PinyinShú Dì Huánɡ
Alias Shú Dì (熟地) (from “Jing Yue Quan Shu”).
Source “Bencao Tujing”
Origin The root tuber of the plant Rehmannia glutinosa or Rehmannia huaiqing, processed by steaming and drying.
Plant Morphology For detailed plant morphology, refer to the section on “Gan Dì Huáng”.
Habitat Distribution Mainly produced in Henan, Zhejiang, and other regions. Also found in Hebei, Hunan, Hubei, and Sichuan.
Preparation Method Take dried Rehmannia, add 30% yellow wine, mix, place in a steamer, and steam until it becomes black and shiny inside and out. Remove and dry. Alternatively, place dried Rehmannia in a steamer for 8 hours, let it rest overnight, then steam for another 4-8 hours, rest overnight again, remove, and dry until 80% dry, slice, and then dry completely.
① “Leigong Paozhi Lun”: “Harvest fresh Rehmannia, remove the white skin, steam it in a willow wood steamer, let it cool, mix with wine and steam again, then dry. Do not use copper or iron utensils.”
② “Bencao Tujing”: “Take 30-20 jin of fat Rehmannia, wash clean, remove thin roots and short roots, mash to extract juice, place in silver or copper utensils, soak the fat Rehmannia in the juice, steam for three or four times, and soak and steam repeatedly until the juice is exhausted. The Rehmannia should be shiny black like lacquer, sweet like syrup. It should be collected in the steamer as it is soft and likes to be moist.”
③ “Gangmu”: “Recently, the method involves selecting heavy, fat Rehmannia, adding good wine and sand ginger powder, mixing well, steaming in a willow wood steamer until the aroma penetrates, drying, and then mixing with sand ginger wine for steaming. This process is repeated nine times. The nature of Rehmannia is muddy, and it benefits from the fragrance of sand ginger, harmonizing the energy of the five organs and returning to the lower dantian. Currently, only those boiled in wine are sold, which should not be used.”
Characteristics Irregular block shape, both inside and outside are pitch black, with a wrinkled and uneven surface. Soft texture, moist cross-section, often with shiny, oily blocks in the center, very sticky. Sweet taste.
Processing Charred Shú Dì Huáng: Place Shú Dì Huáng in a calcining pot, fill to 80%, cover with another pot, seal the joint with yellow clay, press down with a weight, and calcine with gentle and strong fire until the white paper touching the bottom of the pot turns yellowish brown. Block the fire door, let cool, and remove; alternatively, directly fry Shú Dì Huáng in a pot until charred.
Properties and Flavor Sweet, slightly warm.
① “Zhen Zhu Nang”: “Sweet and bitter.”
② “Gangmu”: “Sweet, slightly bitter, slightly warm.”
③ “Bencao Xinbian”: “Sweet taste, warm nature.”
Meridian Entry Enters the Liver and Kidney meridians.
① Li Gao: “Enters the hand and foot Shaoyin and Jueyin meridians.”
② “Bencao Congxin”: “Enters the foot’s three Yin meridians.”
Main Functions and Indications Nourishes Yin, replenishes blood. Treats Yin deficiency with low blood, weakness in the waist and knees, cough with bone steaming, nocturnal emissions, uterine bleeding, irregular menstruation, diabetes, frequent urination, deafness, and dim vision.
① “Zhen Zhu Nang”: “Greatly replenishes blood deficiency, opens blood vessels, and benefits energy and strength.”
② Wang Haogu: “Mainly for those who want to rise but cannot, with eyes cloudy and unable to see.”
③ “Gangmu”: “Fills the bone marrow, promotes muscle growth, generates essence and blood, nourishes the five organs, treats internal injuries, opens blood vessels, benefits hearing, darkens hair, treats men’s five labor injuries and women’s uterine bleeding, irregular menstruation, and various diseases during pregnancy.”
④ “Bencao Xinbian”: “Nourishes kidney water, fills the bone marrow, opens blood vessels, benefits true Yin, sharpens hearing and vision, darkens hair and beard. It can also nourish spleen Yin, stop chronic diarrhea, treat labor injuries, wind-dampness, Yin deficiency with fever, dry cough with phlegm, shortness of breath, and feelings of emptiness in the stomach, and is the main herb for various blood loss conditions.”
Dosage and Administration Internal use: decoction, 0.4-1 liang; in pills, powders, or syrup.
Precautions Avoid in cases of spleen and stomach deficiency, qi stagnation with phlegm, abdominal fullness, and loose stools.
① “Leigong Paozhi Lun”: “Do not use with steel or iron utensils, as it can cause kidney depletion and white hair, harming the essence and defense.”
