Salvia miltiorrhiza BungeFamily: Lamiaceae
- English: redroot sage, Chinese salvia
- German: Rotwurzel-Salbei
- Korea: 단삼
- Macedonian: Даншен
- Japanese: 丹参
- Thai: ตังเซียม
- Chinese: 山参
- Vietnamese: Đan sâm
Description: Plants perennial. Taproot thickened, succulent, scarlet outside. Stems erect, 40-80 cm tall, villous, much branched. Leaves simple to odd-pinnate; petiole 1.3-7.5 cm, densely retrorse villous, petiolule 2-14 mm; leaflets 3-5(-7), 1.5-8 × 1-4 cm, blades or leaflets circular to broadly lanceolate, pilose, densely so abaxially, margin crenate, apex acute to acuminate. Inflorescences densely villous or glandular villous; verticillasters 6- to many flowered, basally remote, apically crowded, in terminal or axillary racemes 4.5-17 cm; bracts lanceolate. Pedicel 3-4 mm. Calyx campanulate, purplish, ca. 1.1 cm, slightly dilated after anthesis, sparsely villous or glandular villous, margin ciliate; upper lip entire, triangular, ca. 4 × 8 mm, apex 3-mucronate; lower lip almost as long as upper, 2-toothed. Corolla purple-blue or white, 2-2.7 cm, glandular pubescent, densely so on upper lip; tube imperfectly fine pilose annulate inside, exserted, shorter than limb, 2 mm wide at base, to 8 mm wide at throat; upper lip 1.2-1.5 cm, falcate; lower lip shorter, middle lobe ca. 5 × to 10 mm, 2-lobulate; lateral lobes rounded, ca. 3 mm wide. Filaments 3.5-4 mm; connectives 1.7-2 cm. Style much exserted. Nutlets ellipsoid, ca. 3.2 × 1.5 mm.
Uses: Case reports and animal studies have indicated that concomitant use of Chinese salvia and warfarin slows the metabolism and increases blood levels of warfarin. A human study indicated no interaction between Chinese salvia and theophylline. One animal study indicated that Chinese salvia can decrease plasma levels of diazepam. Inhibition of platelet aggregation and a d ecrease in blood viscosity have been reported in animal studies and in vitro A reference text on traditional Chinese medicine indicates that Chinese salvia is contraindicated in pregnancy. [American Herbal Products Associations Botanical Safety Handbook]
Chinese salvia is one of the primary botanicals used in traditional Chinese medicine for invigorating circulation and dissolving blood clots. It is commonly applied in the treatment of gynecological conditions and cardiovascular disease. A variety of processing techniques are applied to Salvia that can result in minor to significant changes in the microscopic structure of the material. These include dry-fried salvia (chao dan shen), mix fried with wine (jiu zhi dan shen), and charred salvia (dan shen tan). Chinese salvia is not readily subject to adulteration. [American Herbal Pharmacopoeia: Botanical Pharmacognosy—Microscopic Characterization of Botanical Medicines]
The dried root of danshen (Chinese salvia) is traditionally used in Chinese medicine for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, specifically angina pectoris, hyperlipidaemia and acute ischaemic stroke, but also palpitations, hypertension, thrombosis and menstrual problems. It is also used as an anti-inflammatory and for the treatment of cancer and liver disease. [Stockley's Herbal Medicines Interactions]
Root - Anticoagulant • lowers blood pressure • sedative • Tonic for heart and circulation [Herbal Remedies]
Salvia miltiorrhiza (dan shen) is used in traditional Chinese medicine as a circulatory stimulant, sedative, and cooling agent. It may also be valuable as an antianginal drug, because it has been shown to dilate coronary arteries in all concentrations. [Medical Hrebalism - The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine]
The dried root of danshen (Chinese salvia) is traditionally used in Chinese medicine for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, specifically angina pectoris, hyperlipidaemia and acute ischaemic stroke, but also palpitations, hypertension, thrombosis and menstrual problems. It is also used as an anti-inflammatory and for the treatment of cancer and liver disease. [Stockley's Herbal Medicines Interactions]
Root - Anticoagulant • lowers blood pressure • sedative • Tonic for heart and circulation [Herbal Remedies]
Salvia miltiorrhiza (dan shen) is used in traditional Chinese medicine as a circulatory stimulant, sedative, and cooling agent. It may also be valuable as an antianginal drug, because it has been shown to dilate coronary arteries in all concentrations. [Medical Hrebalism - The Science and Practice of Herbal Medicine]
About 1000 articles published on Salvia miltiorrhiza. There are more than 4000 patents on this plant.
