Medicinals
dān shēn / 丹参 / 丹參 / salvia [root];
Latin pharmacognostic name: Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix
Alternate English names: red-rooted sage [root]
Alternate Chinese names: 木羊乳 mù yáng rǔ; 山参 shān shēn; 山红萝卜 shān hóng luó bó; 活血根 huó xuè gēn; 靠山红 kào shān hóng; 烧酒壶根 shāo jiǔ hú gēn; 野苏子根 yě sū zǐ gēn
Origin: Plant
Use: medicinal
Category: Blood-Quickening Stasis-dispelling agents / Blood-quickening menses-regulating agents
Properties: Bitter; slightly cold.
Channel entry: liver and heart channels.
Indications:
- Quickens the blood and regulates menstruation: Menstruation at irregular intervals, menstrual pain, amenorrhea, and
postpartum stasis obstruction abdominal pain ; concretions, conglomerations, accumulations, and gatherings; pain from blood stasis in the heart, chest, stomach duct, or abdomen; and wind-damp impediment pain. - Cools the blood, clears heart, eliminates vexation, and quiets the spirit: Warm disease with heat entering the pericardium, manifesting in heart vexation, sleeplessness, agitation, and clouded spirit; as well as miscellaneous diseases presenting with insomnia, forgetfulness, heart palpitation, and/or fearful throbbing.
- Disperses welling-abscesses: Swelling of welling-abscesses and
sore s. - Modern applications: Dān shēn is used to treat coronary heart disease with angina pectoris, either on its own or in combination with medicinals such as chuān xiōng (川芎 Chuanxiong Rhizoma, chuanxiong [rhizome]) and hóng huā (红花 Carthami Flos, carthamus [flower];).
Dosage & Method:
Oral: 4.5–9g in decoctions; or use in powders or pills. Topical: Decoct as a wash or prepare as a paste.
Warning:
To be used with care in pregnancy. Dān shēn is traditionally said to clash with lí lú (Veratri Nigri Radix et Rhizoma).
Product Description:
This product is a cylindrical root is up to 25 cm long and is 4–10 mm thick. The exterior is red-brick or rust red and bears irregular longitudinal wrinkles. Sometimes fine roots are still attached. Older roots have a coarse scaly skin that has peeled off in places. Salvia is quite brittle, and the fracture reveals the fibrosity of the wood. The decocting pieces are 1–2 mm thick slices with wavy edges. On the cut edge, the bark appears red, while the vascular bundles in the wood, forming a radial configuration, appear yellow or white.
Quality:
Dry large solid roots with a red bark are the best.
Product Area:
Sìchuān, ānhuī, Húběi.
Etymology:
The name dān shēn 丹参, literally ""cinnabar ginseng"" or ""red ginseng,"" is descriptive of the form and color.