② “Pinhui Jingyao”: “Avoid radishes, scallions, leeks, and garlic.”
③ “Yixue Rumen”: “Use cautiously in cases of abdominal fullness and phlegm accumulation.”
④ “Bencao Xinbian”: “For those with qi stagnation, it can obstruct the chest. Use with caution.”
Formulas ① For treating male and female blood deficiency, insufficient nourishment: Eight ounces of Shú Dì Huáng (select the sweetest, dry to remove moisture), one qian of sandalwood (or three qian of white sandalwood), and four ounces of goji berries (use the fattest, dry to remove moisture). Each herb is one jin, soak in ten jin of high-proof liquor for ten days without boiling, then use. Those taking this should not drink excessively; after finishing, add another six or seven jin of liquor, soak for another half month, and it can still be used. (“Jing Yue Quan Shu” Di Huang Li)
② For treating various deficiencies, abdominal and flank pain, blood loss, and lack of appetite: Shú Dì Huáng (sliced and roasted) and Angelica (remove the sprouts, sliced and roasted) in equal parts. Grind into a fine powder, mix with honey to form pills the size of a walnut, take 20-30 pills before meals with warm water. (“Jifeng Pujifang” Wanbing Wan)
③ For treating mutism, kidney deficiency, and inability to speak: Shú Dì Huáng, Ba Jiao (remove the heart), Shan Zhu Yu, Shi Hu, Rou Cong Rong (soaked in wine and roasted), Fu Zi (processed), Wu Wei Zi, Gui, Bai Fu Ling, Mai Men Dong (remove the heart), Chao Pu, Yuan Zhi (remove the heart) in equal parts. Grind into a powder, take three qian with one and a half cups of water, five slices of ginger, one jujube, and mint, decoct until reduced to eight parts, regardless of time. (“Xuanming Lunfang” Di Huang Yin Zi)
④ For treating bone steaming, body heat, and fatigue: Rehmannia, Angelica, Di Guo Pi, Zhi Ke (roasted with bran), Chai Hu, Qin Jiao, Zhi Mu, Bie Jia (roasted) in equal parts. Grind into a powder, take with one cup of water and half a dried plum, decoct for seven parts, and take hot. (“Youyou Xinshu” Di Huang San)
⑤ For regulating and nourishing the essence and blood, treating deficiency of Chong and Ren, menstrual irregularities, abdominal pain, uterine bleeding, blood clots, and pain during pregnancy: Angelica (remove the reed, soaked in wine and roasted), Chuan Xiong, Bai Shao, and hot dry Rehmannia (steamed with wine) in equal parts. Grind into a coarse powder, take three qian with one and a half cups of water, decoct until reduced to eight parts, remove the residue, and take hot before meals. (“Jufang” Si Wu Tang)
⑥ For treating frequent and excessive urination: One liang of dragon bone, one liang of Sang Piao Xiao, one liang of Shú Dì Huáng, one liang of Gua Lou root, and one liang of Huang Lian (remove the beard). Grind into a fine powder, take two qian before meals with congee. (“Sheng Hui Fang”)
⑦ For treating children’s kidney deficiency, inability to speak, and excessive white in the eyes: Eight qian of Shú Dì Huáng, four qian each of Shan Yu Rou and dried yam, and three qian each of Ze Xie, Mu Dan Pi, and Bai Fu Ling (remove the skin). Grind into a powder, mix with honey to form pills the size of a walnut, take three pills with warm water on an empty stomach. (“Xiao Er Yao Zheng Zhi Jue” Di Huang Wan)
⑧ For treating shortness of breath resembling asthma, rapid breathing, inability to rise, and inability to swallow: Seven to eight qian of Shú Dì Huáng, or one to two liang for severe cases, two to three qian of roasted licorice, and two to three qian of Angelica. Use two cups of water, decoct until reduced to eight parts, and take warm. (“Jing Yue Quan Shu” Zhen Yuan Yin)
⑨ For treating water deficiency with excessive fire, floating and slippery pulse, insufficient Shaoyin, and excess Yangming, with irritability, dryness, and thirst, headache, toothache, and blood loss: Three to five qian of raw gypsum, three to five qian or one liang of Shú Dì Huáng, two qian of Mai Dong, and half a qian each of Zhi Mu and Niu Xi. Use one and a half cups of water, decoct for seven parts, and take warm or cold. If there is loose stool, it is not suitable. (“Jing Yue Quan Shu” Yu Nu Jian)
⑩ For treating liver wood invading the stomach, pain in the stomach and heart, flank pain, acid reflux, and all liver diseases: Bei Sha Shen, Mai Dong, Rehmannia, Angelica, Goji Berries, and Chuan Lian. (“Liuzhou Yihua” Yi Guan Jian)
Various Discussions ① “Bencao Yanyi”: “Rehmannia is only mentioned as raw and dry, not cooked. For blood deficiency and labor heat, postpartum heat, and elderly weakness, it is necessary to use cooked Rehmannia, as using raw or dry is often too cold, hence the later generations prefer the cooked version.”
