Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) is the dried root and rhizome of the plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family. It is harvested in spring and autumn, cleaned of soil, and dried. It grows in sunny mountainous areas and is distributed in provinces such as Liaoning, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, and Guangxi.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Dan Shen is considered bitter and slightly cold, entering the Heart (Xin) and Liver (Gan) meridians. It is used to invigorate blood circulation, alleviate pain, and clear the heart to relieve irritability. Indications include menstrual irregularities, dysmenorrhea, abdominal pain, chest pain, heat bi syndrome, sores and swellings, insomnia due to irritability, liver and spleen enlargement, and angina.【Dosage】9～15g。
Dan Shen is a unique herb that can both tonify and purge! It has effects similar to the Si Wu Tang (Four Substance Decoction), which is why it is so valued! Dan Shen is bitter, breaks stagnation, and regulates menstruation. It clears the old and promotes the new, expelling blood stasis. Dan Shen’s bitter and slightly cold nature enters the heart, reducing heat and cooling the blood, thus promoting blood circulation. Therefore, it can eliminate blood stasis while generating new blood.
Modern research shows:
1、Invigorating Blood and Resolving Stasis
The active components in Dan Shen stimulate the proliferation and development of hematopoietic stem cells after absorption by the body, reducing blood flow resistance and accelerating blood circulation, thus achieving the effect of invigorating blood and resolving stasis. This is particularly beneficial for patients with thrombosis and those with elevated blood sugar and lipids.
2、Delaying Aging
Dan Shen contains a large amount of vitamins, organic nutrients, and minerals that are easily absorbed by the body, providing excellent antioxidant effects that can resist aging, making it suitable for women.
3Preventing Thrombosis
Dan Shen can inhibit platelet aggregation and resist thrombosis due to the presence of tanshinone and salvianolic acid, which can suppress the activity of platelet lipase, increasing the levels of adenosine monophosphate, thereby inhibiting the synthesis and release of adenosine and effectively preventing platelet aggregation.
4、Enhancing Oxygen Supply to the Body
Dan Shen enhances the oxygen-carrying capacity of body tissues, ensuring that vital organs such as the brain and heart receive sufficient oxygen, thus improving the body’s tolerance to hypoxia and reducing damage to organs like the kidneys, lungs, brain, and heart, facilitating better cellular repair.
The specific therapeutic effects of Dan Shen are as follows:
1、Dan Shen + Hawthorn for Heart Disease, Vascular Hardening, and Hypertension
Dan Shen+Hawthorn
Dosage:100 grams each of Dan Shen and Hawthorn, processed into powder, divided into 10 portions, taken with warm water at about 40 degrees Celsius, one portion daily.
2、Warm Meridian Dan Shen Tea:
Effect: It has the effects of tonifying Qi and nourishing blood, warming the meridians, and invigorating blood circulation, which is very helpful for women with menstrual irregularities.
Ingredients:15 grams of Dan Shen, appropriate amount of brown sugar, 150 milliliters of water.
Preparation:Wash Dan Shen slightly, place it in a pot, add water and boil. When the water reduces to about 100 milliliters, remove the Dan Shen and add brown sugar to taste, stirring well.
Dosage: Drink freely, but those with excessive heat and bleeding should avoid it.
3、Heart Nourishing Soup
This soup nourishes the heart and protects it. The concept of this soup is to nourish blood, invigorate blood circulation, and promote Qi flow to resolve stasis.
[Ingredients]
10 grams of Dan Shen, 15 grams of Dang Shen (Codonopsis pilosula), 10 grams of San Qi (Panax notoginseng), half a pig heart (about 100 grams),
100 grams of pork, 8-10 red dates, appropriate amount of ginger slices. (Serves 3)
[Preparation]
1Blanch the pig heart and pork, set aside.
2Put all ingredients in a stewing pot, add appropriate water, and steam for 1.5 hours, seasoning to taste.
!!This soup can be consumed twice a week.
The medicinal aroma is strong, with a hint of sweetness from San Qi, but it is not bitter like medicine. First-time drinkers can add more red dates and longan (about 5 pieces) to balance the taste.This soup is comprehensive and balanced, suitable for: those prone to blood stasis (with prominent veins at the tongue root, dark lips), those who consume too much greasy food and prefer strong flavors, and those with a damp-heat constitution.
4、Treating Dark Pimples and Spots
For those under stress, working late, with dark lips and dark spots on the face, use Compound Dan Shen Tablets along with Yin Qiao Tablets. The Yin Qiao Tablets help to release the exterior and detoxify, while Dan Shen Tablets invigorate blood circulation and resolve stasis, leading to the fading of scars and acne marks after several doses.
5、Breaking Stagnation and Regulating Menstruation
Dan Shen can break down bodily stagnation and regulate menstruation. For severe menstrual blockage, using 80 grams of Dan Shen can open up menstruation. If you think this dosage is too high, you can use 30 grams of Dan Shen combined with some Chuan Niu Xi (Cyathula officinalis), Ze Xie (Alisma orientale), and Yi Mu Cao (Leonurus japonicus), all of which invigorate blood and resolve stasis, and menstruation will be regulated. Therefore, for Qi stagnation and blood stasis leading to menstrual blockage, a decoction of Dan Shen at 50-80 grams is called breaking stagnation and regulating menstruation.
6、Treating Trauma
It promotes the generation of new blood and expels stagnant blood. We often encounter cases where older individuals injure themselves while working, or children get bruised while playing. For local bruising, we can use San Qi powder for severe cases, or Dan Shen powder for lighter cases. San Qi is more expensive, so I prefer using Dan Shen. You can soak Dan Shen in liquor to make a trauma recovery drink that is both tasty and effective, and inexpensive. Alternatively, you can grind Dan Shen into powder and take it with warm water.
7、Angina Pectoris
For those with chest pain and angina, there are excellent medications available now, such as Dan Shen Drop Pills or Compound Dan Shen Tablets (currently available as Chinese patent medicines), which can be used for the prevention of irritability, heat in the heart, and angina. There is an elderly lady near the school who often experiences chest pain, has high blood pressure and lipids, and frequently has trouble sleeping. Once the heart is blocked, she cannot sleep well. I suggested using Compound Dan Shen Tablets, and after a few doses, she slept well and her chest pain improved.
Contraindications for Dan Shen:
Those without blood stasis should use Dan Shen with caution; pregnant women should avoid it unless necessary; Dan Shen should not be used with Li Lu (Veratrum) as it can cause excessive bleeding; patients with heart disease on anticoagulants should be cautious when taking Dan Shen as it may lead to severe bleeding.
Long-term use of Dan Shen may lead to decreased potassium levels, resulting in hypokalemia. Long-term use, especially in elderly patients, can significantly affect the heart, muscles, central nervous system, digestion, and acid-base balance if hypokalemia occurs. Therefore, during the use of Dan Shen, it is advisable to consume potassium-rich foods such as bananas, orange juice, soybeans, peanuts, mushrooms, and potatoes.
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