Where is the best production area for Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) for nourishing the blood and calming the mind?
Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is a traditional Chinese medicine, and one with extremely high nutritional value; it can only be harvested in the two seasons of spring and autumn, so it seems relatively precious.So where is the production area of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen)? Which production area produces the best Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen)?
Except for the high-cold regions of Heilongjiang, Jilin, and northern Inner Mongolia, it is distributed in almost all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, produced in places such as Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, and Hunan, and it is also distributed in Japan.
Zhongjiang County, Deyang City, Sichuan Province, and Anguo City, Baoding City, Hebei Province, are both among the production areas of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen)
This variety of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is very special, with a very wide distribution; Zhongjiang in Sichuan, Fangcheng in Henan, Ju County in Shandong, and Quanjiao in Anhui are all historically authentic production areas, among which the Chuan Danshen of Sichuan is the latest-documented authentic medicinal material, the Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) of Ju County in Shandong has relatively high content, and Quanjiao in Anhui is relatively high in price; the above all refer to wild Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen)
Fangcheng County in Henan Province was called Yuzhou in ancient times; the special climate and geographical conditions make the plant medicinal material Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) abundantly produced there have thick and strong rhizomes and excellent quality, with the effects of activating blood and dispelling stasis, nourishing the blood and calming the mind, and reducing swelling and relieving pain, and it has a significant therapeutic effect on coronary heart disease and angina pectoris. As early as the Han Dynasty it was praised by the medical sage Zhang Zhongjing as the “head of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen)”, and later people named it Yu Danshen, thereby proclaiming the authenticity of Yuzhou Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen). To this day, a folk ballad still circulates: “The king of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) grows in Yuzhou; good quality, good efficacy; stored in Shanghai and Wuhan pharmacies; by water route, it goes abroad”.
Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is a type of ginseng; with the improvement of quality of life, Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) has become a traditional Chinese medicine within easy reach of many people. Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is also called red ginseng, red root, etc., and has extremely high medicinal value. So what specific effects does Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) have? And what functions does it have? Now let the editor introduce it to everyone.
The fleshy root of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is thick, the stem is 40-80 cm tall, the leaves are usually odd-pinnately compound, the verticillaster has 6 flowers or multiple flowers, the black nutlets are elliptical, the flowering period is April to August, and fruit appears after flowering.
The production environment of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen)
Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) likes to grow in an environment with a mild climate, sufficient light, and humid air; areas with an annual average temperature of 17.1°C and an average relative humidity of 77% are the most excellent planting areas, and it grows better in fertile sandy loam, but it has a wide adaptability to soil pH, and can grow in neutral, slightly acidic, and slightly alkaline conditions; wild Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is mostly seen by roadsides, on slopes, and by riversides.
Propagation methods of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen)
1. Root division propagation: At autumn harvest, select current-year Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) roots with a diameter of 0.7-1 cm, purple-red color, no pests or diseases, and full development as seed roots, and store them in wet sand until the following spring. In early spring from March to April, cut the seed roots into 4-6 cm small sections, and according to the specification of row spacing × plant spacing × depth of 35 cm × 25 cm × 6 cm, place the cut seed roots vertically into the holes, one section per hole, with the thick end facing up, and never upside down, then cover with about 2 cm of soil; it should not be too thick, otherwise it will affect seedling emergence. Use about 50 kg of seed roots per mu. When planted with root sections, flowering is late, and it is difficult to harvest seeds in the same year, but the roots grow relatively fast and the medicinal material yield is high.
2. Rhizome head propagation: At the time of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) harvest, select robust, disease-free plants, cut off the thick roots for medicinal use, and use the fine roots together with the rhizome head and central leaves as seedlings for planting. Large seedlings can be divided into 2-4 plants according to the natural growth condition of buds and roots, and then planted. It is also possible to dig up wild Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), cut off the thick roots for medicinal use, and plant the fine roots together with the rhizome head; the plant and row spacing are the same as the root division propagation method, and the time should be in late autumn or early spring. With rhizome head propagation, it can be harvested the following year after planting, with a short production cycle and good economic benefits.
3. Cutting propagation: In the north from June to July, and in the south from April to May, select robust, disease-free Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) branches and cut them off at ground level, cut them into 13-16 cm long small sections, and the lower cut should be close to the stem node, in a horseshoe shape. Remove the lower leaves, and according to row spacing × plant spacing of 20 × 10 cm, insert the cuttings obliquely into the seedbed, with a depth of 1/2-2/3 of the cutting, press the soil firmly, and leave 1-2 leaves above ground. Cut and insert as you go; they must not be left for long, otherwise the survival rate of the cuttings will be affected. After insertion, keep the soil moist and provide appropriate shade, and in 15-20 days new roots will grow from the lowest stem node. When the roots are 3 cm long, set them out in the field.