② Zhang Yuanshu: “Cooked Rehmannia nourishes the kidney; for blood deficiency, it is essential, and for pain below the navel, belonging to the kidney meridian, only cooked Rehmannia can alleviate it, as it is a kidney-opening herb.”
③ Li Gao: “Raw Rehmannia treats heat in the hands and feet and can benefit kidney water and treat blood; for a strong pulse, use raw. If the pulse is weak, use cooked Rehmannia. Raw Rehmannia is steamed with fire, thus it can replenish kidney essence.”
④ “Gangmu”: “According to Wang Shuo’s ‘Yijian Fang’, men with Yin deficiency should use cooked Rehmannia, while women with blood heat should use raw Rehmannia. It is also said that raw Rehmannia can generate essence and blood, while Tian Men Dong can guide it to where it is generated, and cooked Rehmannia can replenish essence and blood, guided by Mai Men Dong. Yu Tuan’s ‘Yixue Zhengzhuan’ states that raw Rehmannia generates blood, but for those with weak stomach qi, it may hinder digestion. Cooked Rehmannia replenishes blood, but for those with excessive phlegm, it may obstruct the stomach. It is said that raw Rehmannia cooked with wine does not hinder the stomach, while cooked Rehmannia with ginger juice does not obstruct the stomach; these are all ways to utilize the essence of Rehmannia.”
⑤ “Bencao Huiyan”: “Cooked Rehmannia is slightly warm, and its effects are broader. For chronic illness with Yin damage, and postpartum blood loss, it is essential. However, both types of Rehmannia are cold and can obstruct the stomach; for postpartum food aversion and diarrhea, even with fever and painful lochia, it should not be used, as misuse can lead to continuous diarrhea. For Yin deficiency cough, internal heat, bone steaming, or blood vomiting, if the spleen and stomach are weak, with loose stools, or morning diarrhea, postpartum diarrhea, and lack of appetite, it is prohibited. For those with excessive phlegm in the chest, obstructed qi pathways, the medicine should be unblocking and not obstructing; thus, Rehmannia should not be included in decoctions or pills. If there is a need for qi medicine, it should be accompanied by cinnamon heart; if there is a need for phlegm medicine, it should be stir-fried with ginger juice. If there is no need for these, and one insists on using it, it is not understanding that the purpose of using cooked Rehmannia is to utilize its heavy and quiet essence, rather than to scatter and disturb its nature, which is akin to painting a snake and adding feet.”
⑥ “Bencao Zhengyi”: “Rehmannia is a good agent for replenishing blood. In ancient times, it was often used in its raw and dry form, hence called Gan Dì Huáng, which is now referred to as Sheng Dì Huáng. However, the ‘Shennong Bencao Jing’ uniquely uses the term ‘dry’, and states that the raw form is especially good, indicating that raw and dry Rehmannia were already classified into two categories before the Six Dynasties, but the differentiation in treatment was not strict. By the time of the ‘Ming Yi Bie Lu’, raw Rehmannia was further distinguished, clearly separating it from dry Rehmannia, with the former treating cooling blood and the latter nourishing blood and Yin. Both are cold and cooling products, suitable for those with true heat. If there is no heat, then dry Rehmannia is still considered too soft and not beneficial for weak spleen and stomach. Since the Tang and Song dynasties, there has been a method to prepare cooked Rehmannia by mixing it with sand ginger and wine, steaming and drying multiple times until it is pure black and fully cooked, thus borrowing the true Yang of the sun to transform its soft nature, allowing those with middle deficiency to take it without fear of stagnation. Therefore, cooked Rehmannia is also known for its slight warmth, capable of nourishing true Yin without the risk of cold and slippery discharge, thus clearing the fire of the heart and stomach, transforming into nourishing blood for the liver, spleen, and kidneys, with its properties and effects far surpassing those of the past, becoming thicker and more potent, thus reaching the lower jiao, nourishing fluids, and benefiting essence and blood. For those with dry fluids and little blood, excessive sweating, and significant blood loss postpartum, large doses can be very effective. However, for those with excessive stickiness and stagnation, it may hinder digestion, so it is only suitable for those with good stomach function and not for those whose spirit is exhausted; otherwise, it will cause stagnation in the middle jiao, leading to bloating. Even with sand ginger stir-fried, it may still be ineffective.”
Excerpt from “Dictionary of Chinese Medicinal Herbs”
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