Resveratrol was first identified in the early 1980s as the principal active ingredient in the dried roots of Polygonum cuspidatum. As a traditional Japanese and Chinese medicine, Polygonum extracts have been used to treat a wide range of afflictions, including fungal infections, various skin inflammations, and liver and cardiovascular diseases.1 In the early 1990s, scientists were attempting to unravel the "French paradox"— i.e., the surprisingly low incidence of cardiovascular disease observed in France among people consuming a rich, high-fat diet.2 Researchers proposed that the "paradox" may be due to the routine consumption by the French of resveratrol-rich red wine. Scientific studies performed with both animals and living cells have proven that resveratrol is able to promote more efficient intracellular repair, create healthier blood vessels and protect brain tissue. Research demonstrates resveratrol is able to deeply affect the center of a living cell's nucleus to provide significant antioxidant protection as well as increasing cellular longevity. It activates an enzyme that prolongs the cell's life, thus allowing more time for the cell to repair its DNA and live longer before the final activation of the cell's P-53 self-destruct gene.