Pic shows: This Chinese knotweed which is shaped like a human was found by a farmer.

A farmer has dug up the tuber of a Chinese knotweed (Fallopia multiflora), which is shaped like a human and which local experts claim is over 500 years old.

Farmer Zhong Fusheng, 64, was collecting herbs in the forests near his village in Pingxiang City, southeast China’s Jiangxi Province, when he discovered the head of the knotweed.

He said: "I know how big they usually are and this one was a substantial size compared to what they usually reach."

Aware of the value of the Chinese knotweed in Chinese medicinal fields, Fusheng said he slowly dug around the tuber so as to not damage it, and soon discovered that it was much larger beneath the ground.

He said: "When I pulled out the knotweed out, I was surprised find it shaped like a small human."

Fusheng’s "knotweed baby" is 36cm long and weighs 3.75kg, leading forestry experts to believe that it has been growing for at least half a millenium.

Experts claim that Chinese knotweed can grow to the size of an adult human palm in 50 years, the size of a bowl in 100 years, and the size of a human head in 200 years.

By the calculations of herbal experts, Fusheng’s knotweed should be older than 500 years, especially considering its weight.

Fusheng has already rejected a 7,000 RMB (734 GBP) big for his knotweed baby, saying that he wishes to keep it for his personal collection.

Native to central and southern China, the Chinese knotweed is valuable for its uses in Chinese medicine, where it is said to hold anti-ageing properties.

Consuming the knotweed tuber is said to be mildly toxic, but safe for humans around 60kg in amounts of 10 to 30 grammes per day. Extreme overconsumption can lead to liver damage.

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