Is Prepared Rehmannia the Same as Rehmannia Root? Benefits, Price, and Differences from Raw Rehmannia

Prepared rehmannia, also known as Rehmannia root and Fudi, is a fairly common medicinal herb of the Scrophulariaceae family in China. Because it has benefits such as nourishing and enriching the blood, promoting urination, anti-aging, boosting immunity, and relieving thirst, it is widely used as medicine. So how much does prepared rehmannia generally cost per jin? What are its benefits and effects? What is the difference from raw rehmannia?

Latest price:

There is not much difference in price between prepared rehmannia and raw rehmannia. At present, prepared rehmannia sells on the market for about 10-12 yuan per kilogram. At this price, you can buy prepared rehmannia suitable for use as a high-quality Chinese medicinal herb, which is very good.

Benefits and effects:

1. Tonifying the kidneys

Prepared rehmannia has great benefits for tonifying the kidneys. It is one of the main ingredients of Liuwei Dihuang Wan, and the ancients called it “greatly tonifying the true yin of the five zang organs.” If used together with Chinese yam, cornus, and others, it can treat liver-kidney yin deficiency, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees, night sweats, and seminal emission. Taken with Anemarrhena and Phellodendron, it has an effect on patients with yin deficiency, bone-steaming, and tidal fever.

2. Strengthening the heart and promoting urination

Prepared rehmannia has the effect of strengthening the heart and promoting urination. Especially for some people with heart weakness, using prepared rehmannia can strengthen the heart. If combined with Mutong, its diuretic effect is enhanced.

3. Anti-aging

Research has found that prepared rehmannia can effectively prevent premature cell aging, strengthen the operational capacity of cells, and help people delay aging. It is one of the best anti-aging drugs.

4. Lowering high blood pressure

Prepared rehmannia has a major effect on the cardiovascular system. Both wine-processed prepared rehmannia and steamed prepared rehmannia have significant blood pressure-lowering effects, with both systolic and diastolic pressure dropping significantly.

5. Bone marrow hematopoiesis

By orally administering a water decoction of prepared rehmannia to mice with hemorrhagic anemia at 0.5 g per mouse, once daily for 10 consecutive days, it can promote the recovery of red blood cells and hemoglobin in anemic animals, and accelerate the proliferation and differentiation of pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells and bone marrow erythroid hematopoietic progenitor cells.

6. Nourishing the blood and tonifying deficiency

Prepared rehmannia is sweet, warm, and moistening in nature. It nourishes yin and benefits essence to generate blood, making it an essential medicine for nourishing the blood and tonifying deficiency. It is often used together with Angelica sinensis, white peony root, and Sichuan lovage rhizome to treat blood deficiency with sallow complexion, dizziness, palpitations, insomnia, irregular menstruation, and uterine bleeding; if there are palpitations and severe palpitations due to heart blood deficiency, it can be used with mind-calming medicines such as Polygala tenuifolia and sour jujube seed; if uterine bleeding causes blood deficiency and blood cold with cold pain in the lower abdomen, it can be used with blood-nourishing, bleeding-stopping, meridian-warming, and cold-dispelling medicines such as donkey-hide gelatin and mugwort leaf.

7. Boosting immunity

According to arguments in traditional Chinese medicine, regular use of prepared rehmannia can enhance the body's immunity, thereby strengthening the body's disease resistance. It has a good effect of strengthening the body and improving health.

8. Various syndromes of liver-kidney yin deficiency

Prepared rehmannia is moistening in nature and enters the kidney, and is good at nourishing kidney yin, replenishing essence, and filling marrow, making it an essential medicine for tonifying kidney yin. The ancients called it “greatly tonifying the true yin of the five zang organs.” It can treat liver-kidney yin deficiency, soreness and weakness of the waist and knees, seminal emission, night sweats, tinnitus, deafness, and thirst, among others.

9. Regulating abnormal hormones in the body

Prepared rehmannia can not only improve symptoms of yin deficiency, but also regulate abnormal thyroid hormone states.

10. Inhibiting thrombosis

Prepared rehmannia can significantly inhibit hemorrhagic necrotic foci and simple necrosis in the liver. It has an inhibitory effect on thrombosis formation in hyperlipidemia caused by high-fat food, fatty liver, and hepatic vein hemorrhage caused by endotoxin in rats. It is believed that its activation of plasminogen is the mechanism of its anti-thrombotic effect.

Differences from raw rehmannia:

Raw rehmannia and prepared rehmannia both come from the dried root of the Scrophulariaceae plant Rehmannia glutinosa, and are different processed products of the same medicine. Raw rehmannia is the dried form of the fresh product, while prepared rehmannia is the steamed product of raw rehmannia. Both can nourish yin and promote fluid production, and treat various syndromes of yin deficiency and fluid depletion. Raw rehmannia excels at cooling the blood, while prepared rehmannia excels at nourishing the blood.

1. Raw rehmannia

Raw rehmannia is bitter and cold, clearing heat, and sweet and cold, moistening and nourishing yin. It is a cooling and moistening product, skilled at nourishing yin, clearing heat, and cooling the blood. Its effects are clearing heat and cooling the blood, nourishing yin and promoting fluid production, and moistening the intestines. It is mainly used for warm disease with heat entering the nutrient-blood aspect; various bleeding syndromes such as reckless bleeding due to blood heat, including vomiting blood, nosebleeds, blood in the urine, and uterine bleeding; it also treats yin damage in the later stage of febrile disease, yin deficiency fever, and yin deficiency syndromes such as internal heat and thirst; for constipation due to yin deficiency and intestinal dryness, it can produce an effect of increasing fluids to move the boat. Because this medicine is cold, slippery, greasy, and stagnant, it is contraindicated for those with spleen deficiency, poor appetite, loose stools, and those with warm stagnation and abdominal fullness.

2. Prepared rehmannia

Prepared rehmannia is sweet, slightly warm, and moistening in nature, and enters the liver and kidney meridians. It is good at both nourishing the blood and enriching yin, and can also replenish essence and fill marrow. It mainly treats all syndromes of blood deficiency, yin depletion, and scarcity of essence. Its main functions are nourishing the blood and enriching yin, and replenishing essence and filling marrow. It is used for blood deficiency with sallow complexion, dizziness, palpitations, irregular menstruation, uterine bleeding, and symptoms of kidney yin insufficiency such as tidal fever, night sweats, seminal emission, and thirst. It can also treat soreness of the waist, weak legs, dizziness and blurred vision, deafness and tinnitus, and premature graying of hair and beard due to depletion of essence and blood. Because this medicine is greasy in nature and easily hinders digestion, when using it, it is easy to use together with stomach-strengthening medicines and Amomum villosum, tangerine peel, and the like. It is contraindicated for those with spleen-stomach qi stagnation, abdominal distention and fullness due to internal phlegm-damp obstruction, and those with poor appetite and loose stools.