Salvia miltiorrhiza, Dan Shen 丹参

Dan Shen (TCM)

Salvia Dan Shen flower
(Photo by 阿橋) (Wikimedia)

Salvia Dan Shen dried root at the Chengdu Medicine Market (Adam 2015)

Botanical name:

Salvia miltiorrhiza
Other species used include S. przewalskii, S. yunnanensis, S. digitaloides, S. trijuga, S. plectanthoides, S. bowleyan, S. pararniltiorrhiza

Parts used:

Root and rhizome

Temperature & Taste:

Cool, dry. Bitter (Some traditional sources have said it is Neutral, others that it is Warm)

Classification:

K. Move the Blood

Uses:

1. Move the Blood, Clears Stasis, Eases Pain:
-sharp, fixed pain from Blood stagnation
-Masses of the abdomen from Blood Stagnation
-swelling of the Liver, Spleen or other abdominal organs
-pricking or stabbing pain of the chest or abdomen; Angina Pectoris
-‘dissolves hard mass in the abdomen’ (Shen Nong Ben Cao)

2. Moves the Blood, Promotes Menstruation:
-Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea, Menstrual disorders
-various gynecological disorders related to Blood stagnation

3. Moves the Blood, Clears Wind, Benefits Bones and Joints:
-Arthritic pain with Blood stagnation (used for Blood Heat or Blood stagnation)
-‘effective for treating arthralgia due to attack of pathogenic Wind with debilitated feet’. (Tao Hong Jing)
-‘relieves pain in the bones and tendons, and paralysis of the extremities’ (Da Ming)

4. Clears Blood Heat, Reduces Abscesses:
-auxiliary herb for Blood heat disorders
-Fever; irritability, subcutaneous Bleeding, Nosebleed or Spitting Blood during Fever (Heat enters the Blood)
-Early stages of Breast (and other) Abscess; Sores, Toxic Swellings; expels pus
-Red, hot, swollen painful joints
-red, sore, inflamed Eyes

5. Clears Heart Fire, Nourishes Heart Blood and Yin, Settles the Mind and Spirit:
-Insomnia, restlessness, fidgeting, irritability, Palpitations
-‘tranquilizes the Spirit, stabilizes the Willpower’ (Da Ming)
-used in conditions where Heat enters the Nutritive/Blood level (during Fevers), with Blood Stagnation, or Heart Yin or Blood deficiency

6. Benefits Qi and Blood:
-‘reinforces Qi’. (Shen Nong Ben Cao)
-generates new Blood. (Da Ming)
-‘Long-term taking of the drug is good for health’ (Ming Yi Bie Lu)
-‘After taking the drug, the patient will be able to keep up with a galloping horse’. (Xiao Bing)
-the tonic effect is regarded as mild compared to other tonic herbs, nevertheless it has this effect

Dose:

Taken with wine to move the Blood
Decoction: 6–15 grams;
Powder: 1–4 grams

Comment:

1. This is one of the most important Blood medicines of TCM. It moves the Blood, clears Stasis, relieves Pain, clears Heat from the Blood. It also has a secondary effect of nourishing Blood, thereby being very good for all Blood disorders, being a regulator of the Blood. It also has a secondary effect nourishing the Blood and Yin of the Heart.
2. It has been regarded by some as roughly equal in effect to the famous Blood tonic and regulator Si Wu Tang (Four Substance Decoction) which contains Dang Gui, Paeonia Bai Shao, Ligusticum Chuan Xiong and Rehmannia Shu Di Huang. It clearly doesn’t have the Blood Tonic effect of Si Wu Tang, as most writers describe its Blood tonic effect as mild, but its ability to regulate the Blood is strong.
3. It remains to be seen the similarities and differences between Salvia Dan Shen and Salvia haematodes (Red Behen) used in the Western Tradition. That is also a red-rooted Sage variety whose root is used in medicine. It was most commonly used in tonics with its companion White Behen (Centaurea spp.), and is therefore probably more Blood tonic than Salvia Dan Shen which is a better Blood mover. However, older TCM texts often note Blood nourishing and sometimes even Qi tonic effects, again supporting the possibility of these two species being close in effect and use.

