Red Sage

Latin name: Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae

Chinese Name: Dan-Shen (Red Sage)

Traditional Uses

Actions: Invigorates blood circulation, cools blood, nourishes blood, calms mental irritability

Applications: Metrorrhagia, postmenstrual abdominal pain, amenorrhea, abdominal pain due to postpartum stagnant blood, arthralgia due to wind-damp

Pharmacology

(1) Hypotensive effect: Animal studies show that the herb dilates peripheral blood vessels and lowers blood pressure.

(2) Antibacterial effect: It strongly inhibits staphylococci, Escherichia coli, and Proteus vulgaris, and has definite inhibitory action on Bacillus dysenteriae and Bacillus typhi. Its alcohol extract even at a concentration of 1:100,000 still inhibits Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and animal studies indicate that the herb effectively treats mice with artificially induced tuberculosis.

Reference: Hung-yen Hsu, Ph.D. and Associates: Oriental Materia Medica A Concise Guide 1986, Keats Publishing