1. Summary of Classical Texts
“Zhen Zhu Nang”: “Greatly tonifies blood deficiency, opens blood vessels, and benefits energy and strength.”
“Ben Cao Gang Mu”: “Fills the bone marrow, promotes muscle growth, generates essence and blood, nourishes the five internal organs, opens blood vessels, benefits the ears and eyes, darkens hair, treats men’s five labors and seven injuries, women’s abdominal leakage, menstrual irregularities, and various diseases during pregnancy and childbirth.”
“Ben Cao Cong Xin”: “Nourishes kidney water, fills the bone marrow, opens blood vessels, nourishes true yin, sharpens hearing and vision, darkens hair and beard.”
“Yao Xing Ge Kuo Si Bai Wei”: “Shu Di is slightly warm, nourishes the kidney and tonifies blood. Benefits marrow and fills essence, darkens hair and beard.”
“Ben Cao Li Hai”: “[Harm] Shu Di is a medicine that causes stagnation of yin, greatly unsuitable for spleen and stomach diseases. For those with phlegm in the chest and diaphragm, obstructed qi pathways, and stagnation of ascending and descending, the medicine should be unblocking and not stagnating, thus avoid using Di Huang in decoctions. For those with weak stomach qi, excessive use of Gui Di will lead to bloating and reduced appetite, how can the disease be cured? [Benefit] Sweet and slightly warm, tonifies spleen, liver, and kidney, nourishes blood and nourishes yin, is the main medicine for strengthening water.”
“Ben Cao Bei Yao”: “Nourishes kidney water, tonifies true yin, fills the bone marrow, generates essence and blood, sharpens hearing and vision (the ear is the orifice of the kidney, the eye is the orifice of the liver. The eye sees with blood, the ear hears with blood), darkens hair and beard. Treats labor injuries, wind-dampness, and various diseases during pregnancy and childbirth, is the top agent for tonifying blood.”
“Feng Shi Jin Nang Mi Lu”: “Greatly tonifies blood deficiency, doubles the nourishment of kidney water, fills the bone marrow suitable for true yin, specifically tonifies the original qi of the kidney, also treats blood stasis from injuries, five labors and seven injuries, blood stasis, internal injuries of the five organs, replenishes broken veins, opens blood vessels, benefits energy and strength, sharpens hearing and vision, darkens hair and beard, reduces deficiency heat and moistens dryness, tonifies essence and blood and regulates menstruation. After a febrile disease, especially effective for pain in the shins and abdomen after childbirth. Strengthens bone marrow in cases of turbidity, internal injuries affecting the liver, tendons, kidney, and bones. Shu Di specifically nourishes the liver and kidney, thus is essential for internal injuries to tendons, bones, and marrow.”
“Lei Gong Pao Zhi Yao Xing Jie” Li Zhongzi: Sweet and bitter in flavor, warm in nature, non-toxic, enters the heart, liver, and kidney meridians. Activates blood and qi, fills the bone marrow, nourishes kidney water, and tonifies true yin. After a febrile disease, pain in the shins and thighs, and abdominal pain after childbirth are particularly effective. Benefits hearing and vision, darkens hair and beard, treats five labors and seven injuries, can calm the spirit and stabilize the soul.
Shu Di Huang is a blood tonifying agent, and since the heart and liver store and generate blood, it can enter these organs. Its color is black, its nature is heavy and turbid, and it must benefit the menstruation, while labor injuries and palpitations can also be cured.
“Ben Cao Xin Bian”: Shu Di, sweet in flavor, warm in nature, heavy, is the yang within yin, non-toxic. Enters the liver and kidney meridians. Generates blood and benefits essence, promotes the marrow in the bones and brain. True yin energy cannot be generated without it, and the flames of deficiency fire cannot be reduced without it. Indeed, it is a divine product that can prolong life and is a wonderful flavor.
People discard it due to its greasy stagnation, not knowing its efficacy. The kidney must be tonified without being drained, thus it must be tonified. However, kidney tonifying medicines are generally bitter and not many. Besides Shan Zhu Yu, Niu Xi, Du Zhong, and Bei Wu Wei, what other medicine can replace Shu Di? Moreover, Shan Zhu Yu and Niu Xi cannot be used as the monarch, while Du Zhong is too warm in nature, can tonify the decline of kidney fire but cannot replenish the deficiency of kidney water. Thus, Shu Di is essential. Shu Di is the monarch medicine, which can be used from one tael to eight taels. The use of yin tonifying medicines differs from that of yang tonifying medicines. Yang tonifying medicines can be used in small amounts to achieve effect, while yin tonifying medicines must be used in larger amounts to achieve effect. Yang rises and yin descends. When yang rises, using a small amount of yang medicine can easily cause qi to rise. When yin descends, using a small amount of yin medicine makes it difficult for the flavor to descend. Shu Di is a medicine of utmost yin, especially different from other yin medicines; it must be used in large amounts to achieve victory. Some say that Shu Di is a medicine of utmost yin, but its nature is very stagnant, and excessive use can lead to greasy stagnation and phlegm, which can cause cough, which is indeed dangerous. This is precisely not knowing the power of Shu Di. Since Shen Nong tasted herbs, this flavor has been lost in discussion, leading future generations to be unaware of its reasons. Although many famous doctors throughout the ages have made discoveries, they have never mentioned its secrets.
2. Modern Research
Pharmacological Effects of Shu Di Huang
Research comparing the effects of Shu Di Huang and Sheng Di Huang on the syndrome of thrombosis formation in blood vessels shows that the coarse Shu Di produced in China can strongly inhibit hepatic hemorrhagic necrosis and simple necrosis.
Shu Di has a weaker anticoagulant effect, and using the fibrin plate method to explore its activation effect on the fibrinolytic system, it was found that Shu Di has an activating effect, while Sheng Di does not have this effect.
