Side effects taking Japanese Knotwood?

I searched the internet and cannot believe how many side effects this herb has.

disclaimer: Most herbs and supplements have not been thoroughly tested for interactions with other herbs, supplements, drugs, or foods. The interactions listed below are based on reports in scientific publications, laboratory experiments, or traditional use. You should always read product labels. If you have a medical condition, or are taking other drugs, herbs, or supplements, you should speak with a qualified healthcare provider before starting a new therapy.

Interactions with Drugs
Japanese knotweed may increase the risk of bleeding when taken with drugs that increase the risk of bleeding. Some examples include aspirin, anticoagulants ("blood thinners") such as warfarin (Coumadin©) or heparin, anti-platelet drugs such as clopidogrel (Plavix©), and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen (Motrin©, Advil©) or naproxen (Naprosyn©, Aleve©).

Because Japanese knotweed contains estrogen-like chemicals, the effects of drugs believed to have estrogen-like properties may be altered.

Japanese knotweed may also interact with antibiotics, anticancer agents, antiviral drugs, anti-inflammatory agents, cardiovascular drugs, cholesterol lowering drugs, drugs used for osteoporosis, lipoxygenase inhibitors, and photosensitizing agents (agents that cause sun sensitivity).

Interactions with Herbs and Dietary Supplements
Japanese knotweed may increase the risk of bleeding when taken with herbs and supplements that are believed to increase the risk of bleeding. Multiple cases of bleeding have been reported with the use of Ginkgo biloba, and fewer cases with garlic and saw palmetto. Numerous other agents may theoretically increase the risk of bleeding, although this has not been proven in most cases.

Because Japanese knotweed contains estrogen-like chemicals, the effects of herbs and supplements believed to have estrogen-like properties, such as phytoestrogens, may be altered.

Japanese knotweed may also interact with antibacterials, anticancer herbs and supplements, antioxidants, antivirals, anti-inflammatory herbs and supplements, cardiovascular herbs and supplements, cholesterol lowering herbs and supplements, herbs and supplements used for osteoporosis, herbs and supplements that cause sun sensitivity, and resveratrol.

Healing98, it looks like Knotweed can cause loss of taste in some (maybe it's a similar reaction you're having but affecting instead your sense of taste?)
here's the first link I found: http://buhnerhealinglyme.com/herbs/sense-of-taste/
here's the second link I found: http://buhnerhealinglyme.com/herbs/loss-of-taste-under-the-3-main-protocol-herbs/
In this second link, it looks like the person also had his sense of smell affected too.

Japanese Knotweed may be in the buckwheat family. I'm allergic to buckwheat, and had terrible problems (yeah, I'm the one who's stomach shut down, couldn't swallow, etc.) from the Japanese Knotweed.

Mike,

Yes. Part of my gut crash from knotweed included loss of appetite.

Hello Everyone.
I had stopped antibiotics and started J. Knotwood, Stephania and Cats claw and after a few weeks noticed that my eyes were much blurrier and blood pressure gone from a constant 120/80 to 90/60.
Could these herbs be causing this? Anyone has experienced any of this? I know I am sensitive to meds, and when I started the doxy I had some blurriness, but it passed. I wanted to just use only herbs but concerned about eyes, low blood pressure and light headedness. Many thanks
Lorraine

I had a bad reaction to Japanese Knotweed too, which I didn't really expect considering that it seems to be a part of every protocol and is touted as extremely beneficial and "benign" ...

I took a very small amount - I opened a 375mg cap and made a few caps of about 100mg each .... An hour later I felt OK but I have a hive-type red mark on my abdomen ...

The next day the pain was terrible and the anxiety were thru the roof ... I don't think that tiny amount would cause a herx-type reaction, but who knows ..

Thanks for your responses. I went off everything a week ago, and waiting to see if it subsides. Very strange not taking anything, just concerned about the eyes and the low blood pressure for now. I will start again slowly as you recommend opugirl. Thanks again.

Nice thread!
I harvested japanese knotweed by myself here in germany a week ago.
I ate a bit of the raw roots and made a tea with one teaspoon of the shreddered bark.
I got chills stabbing bonepains(rare bartonella herx symptom), then two days later I tried a potent tcm herb mix made by my acupunturist and pusht the herx into oblivion :D
It only got so bad when I first tried colloidal silver for the first time appro. 4 months ago.

My herxing is that I feel like having a gastro intestinal virus.

So from bartonella I experience loss of function of tastebuds cozy chills that make me enjoy warm baths a lot and these stabbing pains in the bones. Espicially breast and shoulders also lymphnotes.

And from the Tcm herbs like aspagalus was in the tcm protocol or the colloidal silver I get a skin rash on the side looking like chingles and feeling bloated, stabbing gutpains total loss of appitite feeling constipated yet having watery dhiarria at the moment I still have dhiarrea since 7 days :)
And incredible nightsweats, plus quickly exchanging chills and fevers.

When I read about your story Razzle I got really afraid because I experienced this unability to eat to as a herx and at the moment have 7 days of diarrea and start to get afraid that this turns chronic and I shreddered my guts with the japanese knotweed.
Yet I have harvested so much and it seems potent so I a really not sure if I should risk anything like what happened to you with years of not beeing able to eat.