Dokudami Extract
Dokudami (Houttuynia cordata Thunberg) is the whole herb of the chameleon plant under the Saururaceae family. Its name derives from the fish-like odor released during harvest. In Hakka culture, it is called “dog ear” (gou tie er), while in Japan it is known as “ten medicines” (juuyaku, 十薬) for its wide range of traditional health-preserving uses. The earliest documented use of dokudami appears in the Mingyi Bielu (Additional Records of Famous Physicians)¹. Furthermore, the Bencao Jingshu (Commentary on “Shen Nong’s Classic of the Materia Medica”)² describes a preparation method of mashing the leaves into a juice, noting its excellent body-strengthening and defensive properties.