There are also reports that both Sheng Di Huang and Shu Di Huang have hemostatic effects before and after being charred, and the hemostatic effect of charred Di Huang has not been enhanced.
Analysis of the hemostatic effects of water decoctions of Sheng Di Huang, Shu Di Huang, Sheng Di Tan, and Shu Di Tan showed no significant differences.
Experiments have found
That the water decoction of Huaiqing Shu Di Huang can alleviate weight loss in hyperthyroid-type yin-deficient rats, significantly reducing 24-hour water intake and urine output, and significantly improving plasma T3 and T4 concentration levels (i.e., T3 decreased, T4 increased) and AD (plasma aldosterone) levels significantly increased.
This proves that it indeed has a strong yin-nourishing effect. It is preliminarily believed that the yin-nourishing and kidney-tonifying effects of Shu Di are related to the improvement of AD levels in the body.
Shu Di water decoction administered to mice can significantly increase the activity of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in animal serum and reduce the content of peroxidized lipids in serum.
It can increase the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) in the blood to a certain extent, but without statistical significance. It has no effect on the activity of catalase in the blood.
Shu Di Huang has a certain effect on the protein metabolism of some organs in rats.
Oral Shu Di Huang has an inhibitory effect on the mitosis of epithelial cells.
Experiments show
That Liu Wei Di Huang Tang, with Shu Di as the main medicine, can not only increase the weight of normal mice, prolong swimming time, and enhance physical strength, but also reduce the incidence of N-nitrosylmethylamine-induced squamous carcinoma in the forestomach of mice, and make the germinal centers of the spleen lymph nodes in animals receiving chemical carcinogens more active.
In the early stages of inoculated transplant tumors, it can enhance the phagocytic activity of the mononuclear macrophage system, increase the ratio of albumin to globulin in the blood of tumor-bearing animals, and may prolong the survival time of tumor-bearing animals.
1. The Anti-Aging Effect of Shu Di Huang on Mice
Shu Di Huang 20% water decoction was administered by gavage at 0.3ml daily for 45 days, and blood was taken for measurement of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity, and lipid peroxidation (LPO) content.
The results showed that Shu Di can enhance GSH-Px activity and reduce the content of LPO in serum, with P values of <0.05 and <0.01 compared to the control group.
2. Effects on Hyperthyroid-Type Yin-Deficient Rats
Using triiodothyronine (T3) to induce a yin-deficient model in rats and administering Shu Di Huang water decoction at 3ml (70% concentration) for 6 days, various data were measured.
The results showed no significant differences in signs, weight changes, 24-hour water intake and urine output, and plasma concentrations of related hormones: T3, thyroxine (T4), and aldosterone (AD) before and after medication (P>0.05) compared to the normal control group.
However, after modeling, the yin-deficient group showed very significant changes compared to the normal group, such as increased excitement and aggression, weight loss, increased 24-hour water intake and drinking, elevated T3 concentration, and decreased T4 and AD concentrations.
After administering Shu Di Huang to the yin-deficient rats, the above symptoms and various indicators significantly improved, approaching normal (compared to the yin-deficient group).
For example, the plasma AD concentration in the yin-deficient plus Shu Di Huang group significantly increased (P<0.05), and the 24-hour urine output significantly decreased (P<0.01), indicating that Shu Di Huang has a kidney-yin tonifying effect related to the improvement of AD levels in the body.
The plasma concentrations of T3 and T4 in the yin-deficient medication group significantly improved (T3 concentration decreased, T4 concentration increased) and approached normal levels.
This indicates that Shu Di Huang can not only improve yin-deficient symptoms through systemic regulation but also regulate abnormal thyroid hormone states.
Additionally, compared to the normal group, the yin-deficient medication group still showed significant differences in weight changes, 24-hour water intake, plasma T3 and T4 concentrations, indicating that while the yin-deficient medication group showed significant improvements and approached normal levels compared to the yin-deficient group, it did not fully return to normal. This suggests that the effects of Shu Di Huang still have limitations.
3. Experimental Observation of the Blood-Tonifying Effect of Shu Di Huang
Sheng and Shu Huai Di Huang were prepared into a 1:1 water decoction and administered by gavage to mice to observe their effects on hemorrhagic anemia, hematopoietic stem cells, and bone marrow erythroid progenitor cells CFU-E generation.
The results showed that Sheng and Shu Huai Di Huang had significant effects on hemorrhagic mice, with the Shu Di Huang group recovering faster after 8 days of treatment, having basically recovered, with RBC and Hb counts showing P values of 0.001 and 0.01 compared to the control group.
Sheng and Shu Di Huang also had a certain proliferative and differentiative effect on hematopoietic stem cells, suggesting that the blood-tonifying effect of Di Huang is related to the promotion of blood cell production from hematopoietic stem cells.
Regarding the generation of erythroid cells in the bone marrow of mice: the physiological saline group had erythroid colonies (number) of 52.4±18.41, while the Sheng Di and Shu Di groups had 60.2±19.44 and 125±20.45 respectively (P<0.05). This suggests that the blood-tonifying effect of Di Huang is closely related to the bone marrow hematopoietic system.
4. The Effect of Charred Di Huang on Hemostasis
Sheng Di Huang, Sheng Di Tan, Shu Di Huang, and Shu Di Tan were prepared into decoctions containing 100g of raw medicine or 33g of charred medicine per 100ml.
Each sample was administered by gavage at a dose of 0.8ml/20g to mice, and blood was taken from the left eye’s inner canthus and retro-orbital venous plexus to measure coagulation time and compare with the physiological saline group.
The results showed no significant differences (P>0.05), suggesting that Di Huang does not require processing for hemostatic effects.
