Houttuynia is an edible herb widely used in Southeast Asian cuisine but found also as far north as Korea. It is known medicinally as the poison destroying plant but its action seems more antimicrobial than detoxifying. For this reason, research has been done on a wide variety of conditions ranging from herpes to Lyme disease an SARS. With more research, we can expect to understand the best uses, but it does seem to help in the regulation of blood sugar and hence also in fluid balance and weight management.