4. Seed propagation: Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) seeds are tiny, with a germination rate of about 70%, and direct sowing often results in uneven emergence, so the seedling-raising and transplanting method is mostly used. For seeds, it is advisable to choose seeds that mature after June, and sow them as they are collected or sow them in September. Generally sow in the seedbed in March, and both drilling and broadcasting can be used. For drilling, the row spacing × plant spacing is 30 × 20 cm, the ditch depth is 1-1.3 cm, mix the seeds with river sand, evenly sprinkle them into the ditch, and cover with 0.5-0.7 cm of soil. For broadcasting, the seeds can be evenly scattered on the ground, then stepped on once with the foot so that the seeds adhere tightly to the soil, and there is no need to cover with soil. The sowing rate is about 0.5 kg per mu. After sowing, cover with plastic film to keep warm and moist. When the soil temperature reaches about 20°C, seedlings emerge in 15-20 days. When the seedlings have 3-5 true leaves, if they are found to be too dense, thin them out, and the thinned seedlings can be planted and cultivated elsewhere. After 2 months of growth after sowing, they can be transplanted.
Although Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is a good thing, no matter what traditional Chinese medicine it is, there are advantages and disadvantages, and Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is no exception. Below are some of its contraindications.
Contraindications of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen)
Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) also has its side effects; practice has proven that Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) has an irritating effect on the gastrointestinal tract, and long-term use of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) can cause varying degrees of symptoms such as poor appetite and acid regurgitation.
Precautions for the clinical application of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen)
1. People with gastrointestinal diseases can add tangerine peel, chicken gizzard lining, white hyacinth bean, and other stomach-strengthening medicines when taking Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen).
2. For patients with bradycardia, medicines that free the heart vessels such as cassia twig and longstamen onion bulb can be added.
For patients with bradycardia, medicines that free the heart vessels such as cassia twig and longstamen onion bulb can be added
3. Cancer patients who need blood-activating treatment should not use Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), and may choose traditional Chinese medicines that have been shown by pharmacological research to have anti-cancer effects, such as scorpion, centipede, snake slough, zedoary, sparganium, leech, and pangolin.
4. Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) must not be taken together with aspirin. Aspirin has the effect of inhibiting platelet aggregation and has currently become a basic drug for the treatment of patients with coronary heart disease.
Low-dose aspirin can have a therapeutic effect, while high-dose aspirin may prolong bleeding time or even cause bleeding.
Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) also has the effects of inhibiting platelet aggregation, anticoagulation, and reducing blood viscosity. It should be said that Teacher Zhang had a scientific basis for taking Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), but it was not quite appropriate for him to take Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) together with aspirin, as this is equivalent to increasing the drug dose of aspirin and can easily lead to bleeding.
Patients taking warfarin for anticoagulation should also be careful, as taking Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) at the same time may also cause bleeding.
5. Drugs that need to be taken and used separately from Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) (incompatibility contraindications).
① Propranolol
Its injection, when combined with compound Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) injection, will produce turbidity, thereby affecting the efficacy of both drugs.
② Atropine
It can accelerate heart rate. When used together with Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), atropine can block the blood pressure-lowering effect of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), thereby reducing the efficacy of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen).
③ Vitamin C injection
After vitamin C injection is mixed with Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) injection, an oxidation-reduction reaction is likely to occur, causing the efficacy of both drugs to decrease and the solution to become turbid.
④ Vitamin K
Vitamin K has a hemostatic effect, while Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) has anticoagulant and anti-platelet aggregation effects; the two have opposite effects.
⑤ Vitamin B6, B1
When the active substances contained in Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) tablets are used together with vitamin B6 or B1, precipitates can be produced, reducing drug efficacy. Combined use is prohibited clinically.
⑥ Calcium preparations
When calcium preparations such as calcium chloride, calcium lactate, and calcium gluconate are used together with Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), they can combine to form tannate precipitates, which are not easily absorbed.
6. When taking Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) tablets, avoid simultaneously consuming milk and soybeans. Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) tablets are a commonly used drug widely applied for treating coronary heart disease.