Preparation:

1. Dry Fried Salvia Dan Shen:
The root is dry fried until scorched, making it slightly warm and moderating its actions, making it gently nourish and move the Blood, while reducing its Heat-clearing effect.
2. Charred Salvia Dan Shen:
Dry fry at a high temperature until blackened, then spray with cold water. Then dry thoroughly. This has the effect of both moving the Blood, but in addition, it stops Bleeding. It is regarded as similar in effect to Notoginseng San Qi.
3. Wine-Fried Salvia Dan Shen:
The root is stir-fried with 10% its weight of wine until the alcohol is absorbed, then dried thoroughly. This is better to move the Blood, clear Stasis and relieve Pain as well as being better for Cold disorders.
4. Cinnabar-prepared Salvia Dan Shen:
It was previously prepared with Cinnabar to increase its ability to nourish the Heart and calm the Mind and Spirit. However, this is rarely done today. Combining with Red Coral or Pearl can achieve similar results.

Main Combinations:

1. To move the Blood, ease pain after Trauma, as well as for Amenorrhea or irregular menstruation, Salvia Dan Shen with Dang Gui
2. ‘Menstrual difficulties, whether early or late, too much or too little, or in pregnancy to quiet irritation in the last weeks, or to correct the discharges after delivery. It is also good for all forms of backache and pains in the bones and joints’, take 6 grams of Salvia Dan Shen powder with warm wine. (Chinese Materia Medica, Stuauoft)
3. Irregular menstruation, Uterine Bleeding, Infertility, Salvia Dan Shen with Dang Gui, Motherwort (Yi Mu Cao)
4. Postpartum abdominal pain, Salvia Dan Shen with Motherwort (Yi Mu Cao)
5. Qi and Blood stagnation with Chest or Abdominal pain, Salvia Dan Shen with Sandalwood and Amomum Sha Ren (Greater Cardamon) (as in Dan Shen Yin from Yi Xue Jin Zhen [Medicine Acupuncture Needle]).
6. Chest Pain, Angina Pectoris:
i. Salvia Dan Shen with Aloeswood, Saffron
ii. Salvia Dan Shen with Sandalwood, Borneo Camphor (Bing Pian)
iii. Salvia Dan Shen with Mistletoe (Sang Ji Sheng), Dang Gui, Jujubes (Chinese Dates, Da Zao) (The Formulas of Dr. John H.F. Shen)
7. Palpitations, Insomnia, excess Dreaming from Heart Blood and/or Yin deficiency:
i. Salvia Dan Shen with Zizyphus Semen Suan Zao Ren and Platycladi Bai Zi Ren.
ii. Salvia Dan Shen with Poria sclerotium Fu Shen, Polygonum Ye Jiao Teng, Albizzia He Huan Pi, Platycladi Bai Zi Ren
ii. Salvia Dan Shen with Schisandra Wu Wei Zi, Calamus (Shi Chang Pu), Mother of Pearl (Zhen Zhu Mu) (as in An Shen Bu Xin Wan of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia)
iii. Salvia Dan Shen with Zizyphus Semen Suan Zao Ren, Anemarrhena Zhi Mu, Polygonum He Shou Wu, Schisandra Wu Wei Zi (as in An Shen Jiao Nang of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia)
8. Irritability, Insomnia from Heat entering the Nutritive/Blood level
i. Salvia Dan Shen with Scrophularia Xuan Shen, Forsythia Lian Qiao.
ii. Salvia Dan Shen with Cinnabar, Rehmannia Sheng Di Huang
9. Early stages of Breast Abscess:
i. Salvia Dan Shen with Dandelion (Pu Gong Ying), Burdock seed (Niu Bang Zi)
ii. Salvia Dan Shen with Lonicera Jin Yin Hua, Forsythia Lian Qiao
10. Trauma, Salvia Dan Shen with Frankincense and Myrrh

Major Formulas:

Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan
Huo Luo Xiao Ling Dan
Dan Shen Yin

Cautions:

1. Not used during Pregnancy. (However it has been used to ‘soothe the Fetus’–Da Ming)
2. Some people may experience dry mouth, dizziness, headache

Drug Interactions:

1. Incompatible with Veratrum root

Main Preparations used:

Extra Info
Research

Salvia miltiorrhiza, Dan Shen PRO