Effects and Functions of Dan Shen: Dan Shen, derived from the roots of the Lamiaceae plant Salvia miltiorrhiza and the herb Salvia plebeia, is known for its ability to invigorate blood circulation and eliminate stasis, regulate menstruation and relieve pain, nourish blood and calm the spirit, cool the blood and reduce abscesses. It is used to treat conditions such as menstrual irregularities, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, abdominal pain, and heart pain. Caution is advised when using Dan Shen in individuals without blood stasis.
Basic Overview
Medicine Name: Dan Shen
Alias: Chao Dan Shen, Chi Shen, Shan Shen, Zi Dan Shen, Hong Gen, Da Hong Pao, Xue Shen Gen, Huo Xue Gen, Hong Dan Shen.
Classification of Effects: Blood-invigorating and stasis-eliminating medicine, calming the spirit medicine.
Properties: Bitter taste, slightly cold nature.
Meridians: Heart, Pericardium, Liver.
Functions: Invigorates blood and eliminates stasis, regulates menstruation and relieves pain, nourishes blood and calms the spirit, cools the blood and reduces abscesses.
Main Indications: Menstrual irregularities, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, postpartum abdominal pain due to stasis, abdominal pain, masses, hot bi syndrome with swelling and pain, trauma, heat entering the blood, restlessness, insomnia, and carbuncles.
Dosage: Internal use: decoction, 5-15g, can be increased to 30g for larger doses.
Source of Medicinal Material: Dan Shen is derived from the roots of the Lamiaceae plant Salvia miltiorrhiza and Salvia plebeia.
Functions and Effects
1. Dan Shen treats scanty menstrual blood and postpartum abdominal pain due to stasis, amenorrhea, and abdominal pain: Dan Shen, Yi Mu Cao (Leonurus japonicus), and Xiang Fu (Cyperus rotundus) each 9g, decoct in water. (Selected Chinese Herbal Medicines from Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai)
2. Dan Shen is effective for masses caused by long-standing stasis; it is often combined with San Leng (Sparganium stoloniferum), E Zhu (Curcuma zedoaria), Bie Jia (Trionyx sinensis), and Sheng Mu Li (Oyster shell) to invigorate blood, soften hardness, and eliminate masses. Modern clinical studies have shown that Dan Shen promotes the dissipation of liver and spleen swelling, ectopic pregnancy, uterine fibroids, or other intra-abdominal hematomas.
3. Dan Shen treats early-stage carbuncles or mastitis: Dan Shen 4 qian, Jin Yin Hua (Lonicera japonica) 3 qian, Lian Qiao (Forsythia suspensa) 4 qian, Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena asphodeloides) 8 qian, Chuan Shan Jia (Manis pentadactyla) 2 qian (stir-fried and crushed), Gua Lou (Trichosanthes kirilowii) 5 qian (sliced), Sheng Ming Ruxiang (Boswellia carterii) 4 qian, Sheng Ming Mo Yao (Commiphora myrrha) 4 qian, decoct. (Zhong Zhong Can Xi Lu, Xiaoru Decoction)
4. Dan Shen treats burns from hot oil and promotes healing: Dan Shen 8 liang, finely shredded, adjust with water, and use 2 jin of sheep fat to decoct three times, applying to the wound. (Zhou Hou Fang)
5. Dan Shen treats wind rash and itching: Dan Shen 3 liang, Ku Shen (Sophora flavescens) 5 liang, She Chuang Zi (Cnidium monnieri) 2 liang, Bai Fan (Alumen) 2 liang (finely ground), mix the above herbs (except Bai Fan) into a powder, decoct with 3 dou of water, filter, and mix in Bai Fan while hot, bathe in a wind-free area until the water cools, dry off, and apply powdered Li Lu (Veratrum) alternately until healed. (Sheng Hui Fang, Dan Shen Decoction)
6. Dan Shen treats seizures with fever: Dan Shen and Lei Wan (Corydalis yanhusuo) each 0.5 liang, pig fat 2 liang, decoct, filter, and apply to the child’s body three times a day. (Qian Jin Yao Fang, Children’s Ointment)
7. Dan Shen has the function of nourishing blood and calming the spirit: it treats insomnia, best combined with Suan Zao Ren (Ziziphus jujuba), Bai Zi Ren (Platycladus orientalis), Hong Zao (Ziziphus jujuba), Wu Wei Zi (Schisandra chinensis), or Ren Shen (Panax ginseng). If insomnia is due to insufficient blood nourishing the heart and excessive heart fire, it can be combined with Sheng Di (Rehmannia glutinosa), Suan Zao Ren, and Bai Zi Ren. If heat enters the blood, causing restlessness and changes in skin color, it can be combined with Sheng Di, Huang Lian (Coptis chinensis), and Zhu Ye (Lophatherum gracile).
