05/18/2026
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the plants we label “invasive.” 🌿
What if these so-called invasive species taking over our fields and forests have emerged for a reason? Could they actually be opportunistic healers offering their medicine to a population in need? 🤔
Here in New England, where Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses have become widespread, particularly in the spring, one of the most aggressive plants we battle is Japanese knotweed, known in Traditional Chinese Medicine as "Hu Zhang."
For centuries, Hu Zhang has been used in Chinese herbal medicine to invigorate the blood, improve circulation, clear heat and toxins, and reduce inflammation. Historically, it was used to treat infections such as UTI, vaginitis, hepatitis, or carbuncles. Yet it can also treat acute or chronic cough, speed up healing from traumatic injury, and reduce chronic pain, particularly if there is swelling.
And today, researchers are now studying Japanese knotweed for its potential role in treating Lyme disease. 🪲
Studies are showing that Japanese knotweed may act against Borrelia burgdorferi (the bacteria associated with Lyme disease). Compounds such as Resveratrol and Emodin may also have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immune-modulating, and neuroprotective benefits. For this reason, it is now a cornerstone herb in many Lyme protocols.
Of course, the research is still unfolding. Human clinical trials are limited. Yet it fascinates me that this hardy plant has spread so aggressively in the same regions where tick-borne illness is exploding.
Coincidence? Maybe. 🤷♀️
But Nature often evolves in patterns and cycles that we as humans can only attempt to understand. Maybe the conversation here is bigger than “good” vs. “bad" plant. Native vs. non-native species.
Maybe some plants emerge where the soil and its inhabitants are under extreme stress. Neither friend nor foe, just intelligent survivors adapting to our ever-changing landscapes and pathogens.
As an acupuncturist and herbalist, I am endlessly amazed by how much medicine still grows wild at the edges of our forests, rivers, lakes, even roadways and abandoned parking lots [...]
