Traditional Chinese Medicine Expert Shares Health Knowledge
Click below to follow for free↓↓↓
Introduction: Danshen, also known as Honggen or Xuecan root, has a reddish-purple root skin and resembles ginseng, hence its name.
Danshen is a commonly used Chinese medicinal herb. Despite its small size, its effects should not be underestimated, as it is widely applied in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). TCM believes that Danshen is slightly cold in nature and bitter in taste, possessing the abilities to invigorate blood circulation, resolve blood stasis, nourish the blood, calm the mind, and regulate menstruation while alleviating pain.
01
About Danshen
[Growth Characteristics of Danshen]
Danshen is a perennial herb of the Lamiaceae family, growing to a height of 30-100 cm, with a slender, cylindrical root and a brick-red outer skin. The root system is well-developed, reaching depths of 60-80 cm, making it suitable for cultivation in deep, loose sandy loam.
Danshen has strong adaptability; it prefers sunny, warm, and moist environments. For instance, the main production area in Zhongjiang, Sichuan, has an average annual temperature of 17°C, annual rainfall of 930 mm, and a relative humidity of 77%.
However, Danshen has a strong nutrient absorption capacity, allowing it to draw nutrients from deep soil, and it can grow well in moderately fertile soil.
[Core Efficacy of Danshen]
1. Heart-strengthening and anti-thrombotic
Danshen is an excellent heart tonic, beneficial for blood vessels, capable of dilating coronary arteries, expanding peripheral blood vessels, and improving microcirculation. It is also a powerful weapon against thrombus formation.
2. Invigorating blood and accelerating healing
Danshen can dilate coronary arteries, increase coronary blood flow, improve myocardial ischemia, infarction, and cardiac function, regulate heart rhythm, and expand peripheral blood vessels, enhancing microcirculation.
3. Cooling the blood
It can invigorate blood while also cooling it, making it clinically useful for warm diseases, heat entering the blood, high fever, confusion, incoherent speech, and restlessness. At such times, Danshen is used for its cooling and calming effects.
4. Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory
The total danshen ketone in Danshen has inhibitory effects on pathogenic microorganisms, particularly against Staphylococcus aureus and its resistant strains, and it also has some anti-inflammatory effects on arthritis.
5. Anti-tumor effects
Danshen contains rich vitamins and danshen compounds that help enhance the body’s immunity and inhibit the invasion of foreign pathogens, thus exhibiting anti-tumor effects.
[Is Danshen Cold or Hot?]
Slightly cold
From the perspective of TCM, Danshen is bitter in taste, slightly cold in nature, and belongs to the Heart, Pericardium, and Liver meridians. It has effects of invigorating blood, dispelling stasis, alleviating menstrual pain, and calming the mind. Danshen can effectively treat irregular menstruation, chest tightness, palpitations, anxiety, and insomnia.
However, Danshen is not suitable for pregnant women, the elderly, or those allergic to it. When consuming Danshen, it is essential to avoid spicy, stimulating, greasy, and cold seafood, as these foods can counteract the effects of Danshen.
02
Danshen’s “Golden Partners”: Regular Consumption May Promote Blood Circulation and Dissolve Thrombus
1. Danshen + Sanqi Powder
Sanqi powder helps invigorate blood and dispel stasis, while Danshen can reduce inflammation and promote blood circulation, eliminating dampness from the body. Drinking Danshen and Sanqi powder together can effectively treat coronary heart disease and improve heart function.
For women experiencing symptoms such as scanty menstrual flow, dark menstrual blood, and dysmenorrhea, taking Sanqi powder and Danshen together can be beneficial.
2. Danshen + Chrysanthemum
Combining Danshen and Chrysanthemum for tea has the effects of invigorating blood, dispelling stasis, clearing the liver, and draining fire. Chrysanthemum is a dispersing wind-heat herb that helps to clear wind-heat, pacify liver yang, and brighten the eyes.
When brewed together, both have heat-clearing and fire-dispelling effects, providing good auxiliary treatment for pharyngitis, oral ulcers, and acne.
3. Danshen + Hawthorn
Danshen and Hawthorn tea has a powerful protective effect on the cardiovascular system. Regular consumption can effectively alleviate symptoms of anxiety and insomnia, and it can also treat angina pectoris.
It is particularly beneficial for ischemic brain diseases and has good therapeutic effects on atherosclerosis in middle-aged and elderly individuals.
4. Danshen + Jujube
Brewing Danshen and red dates together has excellent blood-nourishing and calming effects, improving insomnia caused by blood deficiency. Since Danshen is slightly cold and red dates are slightly warm, their combination often results in a more balanced effect.
Additionally, Danshen is a protective herb for the cardiovascular system, significantly improving blood supply to the heart and dilating coronary arteries. It has a marked effect on ischemia and hypoxia of the heart, and it also helps lower blood lipids.
5. Danshen + Green Tea
Green tea contains caffeine, which helps soften blood vessels and improve capillary function, especially with its polyphenolic compounds that have excellent lipid-lowering effects.
It also aids in preventing arteriosclerosis and lowering cholesterol. However, excessive consumption of Danshen tea may lead to adverse reactions, so it is generally advisable to limit its intake to reduce side effects.
03
Precautions for Drinking Danshen Water
1. Do not consume in excess
While Danshen tea has certain effects of invigorating blood, dispelling stasis, alleviating menstrual pain, and calming the mind, moderate consumption is beneficial for health. However, as a medicinal herb, Danshen has certain properties.
Due to its cold nature, excessive consumption may burden the gastrointestinal system, leading to symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and loose stools, and in severe cases, it may exacerbate gastrointestinal discomfort.
2. Food taboos
Danshen should not be consumed with foods rich in iron, calcium, and magnesium, as the effective danshen ketone in Danshen may react with these elements, reducing its efficacy. Foods high in iron and calcium include animal liver, black fungus, milk, and soybeans.
3. Avoid simultaneous consumption with acidic foods
For example, vinegar is acidic and has a warming nature, while most acidic foods are warm in nature, whereas Danshen is cold. Therefore, combining these two different natures can lead to functional incompatibility, so they should not be consumed together.
4. Not suitable for those with low blood pressure or cold body types
Due to the presence of puerarin in Sanqi powder, which can open blood vessels and lower blood pressure, it is not suitable for individuals with low blood pressure. Additionally, as Sanqi is a cooling food, those with a cold body type or excessive dampness may experience increased internal coldness, leading to discomfort.
04
Extension: Differences Between Danshen and Ginseng
Danshen is the root of all ginseng, produced in Sichuan, Anhui, and other regions, harvested in autumn, with stems and leaves removed, washed, sliced, and dried. There are significant differences between Danshen and ginseng.
Danshen has effects of invigorating blood, dispelling stasis, alleviating menstrual pain, calming the mind, and nourishing the blood. In contrast, ginseng has effects of tonifying qi, calming the mind, generating fluids, quenching thirst, and has anti-cancer and anti-aging properties.
Danshen is primarily used clinically for cardiovascular diseases, while ginseng is indicated for major illnesses, chronic diseases, blood loss, and conditions leading to qi deficiency, fatigue, weak pulse, and symptoms such as insomnia, vivid dreams, palpitations, forgetfulness, and excessive sweating.
Note:This article contains some text and image resources from the internet. The purpose of reprinting this article is to convey more information. If there are any errors in source attribution or infringement of your legal rights, please notify us immediately, and we will delete it promptly and apologize to you.