8. Dan Shen treats weakness in the legs, pain, and abdominal pain with gas sounds. (Yao Xing Lun)
9. Dan Shen promotes blood circulation and generates new blood, alleviating pain, making it a key herb for gynecological issues: Dan Shen is commonly used for women’s conditions such as menstrual irregularities, dysmenorrhea, and amenorrhea. It is often combined with Xiang Fu, Dang Gui (Angelica sinensis), Shao Yao (Paeonia lactiflora), and Yi Mu Cao for these conditions; postpartum or post-surgical abdominal pain is often due to blood stasis and can be combined with Dang Gui, Chuan Xiong (Ligusticum chuanxiong), and Wu Ling Zhi (Flying Squirrel Feces).
10. Dan Shen treats cold hernia, pain in the lower abdomen and groin, and spontaneous sweating: Dan Shen 0.5 liang, ground into powder, taken with hot wine. (Zhou Hou Fang)
11. Dan Shen invigorates blood and opens the heart meridian, treating hernia pain. (Gang Mu)
12. Dan Shen treats abdominal pain with a mix of deficiency and excess: Dan Shen 1 liang, Tan Xiang (Santalum album), and Sha Ren (Amomum villosum) each 1.5 qian, decoct. (Zhou Fang Ge Kua, Dan Shen Drink)
13. Dan Shen treats neurasthenia: Dan Shen 15g, Wu Wei Zi 30g, decoct. (Selected Chinese Herbal Medicines from Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai)
14. Dan Shen clears heat and cools the blood, effectively clearing heat and stasis to reduce abscesses: it treats carbuncles and boils, both internally and externally. For example, for early-stage carbuncles and erysipelas, it can be combined with Gua Lou, Jin Yin Hua, and Lian Qiao for decoction, while also using Chi Shao (Paeonia lactiflora) and Bai Zhi (Angelica dahurica) soaked in vinegar and mixed with pig fat for topical application, or combined with wild chrysanthemum and dandelion for external washing.
15. Dan Shen treats low back pain and cold bi syndrome: Dan Shen, Du Zhong (Eucommia ulmoides), Niu Xi (Achyranthes bidentata), and Xu Duan (Dipsacus asperoides) each 3 liang, Gui Xin (Cinnamon) and Gan Jiang (Zingiber officinale) each 2 liang, ground into powder, mixed with honey to form pills the size of wutong seeds, taken 20 pills, twice a day. (Qian Jin Yao Fang, Dan Shen Pills)
16. Dan Shen treats women’s menstrual irregularities, whether early or late, in excess or deficiency, and addresses issues before and after childbirth; it also treats cold and heat labor, low back pain, and joint pain. Clean, slice, and dry Dan Shen, ground into powder, taken with warm wine. (Women’s Good Formula, Dan Shen Powder)
17. Dan Shen is often used to invigorate blood, eliminate stasis, and relieve pain: it treats heart meridian stasis, chest pain, often combined with Chuan Xiong, Pu Huang (Typha), Wu Ling Zhi, and Yu Jin (Curcuma). For abdominal pain caused by stasis, it is often combined with Sha Ren and Tan Xiang. Dan Shen treats rheumatic bi syndrome obstructing the meridians, cold pain in the waist and legs, often combined with Gui Xin, Du Zhong, and Niu Xi; if there is stagnation transforming into heat, with red, swollen, hot pain in the joints, it can be combined with Jin Yin Hua, Chi Shao, and Qin Jiao (Gentiana macrophylla); Dan Shen treats trauma and swelling pain, often combined with Dang Gui, Chuan Xiong, Ru Xiang (Frankincense), and Mo Yao (Myrrh).
