Dan Shen
From Wikiwel
Other Names : Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, Salvia root, Red sage root, Red sage, Chinese sage, Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge., Tan Shen, Danshen, 丹參
The herb can be found throughout most of China, it is mainly produced in provinces like Jiangsu, Anhui, Hebei, Shanxi and Sichuan.
See also : Salvia
Special Precautions of Dan Shen
- Those without blood stasis and pregnant women should be used with caution.
- Danshen has been shown to potentiate the effects of the common anticoagulation drug warfarin, leading to gross anticoagulation and bleeding complications. Danshen should be avoided by those using warfarin. Danshen causes in vitro interference when measuring digoxin levels when measured using Chemiluminescence Immunoassays
Benefits and uses of Dan Shen are
Dan shen is not technically an herb or plant but a dried root of Salvia miltiorrhiza. It has been widely used in China and, to a lesser extent, in Japan, the United States, and other European countries for the treatment of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Danshen has been used for millennia in Chinese Medicine for circulation problems, stroke, chest pain, and other diseases of the heart and blood vessels. It is also used for menstrual disorders, chronic liver disease, and trouble sleeping caused by complaints such as rapid heartbeat and tight chest. Salvia root is bitter in flavor, slightly cold in nature, and mainly manifests its therapeutic actions in the heart, pericardium and liver meridians.
- Salvia root is an important ingredient for gynecological disorders like irregular periods, missed periods menstrual pain or postpartum abdominal pain. For menstrual problems, the herb is usually prescribed with nutgrass rhizome, angelica root, peony root and motherwort herb. For abdominal pain after delivery or gynecological surgeries, the herb is prescribed with angelica root, Sichuan lovage and flying squirrel dung.
- Salvia root is a common ingredient for pain relief, since TCM believes that painful conditions are usually associated with a stagnated blood flow. It can be used with Sichuan lovage, cattail pollen, flying squirrel dung and turmeric root-tuber to relieve chest pain or angina, which is a sign of stagnated blood flow in the heart vessels. For gastric and abdominal pain, the herb will be used with villous amomum fruit and sandal wood. In chronic joint problems, when the lumbar and legs are cold and painful, physicians prescribe salvia root along with cinnamon, eucommia bark and achyranthes root; in case if the joints are red, swollen and painful, physicians prescribe salvia root along with honeysuckle stem, red peony root and gentiana macrophylla root. For traumatic injuries, salvia root can be prescribed with angelica root, Sichuan lovage, frankincense and myrrh to relieve the swollen and pain, and promote healing.
- used as an herbal remedy for ailments related to the heart and blood vessels, in a similar manner to hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna). It is often used as a treatment for high blood pressure by opening up the arteries and improving blood flow. While the herb does not directly lower blood pressure, it relaxes the blood vessels and improves the entire body's circulatory system, which can indirectly dampen high blood pressure.
- TCM believes that abdominal masses and accumulations are related to long-term blood stagnation, salvia root can be prescribed with common bur-reed rhizome, zedoray rhizome and oyster shell to disperse them. Clinically, it has showed that the dispersing actions are beneficial to liver and spleen enlargements, ectopic pregnancy, uterine fibroid or other hematoma masses in the abdomen.
- Salvia root is usually prescribed with herbs like sour jujube seed, Chinese arborvitae kernel, schisandra to treat insomnia. For example, when individuals are deficiency of blood and their hearts have excessive fire, they will develop insomnia and palpitations, then physicians prescribe salvia root along with rehmannia root, sour jujube seed and Chinese arborvitae kernel in the remedy. In some cases, heat pathogens enter the blood circulation that leads to irritability, fever and skin rashes, then physicians use salvia root along with rehmannia root, figwort root, honeysuckle flower and weeping forsythia capsule.
- According to TCM theory, skin sores and abscesses should be treated by clearing toxic heat and cooling blood methods. Salvia root is usually prescribed in both internal and external remedies. For example, in the early stage of serious skin sores, salvia root is decocted with snake gourd fruit, honeysuckle flower and weeping forsythia capsule as internal remedy, at the same time, salvia root is decocted with wild chrysanthemum and dandelion for external washing.
- Modern TCM physicians also use salvia root in conditions like coronary disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, myocarditis, chronic hepatitis, hepatic cirrhosis and skin problems.
- Anti-tumor effects : In vitro studies : Study showed that Tanshinone I (Tan-I), a compound isolated from salvia root can reduce cell growth and induce apoptosis of human colon cancer in a concentration-dependent manner. And the cell cycle was shown to be arrest at G0/G1 phase.The effects of Tan IIA on leukemia THP-1 cell lines were investigated. Results revealed that Tan IIA inhibited the growth of THP-1 cells and caused significant apoptosis, and these effects were both time- and dose-dependent.
