Can You Take Green Tea Extract (EGCG) and Fo-Ti (He Shou Wu) Together?

Use extra care with this pair

The short answer

Both EGCG (Green Tea Extract) and Fo-Ti (He Shou Wu) are well-documented hepatotoxins. EGCG causes oxidative liver damage at high doses, while Fo-Ti's anthraquinones cause idiosyncratic hepatotoxicity. This combination poses significant cumulative risk.

How to arrange timing

Avoid combining high-dose EGCG with Fo-Ti. Both have caused cases of severe liver injury. If either is used, monitor liver enzymes.

Reference

Reference noted for this combination: Navarro VJ et al., Hepatology 2017; Lei X et al., J Ethnopharmacol 2015; LiverTox (NIH/NLM)

Important context

Whether supplements suit you together also depends on dose, product formulation, health conditions, and medication use. Ask a doctor or pharmacist first if you take medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have a chronic condition.