18. According to the National Compilation of Chinese Herbal Medicines, Dan Shen treats thrombotic occlusive vascular disease: Dan Shen, Jin Yin Hua, Chi Shao, and Tu Fu Ling (Smilax glabra) each 30g, Dang Gui and Chuan Xiong each 15g, decoct.
19. Dan Shen treats acute and chronic hepatitis, with pain in the flanks: Yin Chen (Artemisia capillaris) 15g, Yu Jin, Dan Shen, and Ban Lan Gen (Isatis indigotica) each 9g, decoct. (Selected Chinese Herbal Medicines from Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai)
20. Dan Shen promotes blood circulation and is suitable for regulating menstruation and postpartum recovery. If menstruation is early or absent, or if there is insufficient blood to nourish the fetus, it should not be misused based on its name. Even if its functions are similar to Si Wu Decoction, Si Wu Decoction is primarily for blood disorders, not a blood tonic. The distinction has been made by Shi Wan. Regarding heart tonification, it is not like Goji berries or Longan, which can truly nourish heart deficiency; since the heart houses the spirit and governs blood, excessive heart fire leads to unrest. Dan Shen clears the fire in the blood, thus calming the spirit; when the spirit is calm, the heart benefits. Any warm heat evil entering the blood should also use it, as this is its meaning. If the evil is in the Qi level and misused, it will lead to the evil entering the blood, which must be used with caution. (Chongqing Tang Sui Bi)
21. Dan Shen treats postpartum shortness of breath: Ren Shen 3 liang, Fu Zi (Aconitum) 5 qian (prepared with child urine), Dan Shen 5 qian (salt water stir-fried), decoct with 5 bowls of water, reducing to 2 bowls, gradually administered, and within half a day, the shortness of breath will stabilize. (Ben Cao Hui Yan, quoting Zhong Chun Fang)
22. Dan Shen treats miscarriage with blood below: Dan Shen 12 liang, with 5 sheng of wine, boiled down to 3 sheng, warm administration of 1 sheng, three times a day. (Qian Jin Yao Fang)
23. Dan Shen treats wind-heat skin eruptions, severe itching leading to scabs: Dan Shen 4 liang (shredded), Ku Shen 4 liang (shredded), She Chuang Zi 3 pieces (raw), decoct with 1 dou and 5 sheng of water, boil down to 7 sheng, filter while hot. (Sheng Hui Fang, Dan Shen Decoction)
24. Dan Shen treats abdominal masses: Dan Shen, San Leng, E Zhu each 9g, Zao Jiao (Gleditsia sinensis) 9g, decoct. (Selected Chinese Herbal Medicines from Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai)
25. Dan Shen treats pain or swelling in the groin: Dan Shen 1 liang, Bing Lang (Areca catechu) 1 liang, Qing Ju Pi (Citrus reticulata) 0.5 liang (soaked in soup, removing the white pith, baked), Huo Xiang Zi (Foeniculum vulgare) 0.5 liang, ground into powder, taken before meals with warm wine. (Dan Shen Powder)
26. Dan Shen treats menstrual irregularities: Dan Shen 1 jin, sliced thinly, dried in the sun until crisp, ground into fine powder, made into pills with good wine, taken 3 qian each morning with hot water. (Ji Yan Ba Cui Liang Fang, Regulating Menstruation Pills)
27. Dan Shen invigorates blood, disperses stasis, and calms pain. It treats menstrual irregularities, dysmenorrhea, rheumatic pain, uterine bleeding, vomiting blood, and mastitis. (Selected Chinese Herbal Medicines from Yunnan)
28. Dan Shen treats breast swelling and pain in women: Dan Shen, Chi Shao each 2 liang, Bai Zhi 1 liang, mix the three ingredients, soak in bitter wine overnight, mix with pig fat, decoct three times, and apply as a paste. (Gui Yi Fang, Dan Shen Paste)
