Hong Jing Tian - 红景天 - Radix Rhodiolae Crenulatae

Pharmaceutical Latin:	Flos Thodiolae Herba Thodiolae Radix Rhodiolae Crenulate Radix Thodiolae
Common English:	Aaron's rod All-Grass of Rhodiola Arctic root Golden root King's crown Lignum rhodium Orpin rose Rose-root

Category

Herbs that Clear Heat

Properties

Taste	Temperature	Entering Meridians	Dosage
Sweet Bitter Astringent	Cold	Heart Kidney Liver Spleen Lung	3–12g Powdered for tropical use

Actions And Indications

Actions	Indications/Syndromes
Fortifies the Spleen and tonifies Qi	Spleen Qi Deficiency
Clears Lung Heat, nourishes Lung Yin and relieves cough	Lung Heat cough: cough due to pneumonia, hematemesis, hemoptysis, Lung YinDeficiency, tuberculosis, bronchitis
Invigorates the Blood and transforms Stasis	Blood Stasis from traumatic injury topically Topically for burns and scalds
Promotes contraction	Abnormal vaginal discharge

Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions

Major Combinations

Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi Sm. Ginkgo Bai Guo Rz. Polygonati Huang Jing Rx. Acanthopanacis Ci Wu Jia	Rx. Salviae Miltiorrhizae Dan Shen Rz. Chuanxiong Chuan Xiong Fol. Crataegi Shan Zha Ye Rx. Notoginseng San Qi Rx. Angelicae Sinensis Dang Gui Rx. Astragali Huang Qi	Wild Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen Wild Ganoderma Ling Zhi Poria Pararadicis Fu Shen Wild Rx. Asparagi Tian Men Dong Wild Rx. Ophiopogonis Mai Men Dong Steamed Rx. Rehmanniae Sheng Di Huang Wild Rx. Polygalae Yuan Zhi
For increased mental power, better memory and improved creativity	Benefits the cardiovascular system	Benefits the psyche and nourishes Shen
Rx. Ginseng Ren Shen Rz. seu Hb. Gynostemmatis Jiao Gu Lan Rx. Astragali Huang Qi Fr. Lycii Gou Qi Zi Fr. Schisandrae Wu Wei Zi	Sm. Euryales Qian Shi Rz. Dioscoreae Shan Yao Rz. Atractylodis Macrocephalae Bai Zhu	Rx. Adenophorae/Glehniae Sha Shen Bul. Lilii Bai He
Tonifies Qi	Vaginal discharge	Yin Deficiency

Notes

1. Rhodiola Hong Jing Tian, drawn from the arsenal of Tibetan medicine, is among the most popular new medicinals in Chinese medicine today. It is best known for its use in patients with altitude sickness.
2. It was considered a "superior herb" that prolongs life and enhances wisdom. Until now, however, the scarcity of Tibetan Rhodiola has kept it from becoming a familiar commodity outside Asia. Tibetan monks used this remarkable herb to strengthen their inner spiritual power, their concentration and their physical endurance.
3. Evidence indicates that in many respects Rhodiola is more powerful than Ginseng.
4. Rhodiola has been shown to enhance endurance and mental capacity, memory included.
5. Taking a small amount of Rhodiola extract markedly increases a person’s ability to absorb and use oxygen.
6. Rhodiola has been proven to lessen the body’s stress reactions and therefore to ease mental stress as well.
7. It calms the Shen and brightens the eyes.
8. Rhodiola has proven highly beneficial to the cardiovascular system and has been found to prevent heart disease.
9. Rhodiola is also used as a strong and safe antidepressant, and is thought to be more powerful than St. John's Wort.
10. Anti-oxidant effect: it can shield the liver from damage caused by a lipid type of peroxide.
11. Lowers blood sugar: it inhibits the rise in glycogen induced by glucose and epinephrine.
12. Improves memory impaired by drugs or alcohol.
13. Regulates blood flow in the CNS.
14. Raises the volume of oxygen-carrying blood reaching the heart muscle, thereby protecting the muscle from damage due to oxygen deprivation.
15. Anti-hypoxia: It may prevent biological changes induced by hypoxia, either by increasing intracellular oxygen diffusion and the efficiency of oxygen use or by reducing hypoxia-induced oxidative damage through its anti-oxidative ability; in this way it prevents high altitude sickness.
16. Helps prevent strokes resulting from hypertension.
17. Improves exercise endurance3It has been used to improve or sustain the endurance performance of athletes in training or competition by raising biological factors linked to oxygen uptake. In-vivo experiments have shown that oral administration of R. rosea extracts to rats can significantly lengthen long-distance swimming time and activate the synthesis or re-synthesis of ATP in mitochondria; ATP is the main energy source for most cellular functions and is essential for locomotion and respiration.
18. Anti-inflammatory action
19. Anti-depression - the roots of Rhodiola rosea L. show potent anti-depressant activity through inhibition of MAO A, and through inhibition of MAO B they may also prove useful in controlling senile dementia.
20. Relieves anxiety
21. Protects against the damaging effects of microwave radiation.
22. Hepatoprotective action
23. The root, the rhizome or the whole plant is used medicinally.
24. Rhodiola can replenish Qi, clear the Lung system, nourish the Heart system, improve mental function, stop bleeding, and disperse swelling and bruising. Clinically, it is indicated for general weakness following major illness, chest pain or angina, paralysis from stroke, fatigue, shortness of breath, traumatic injury and neurosis, as well as high altitude sickness.