Pharmaceutical Name: Radix Salviae militiorrhizae
Botanical Name: Salvia miltiorrhiza
Common Name: Salvia root, Red sage root
Source of Earliest Record: Shennong Bencao Jing
Part Used : The roots are dug in autumn, and
then cleaned, soaked, cut into slices and dried in the sun. They can also be
fried with wine.
Properties & Taste: Bitter and slightly cold
Meridians: Heart, pericardium and liver
Functions:
1. To
invigorate blood and move stagnation;
2. To cool blood and reduce
carbuncles;
3. To clear heat in the heart and soothe irritability
Indications & Combinations:
1. Internal blood stagnation manifested as irregular menstruation,
amenorrhea, abdominal pain or postpartum abdominal pain. Red sage root (Danshen)
is used with Motherwort (Yimucao), Peach seed (Taoren), Safflower (Honghua)
and Chinese angelica root (Danggui).
2. Qi and blood stagnation manifested as cardiac pain, abdominal pain or
epigastric pain. Red sage root (Danshen) is used with Amomum fruit (Sharen)
and Sandalwood (Tanxiang) in the formula Danshen Yin.
3. Blood stagnation manifested as general pain or joint pain. Red sage root
(Danshen) is used with Chinese angelica root (Danggui), Chuanxiong rhizome (Chuanxiong)
and Safflower (Honghua).
4. Carbuncles, furuncles and swellings. Red sage root (Danshen) is used with
Honeysuckle flower (Jinyinhua), Forsythia fruit (Lianqiao) and Frankincense
(Ruxiang) in the formula Xiaoru Tang.
5. Febrile disease with pathogenic wind invading the nutritive level
manifested as high fever, irritability, dull maculopapule and a red or deep
red tongue proper with scanty coating. Red sage root (Danshen) is used with
Fresh rehmannia root (Shengdihuang), Scrophularia (Xuanshen) and Bamboo leaf
(Zhuye).
6. Deficiency of nutritive blood with internal heat manifested as
palpitations, irritability and insomnia.
Red sage root (Danshen) is used with Wild jujube seed (Suanzaoren) and Multiflower knotweed (Yejiaoteng).
Dosage: 5-15 g
Cautions & Contraindications: Blood invigoration is enhanced by frying with
wine.
Do not combine with the herb Black false bellebore (Lilu).
20 fresh seeds $3.50