Cimicifuga, Sheng Ma, 升麻

Bugbane, Black Cohoch
Sheng Ma (TCM)
Rgya rtsi རྒྱ་རྩི་ (Tibet)
Picture Cimicifuga heracleifolia
(Photo by Aka) (Wikimedia)

Picture Cimicifuga Sheng Ma root (Adam 2023)

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Botanical name:


Cimicifuga spp. (syn. Actaea spp.):
  1. C. foetida (syn Actaea foetida) Sheng Ma
  2. C. dahurica (syn Actaea dahurica) Xing An Sheng Ma
  3. C. heracleifolia (syn Actaea heracleifolia) Da San Ye Sheng Ma

Parts used:


Root

Temperature & Taste:


Cool, dry. Sweet, Pungent, Bitter

Classifications:


A. Clear Exterior Wind-Heat

Uses:


1. Clears Wind-Heat, Promotes Expression of Rashes:
-Fever, acute Cold or Flu
-acute Headache from Wind-Heat
-early stages of Measles; incomplete expression of Toxic-Heat Rashes
-skin disease with itching, Eczema (Tibet)
-prevents infection during Epidemics (Ming Yi Bie Lu)

2. Clears Heat and Toxin:
-swelling, pain, ulcers of the Mouth, Gums
-swelling and pain of the Throat
-Toxic Sores (topically and internally)
-‘It neutralizes toxins of a hundred kinds’ (Ming Yi Bie Lu)

3. Raises Yang Qi:
-shortness of Breath, Fatigue
-Prolapses due to falling Qi
-‘stops vertigo due to sinking of Yang’ (Li Shi Zhen)
-chronic diarrhea and dysentery, seminal emission, leukorrhea, metrorrhagia (Li Shi Zhen)
-raises clear Yang from the Stomach (Li Gao)
–Long-term use makes the person feel happy and enjoy a long life. (Ming Yi Bie Lu)

4. Externally:
-Carbuncles, Abscesses, Toxic Sores, Variola (decoction as a wash)
-Ulcers and Sores of the Mouth


Dose:


Powder: 1–3 grams
Decoction: 3–9 grams

Preparation:


… available in PRO version

Substitutes:


… available in PRO version
Picture

Main Combinations:



1. Early stages or incomplete expression of Measles:
i. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with … available in PRO version
ii. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with … available in PRO version
iii. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with … available in PRO version
iv. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with … available in PRO version
2. Heat and Toxin:
i. with Fever, Cimicifuga Sheng Ma, … available in PRO version
ii. Sores, Swellings and Ulcers of the Mouth and Throat, Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with … available in PRO version
iii. Fever, swelling and pain in the Head, Mouth or Throat, Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with … available in PRO version
3. Swollen, painful Throat:
i. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with … available in PRO version
ii. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with … available in PRO version
4. Wind-Cold Common Cold:
i. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with … available in PRO version
ii. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with … available in PRO version
5. Toothache from Heat-Toxin:
i. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with … available in PRO version
ii. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with … available in PRO version
6. Prolapse of the Rectum or Uterus, Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with … available in PRO version

Major Formulas


Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang
Dang Gui Nian Tong Tang
Ji Chuan Jian
Ju Yuan Jian
Pu Ji Xiao Du Yin
Qing Wei San
Sheng Ma Ge Gen Tang
Tong You Tang
Xin Yi Qing Fei Yin
Xin Yi San
Yi Qi Cong Ming Tang
Zi Xue Dan

Cautions:


1. Not for Yin deficient Heat
2. Not for Spitting of Blood
3. Avoid overdose

Main Preparations used:



  • Extra Info
  • Research
GENERAL / REVIEW
–Traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of the genus Cimicifuga: A review.