INDIVIDUAL HERBS

NAME: DAN SHEN - 丹参 - RADIX SALVIAE MILTIORRHIZAE - RED SAGE ROOT

Pharmaceutical Latin: Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae
Common English: Red Sage Root
Salvia Root

CATEGORY

Herbs That Invigorate the Blood

PROPERTIES

Taste Temperature Entering Meridians Dosage
Bitter
Slightly Cold
(Cool)
(Neutral)
Heart
Pericardium
Liver
3-15g
15-30g = large dose
30- 60g for phlebitis or when used alone

ACTIONS AND INDICATIONS

Actions Indications/Syndromes

Invigorates the Blood and dispels Blood Stasis

Blood Stasis in the Lower Jiao (very important in gynecology)

Blood Stasis obstructing the chest

Rib and hypochondriac pain due to Liver Qi and Blood Stasis

Clears Heat and soothes irritability

Ying Stage Heat with restlessness, irritability, palpitations and insomnia

Heart and Kidney Yin Deficiency
Cools the Blood and reduces abscesses Adjunctive to treat sores or early-stage breast abscesses
Nourishes the Blood and calms the Spirit Palpitations and insomnia due to Ying and Xue Stage Heat or Heart Blood Deficiency

CONTRAINDICATIONS, INCOMPATIBILITIES AND HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS

CONTRAINDICATIONS
  • Contraindicated during pregnancy.
  • Contraindicated in early menstruation.
  • Contraindicated when menstruation is blocked due to Blood Deficiency.
  • Contraindicated for Yin Deficiency patients.
  • Contraindicated for those with loose stools of the Deficiency type.
  • Use caution in cases with no Blood Stasis.
  • Use caution with Qi Stage Heat.
  • Use caution for those with hypermenorrhea, hemoptysis or hematuria.
  • Large doses should not be prescribed for patients with a bleeding diathesis.
INCOMPATIBILITIES
  • Do not use with Rz. Veratri Li Lu.
HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS
  • Use with caution for patients taking anticoagulants such as heparin, warfarin (Coumadin) and enoxaparin (Lovenox) or antiplatelet drugs such as aspirin, dipyridamole (Persantine) and clopidogrel (Plavix) as concurrent use may have an additive or synergistic effect.
  • This herb has digoxin-like immunoreactivity. Concurrent use may result in falsely elevated or falsely lowered serum digoxin concentration.

MAJOR COMBINATIONS

Rx. Angelicae Sinensis
Dang Gui

Olibanum
Ru Xiang

Lignum Santali Albi
Tan Xiang
Fr. Amomi
Sha Ren

Irregular menstruation and retained lochia from Blood Stasis due to trauma.

Blood Stasis causing swelling and pain.

Flank pain, epigastric pain, abdominal pain, and dysmenorrhea due to Qi and Blood Stagnation.

Cx. Moutan Radicis
Mu Dan Pi
Rx. Rehmanniae
Sheng Di Huang

Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae
Suan Zao Ren
Sm. Platycladi
Bai Zi Ren

Fr. Trichosanthis
Gua Lou
Squama Manitis
Chuan Shan Jia

Ying Stage Heat with high fever, irritability, hemoptysis, epistaxis, and subcutaneous bleeding.

Heart Blood Deficiency causing palpitations and insomnia.

Breast abscess, sores and swellings.

Lignum Santali Albi
Tan Xiang

Flos Carthami
Hong Hua
Sm. Persicae
Tao Ren
Hb. Leonuri
Yi Mu Cao

Fr. Evodiae
Wu Zhu Yu
Cx. Cinnamomi
Rou Gui

Chest, epigastric and abdominal pain due to Qi Stagnation and Blood Stasis.

Abdominal pain with irregular menstruation due to Blood Stasis or postpartum.

Abdominal pain due to Blood Stasis with Cold.

Per. Trichosanthis
Gua Lou Pi
 Rz. Pinelliae Preparatum
Zhi Ban Xia

Rz. Sparganii
San Leng
Rz. Curcumae
E Zhu
Hb. Lycopi
Ze Lan
Carapax Trionycis
Bie Jia

 

Carapax Trionycis
Bie Jia
Concha Ostreae
Mu Li
Fr. Aurantii
Zhi Ke
Extremitas Radicis Angelicae Sinensis
Dang Gui Wei
Sm. Persicae
Tao Ren
Flos Carthami
Hong Hua
Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae
Bai Zhu
Poria
Fu Ling
Rz. Sparganii
San Leng
Rz. Curcumae
E Zhu
Rz. Cyperi
Xiang Fu

Chest pain.

Palpable masses.

Hepatomegaly or splenomegaly.

Rx. Angelicae Sinensis
Dang Gui
Flos Carthami
Hong Hua
Rz. Chuanxiong
Chuan Xiong

Caul. Lonicerae
Ren Dong Teng
Rx. Paeoniae Rubra
Chi Shao
Rx. Gentianae Macrophyllae
Qin Jiao
Ram. Mori
Sang Zhi

Rx. Rehmanniae
Sheng Di Huang
Rx. Scrophulariae
Xuan Shen
Hb. Phylostachys
Zhu Ye

External or traumatic injury with pain and bruising.

Heat Bi with redness, swelling and pain.

Ying or Xue Level Heat.

Flos Lonicerae
Jin Yin Hua
Fr. Forsythiae
Lian Qiao

Cx. Moutan
Mu Dan Pi
Rx. Paeoniae Rubra
Chi Shao
Rx. Trichosanthis
Tian Hua Fen
Flos Lonicerae
Jin Yin Hua
Fr. Forsythiae
Lian Qiao
Hb. Taraxaci
Pu Gong Ying

Rx. Scrophulariae
Xuan Shen
Flos Lonicerae
Jin Yin Hua
Fr. Forsythiae
Lian Qiao

Initial stage breast abscess.

Erysipelas.

Palpitations and insomnia due to Heat.

Rx. Rehmanniae
Sheng Di Huang
Sm. Platycladi
Bai Zi Ren
Sm. Zizyphi Spinosae
Suan Zao Ren

 

 

Palpitations and insomnia from Heart Blood Deficiency.

 

 

NOTES

  1. Tinctures of this herb can produce anorexia, gastralgia and pruritis.
  2. This herb occurs commonly in formulas that treat skin ailments, heart disease and uterine tumors.
  3. This is the primary herb for Blood Stasis with Heat.
  4. Extracts of this herb are used alone or in combination with one or two other herbs for skin problems, cataracts and angina pectoris.
  5. This herb inhibits the growth of cancer cells.
  6. One report said the Dan Shen accelerates the metastasis and hematogenous diffusion of cancer cells on one hand and enhances the effect of chemotherapy on the other.
  7. This herb is said to nourish the mind, reinforce the willpower, unblock the Guan pulse and cure goiter and pyogenic infections.
  8. Dan Shen and Rz Chuanxiong Chuan Xiong both move Blood. Dan Shen invigorates and cools the Blood, removes Stagnation to stop pain and soothes irritability due to Heat, while Chuan Xiong moves Qi in the Blood and expels External Wind.