A root used in East Asia for weak digestion and fluid retention. Plausible gains match tradition: loose stools, poor appetite, muscle wasting in advanced illness. Claims about immune ageing, bone, liver fat and memory rest on animals and cell cultures. Human trials test multi-herb mixtures, not this root alone. Animal birth-defect findings make pregnancy the clear avoidance. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| High-sensitivity C-reactive protein | Below 0.5 mg/L | Tracks the inflammatory load the lactones may lower |
| Alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase | 10–26 U/L (men), 10–19 U/L (women) | Detects liver injury from the herb or species substitution |
| Fasting glucose | 75–86 mg/dL | Catches additive glucose lowering with insulin or a sulfonylurea |
| Haemoglobin A1c | 4.8–5.2% | Confirms a glucose shift is real, not day-to-day variation |
| Platelet count and international normalised ratio | 175–250 × 10⁹/L; 0.9–1.1 | The anti-platelet signal has no human bounds; these are the proxy |
| Absolute lymphocyte count | 1.5–3.0 × 10⁹/L | The one marker the immune-ageing claim predicts should move |
| Serum potassium and sodium | 4.0–4.5 mmol/L; 138–142 mmol/L | Guards against additive loss when combined with a diuretic |
| Faecal calprotectin | Below 50 µg/g | Separates gut inflammation from functional symptoms |
Cadence: Baseline before the first dose, full panel at 4 and 12 weeks, then every 6 to 12 months. Baselines are treated as mandatory with an anticoagulant, a sulfonylurea, insulin or a diuretic.