Renewable Revolution

September 16, 2019


Analysis by Dr. Joseph Mercola Fact Checked

Native to Japan, ashitaba (Angelica keiskei koidzumi¹) is a bitter leafy herb of the Angelica genus, closely related to the carrot. It's also known as "tomorrow's leaf," due to its rapid growth and regenerative abilities. It's a fast grower and new leaves rapidly sprout when picked.

The plant is well-known in China and Japan, having been part of the diet since ancient times. There, it has also been used medicinally for hundreds of years, as a general health promoter and antiaging remedy.²

The first reference to ashitaba is found in the Chinese Compendium of Materia Medica, compiled by Li Shizhen, a famous acupuncture physician and pharmacologist, between 1552 and 1578.³ According to a 2013 investigation,⁴ ashitaba "might be a useful agent in preventing deficit of learning and memory caused by AD [Alzheimer's disease] and aging."


STORY AT-A-GLANCE

֍ Native to Japan, ashitaba (Angelica keiskei koidzumi) is a bitter leafy herb of the Angelica genus, closely related to the carrot. It’s also known as "tomorrow's leaf," due to its rapid growth and regenerative abilities

֍ In China and Japan, ashitaba has been used medicinally for hundreds of years as a general health promoter and antiaging remedy

֍ Recent research shows ashitaba is a potent inducer of autophagy, capable of increasing the life span of nematodes and fruit flies by 20%

֍ The flavonoid responsible for ashitaba’s antiaging effects is 4,4′-dimethoxychalcone (DMC). Of 180 plant flavonoids screened using three different assays, DMC offered the strongest cellular protection

֍ DMC was also found to protect against liver damage caused by excess alcohol consumption in animals, and inhibited the proliferation of certain human cancer cells

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