Bioactive Compounds and Biological Activities of Tuber Fleeceflower Root (Polygonum multiflorum Thunb.)

Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. is an important medicinal plant in North America and East and Southeast Asia. Its tuberous roots contain numerous bioactive compounds, including anthraquinones, stilbenes, tannin, and phospholipids with pharmaceutical properties, and were used as a traditional folk for a thousand years. The root extracts of this herb, as well as isolated compounds, have been demonstrated to possess several medicinal properties which have been widely employed such as coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, neurosis, other diseases, etc. In this chapter, we presented the nutritional status, chemical compounds isolated from tuberous roots, and pharmacological properties of this medicinal plant.