
- class
- adaptogen
- PubMed citations
- 400
- legal status (US)
- Over-the-counter
- legal status (UK)
- Over-the-counter
- legal status (EU)
- Over-the-counter
- legal status (AU)
- Over-the-counter
- primary mechanism
- Anthraquinones, stilbenes, and phospholipids contribute to antioxidant and lipid-lowering effects.
Common side effects
No commonly reported side effects on file for He Shou Wu (Fo-Ti) at typical doses.
Uncommon side effects
- Hepatotoxicity (raw form)severe
Rare side effects
- Acute liver failure (rare)severe
Severe reaction risks
He Shou Wu (Fo-Ti) has the following documented severe adverse reactions: Hepatotoxicity (raw form); Acute liver failure (rare). These are rare but require immediate medical attention if they occur.
Who should not take He Shou Wu (Fo-Ti)
- Pregnant or breastfeeding individuals — most nootropics have not been adequately studied in pregnancy, and the precautionary principle applies.
- Anyone on a prescription medication that overlaps mechanistically (stimulants, SSRIs, MAOIs, beta-blockers, anticoagulants) — clear interactions with your prescribing clinician before adding He Shou Wu (Fo-Ti).
- Anyone with significant cardiovascular, hepatic, renal, or psychiatric disease — established conditions raise the baseline risk for any new compound.
- Minors — almost no nootropics have a paediatric safety record, and developing brains are differently sensitive.
What "safe" means here
Our safety scoring reflects (a) published clinical and observational literature on healthy-adult use at standard supplement doses, (b) the spectrum of adverse-event reports in the medical and supplement-pharmacovigilance record, and (c) the regulatory status across major jurisdictions. It does notreflect long-term outcomes in populations that haven’t been studied, and it does not substitute for clinical judgement applied to your individual situation.
A 5/5 score does not mean “no risk” — it means risk has been quantified as low in healthy adults at usual doses. Idiosyncratic and allergic reactions are possible with virtually any compound, including those we rate highest.
Full mechanism, citations, and dose guidance for He Shou Wu (Fo-Ti) are on the main reference page — see He Shou Wu (Fo-Ti). For the dose-by-dose breakdown, see He Shou Wu (Fo-Ti) dosage. To check stack interactions, use the interaction checker.
This page is informational. It is not medical advice and does not establish a clinician-patient relationship. Individual risk varies with genetics, medications, pre-existing conditions, and dose. Always consult a qualified clinician before starting a new compound. See our full disclaimer and terms.