29. Dan Shen nourishes the spirit and calms the mind, opens the meridians. It treats cold and heat labor, joint pain, and paralysis of the limbs; it promotes pus discharge and relieves pain; it generates new blood and eliminates old blood; it stabilizes pregnancy and prevents miscarriage; it stops bleeding and regulates menstruation, alleviating heart vexation; it treats ulcers, scabies, goiter, and carbuncles; it alleviates headaches, red eyes, and heat-induced mania. (Ri Hua Zi Ben Cao)
30. Dan Shen treats evil qi in the heart and abdomen, with gurgling sounds in the intestines, all due to blood stasis transforming into water. It alleviates fullness and benefits Qi; when stasis is removed, fullness resolves, and the righteous Qi returns. (Ben Jing)
31. Dan Shen is indicated for evil qi in the heart and abdomen, gurgling sounds in the intestines, and accumulation of cold and heat; it breaks symptoms and eliminates masses, alleviating fullness and benefiting Qi. (Ben Jing)
32. Dan Shen has a bitter taste, slightly cold nature, and is non-toxic. It enters the heart and spleen meridians. It specifically regulates the meridians, alleviates bone and muscle pain, generates new blood, eliminates old blood, stabilizes pregnancy, and breaks down masses. It strengthens weak legs, reduces eye redness and swelling, dispels evil spirits, nourishes the righteous Qi, expels evil, and is effective for gurgling sounds in the intestines. It can only assist, not serve as the main medicine; it can be used for tonification or purging, and is indispensable in the medicine cabinet. Its efficacy is primarily before and after childbirth; it can be increased before childbirth and should be used sparingly after childbirth for better outcomes. (Ben Cao Xin Bian)
33. Dan Shen treats abdominal pain. (Wu Pu Ben Cao)
34. Dan Shen tonifies the heart and calms the spirit. It treats forgetfulness, anxiety, and insomnia. (Dian Nan Ben Cao)
35. Dan Shen nourishes blood, alleviates chronic abdominal conditions, strengthens the lower back, and relieves leg pain; it dispels wind and heat, and long-term use is beneficial. (Bie Lu)
36. Dan Shen treats sudden wind frenzy in women, causing erratic speech and actions, disregarding social norms: Dan Shen 8 liang, stir-fried with vinegar, ground into fine powder, taken three qian each morning and evening with lightly salted soup, recovery occurs within three days. (Ben Cao Hui Yan, quoting Yang Shilin’s formula)
37. Dan Shen treats children with fiery rashes all over, red as vermilion, with severe pain and itching: Dan Shen and Sang Pi (Morus alba) each 2 liang, Gan Ju Hua (Chrysanthemum) and Mang Cao (Euphorbia) each 1 liang, ground into coarse powder, taken three spoonfuls with three bowls of water, decocted to two bowls, and bathed in a wind-free area. (You You Xin Shu, quoting Zhang Huan’s formula Dan Shen Powder)
38. Dan Shen treats dysmenorrhea: Dan Shen 15g, Yu Jin 6g, decoct, taken once daily in two doses. (National Compilation of Chinese Herbal Medicines)
39. Dan Shen, as recorded, can enter the heart and break stasis, which summarizes its efficacy. However, it is also discussed that it can generate new life, stabilize pregnancy, regulate menstruation, calm the spirit, and treat all wind bi, bleeding, masses, red eyes, hernia pain, and carbuncles, all due to its ability to eliminate stasis, indicating that it can treat all diseases, not that it can truly generate new life or calm the spirit. (Ben Cao Qiu Zhen)
Usage and Contraindications
1. Caution is advised when using Dan Shen in individuals without blood stasis.
2. Dan Shen should not be used in conjunction with Li Lu (Veratrum).
3. Pregnant women should avoid using Dan Shen without reason. (Ben Cao Jing Shu)
4. Dan Shen invigorates blood and may cause excessive bleeding: patients with heart disease taking anticoagulants should be cautious when using Dan Shen, as it may lead to severe bleeding.