In recent years, some experts have concluded from research that taking Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) tablets should not be accompanied by consuming milk and soybeans at the same time, otherwise it will reduce the medicinal value of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen).
The mechanism is that the hydroxyl oxygen and ketone oxygen in the molecular structure of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) can form complexes with the calcium, magnesium, and iron ions rich in milk and soybeans, so taking them at the same time will reduce drug efficacy.
The effects and functions of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen)
Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is a type of ginseng, and its nutritional value is relatively high; it can be used to treat irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, and amenorrhea in women, and Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is very effective for dilating blood vessels, so it is a good choice for female friends to properly consume some Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) in daily life.
Now let us together understand what the effects and functions of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) are, hoping it will be of some help to everyone in treating diseases in life.
Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is mainly a gynecological medicine, and its therapeutic effect on many women's diseases is quite good, so female friends should have a good understanding of the effects and functions of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), as this is very good for your treatment of menstrual-period diseases every month.
Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) can nourish the blood and calm the mind
Modern pharmacological research shows that Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) can dilate blood vessels and improve circulatory disorders. In traditional Chinese medicine, Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is a commonly used medicine for treating irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, postpartum abdominal pain, and massive bleeding in women. Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is a commonly used medicine for treating irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, and massive bleeding in women. Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) can regulate menstruation and relieve pain. Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is bitter in taste and slightly cold in nature; it enters the heart, pericardium, and liver meridians. Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) can dispel stasis and activate blood, nourish the blood and calm the mind, and has a good therapeutic effect on irregular menstruation.
The ancients said that a single Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) has the function of the Four Substances Decoction, which shows that it is an important gynecological medicine. Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) has the effects of regulating menstruation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. Modern pharmacological research shows that Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) can dilate blood vessels and improve circulatory disorders, has anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory, hypoxia-resistant, and anti-tumor effects, and can calm and soothe the mind.
Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is often used to treat symptoms such as irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, postpartum abdominal pain, and massive bleeding in women, and has an improving effect on restlessness with heat, poor mental state, and palpitations with insomnia. Modern times also commonly use Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) to treat diseases such as atherosclerotic heart disease, angina pectoris, early liver cirrhosis, hyperlipidemia, and bronchial asthma.
Purchasing and storage: when purchasing Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), those that are dry, thick, red in color, free of mud, free of fine roots, and solid in body are preferred. When storing Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), it should be placed in a ventilated and dry place for storage to prevent moisture.
Precautions: Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) must not be consumed together with Veratrum nigrum, and people with symptoms of non-stop bleeding should not take it either; if symptoms such as dizziness, dry mouth, and weakness appear after taking it, the dosage should be reduced.
Brown sugar Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) tea
Materials: 15 grams of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), 150 milliliters of water, and an appropriate amount of brown sugar.
Method: Add water to Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen), decoct to 100 milliliters, remove the residue, add brown sugar, and take warm.
Effects: It can improve symptoms such as irregular menstruation in women, and has the effects of supplementing qi and nourishing blood, and warming meridians and activating blood.
Precautions
Heart patients who are taking anticoagulant drugs are not suitable to take Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) at the same time, so as to avoid causing severe bleeding.
Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) already has a very long history of application and is also one of the most common medicinal materials. It has many effects, its taste is bitter, and it can very well free the blood vessels and activate blood and resolve stasis, and it has already been widely used clinically. In particular, it can treat irregular menstruation, amenorrhea, and dysmenorrhea in women. Many people usually like to drink Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) soaked in water, so everyone should understand the effects of drinking Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) soaked in water.
The value of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) is very great; it can treat many diseases, its medicinal value has already been widely recognized, and it has already had many clinical applications and can treat symptoms of irregular menstruation. Below let us look at the effects of drinking Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) soaked in water.
Pharmacological research has proven that Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) can significantly improve renal function, causing glomerular filtration rate (GFR), renal plasma flow (RDF), and renal blood flow (RBF) to increase significantly and flow velocity to accelerate.
According to research, when distal renal tubular fluid flow increases and flow velocity accelerates, it can effectively stimulate the renal tubular cortex to secrete potassium ions, and most of the potassium excreted in urine is secreted by the distal renal tubules and collecting ducts, that is, urinary potassium excretion mainly depends on the rate of potassium secretion by the distal nephron.
Therefore, long-term use of Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) may cause increased urinary potassium, thereby lowering blood potassium.
Soaking Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) tablets in water is one of the best methods to retain the active ingredients, so it is recommended that you use Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen) tablets soaked in water.