Sheng Di Huang - 生地黃 - Radix Rehmanniae
| Pharmaceutical Latin: | Radix Rehmanniae |
| Common English: | Chinese Foxglove Root Rehmannia Root |
Category
Herbs that Clean Heat and Purge Fire: Herbs that Clean Heat and Cool BloodProperties
| Taste | Temperature | Entering Meridians | Dosage |
| Sweet Bitter | Cold | Heart Kidney Liver | 5-30g Bi Syndrome: 10-50g Tincture: 2-4 ml |
Actions And Indications
| Actions | Indications/Syndromes |
Clears Heat and cools the Blood | Ying-Stage Heat with high fever, thirst and a scarlet tongue Xue Stage Heat Hemorrhage due to Blood Heat |
Generates Fluids, Increases saliva, Nourishes Yin, Treats wasting and thirsting | (Heart) Yin Deficiency with Heat signs Injury to fluids Throat pain due to Yin Deficiency Wasting and thirsting disorder (Xiao Ke - diabetes) |
| Cools Heart Fire | Heart Fire, mouth sores |
Contraindications, Incompatibilities And Herb/Drug Interactions
| CONTRAINDICATIONS |
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| INCOMPATIBILITIES |
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| HERB/DRUG INTERACTIONS |
Major Combinations
| Gel. Asini | Rx. Scrophulariae | Rz. Anemarrhenae |
| Coughing, hematemesis, epistaxis and uterine hemorrhage due to Heat from Deficiency. | Dry throat, irritability, a red tongue, and a fast thready pulse due to Devastated Yin with Blazing Fire. Excessive thirst, irritability, and a scarlet tongue due to Ying Stage Heat. Swelling of the throat and lymph nodes. Constipation due to Excess Heat with Yin Deficiency. | Late stage Ying or Xue Stage Heat in the Yin areas of the body with night fever, morning coolness, emaciation, and a red tongue. |
| Rx. Paeoniae Alba | Rx. Paeoniae Alba | Rx. Rehmanniae Preparata |
| Blood Deficiency Heat. | Hematuria, hematemesis, and epistaxis due to Xue Stage Heat. | Heat symptoms due to Yin Deficiency and Devastated Blood. |
| Tub. Ophiopogonis | Fr. Amomi | Rx. Scrophulariae |
| Dry mouth, thirst, dry lips and a red tongue due to Stomach Yin Deficiency. | Prevents Stagnation with symptoms of diarrhea, nausea or abdominal pain. | Ying Stage or Blood Stage Heat. |
| Cacumen Platycladi | Cornu Rhinoceri | Rz. Polygonati Odorati |
| Hemorrhage due to Heat in the Blood. | Toxic Heat in the Blood. | Consumption of Body Fluids due to febrile disease. |
| Cornu Bubali | Rx. Scrophulariae | Rx. Puerariae |
| Rashes due to Blood Heat. | Heat in the Ying Stage. | Diabetes with thirst. |
| Caulis Akebiae | Rx. Angelicae Sinensis | Cx. Moutan |
| Sensations of Heat in the chest, irritability, insomnia, thirst, dark, scanty urine and mouth and tongue sores from Heat in the Heart and Small Intestine. | Skin disorders with itching due to Heat in the Blood. | Ying and Xue Stage Heat with a high fever, scarlet tongue, thirst, a rash all over the body, epistaxis and hemoptysis. Residual Warm pathogen which has injured the Yin. Kidney Yin Deficiency with steaming bones. |
| Rx. Scrophulariae | Rz. Imperatae | Rz. Cimicifugae |
Excess or Deficiency Heat patterns. Late-stage febrile disease with irritability, thirst and constipation. Kidney Yin Deficiency with Fire Blazing with soreness and swelling in the throat, dry mouth and a parched tongue. Swelling of the throat and lymph nodes. | Cools the Blood, draws out toxicity and reduces searing Heat for Ying Stage Heat with fever, thirst, a scarlet tongue and rashes. Bleeding due to Heat in the Blood. Heat injuring the Yin. Prolonged low grade fever | Cools Heat in the Lungs and Stomach, stopping hemoptysis and hematemesis. |
| Rx. et Rz. Rhei | Cacumen Platycodi | Rx. Achyranthis Bidentatae |
Blazing Heart and Stomach Fire with epistaxis, and hemoptysis. Deficiency Fire. Parched, dry stools with damaged Yin. | All types of bleeding due to Heat in the Blood. (take for only a short time) | Powerfully clears Deficiency Fire Blazing Upward with pain and swelling of the gums, epistaxis, hematemesis and other hemorrhage in the upper body. Diabetes. |
Rx. Scutellariae | Rx. Scutellariae | Cx. Moutan |
Gastrointestinal bleeding. | Excessive menstrual bleeding. | Purpura or bleeding with maculae and blotches on the skin. |
Rx. Trichosanthis | Hb. Phylostachys Nigra | Rx. Scrophulariae |
Thirst and irritability due to Lung Heat. | Lin syndrome. | Bi syndrome due to Toxic Heat. Bi syndrome causing consumption of Yin. |
Notes
- Avoid storing this herb in an iron container.
- It has traditionally been paired with Cornu Rhinoceri Xi Jiao to detoxify the Blood.
- Raw Rehmanniae Sheng Di Huang is brown in color, whereas Cooked Rehmanniae Shu Di Huang is black and more greasy.
- Its hemostatic properties appear only in the setting of febrile disease.
- It is reported to dry the Large Intestine.
- The fresh root, Xian Di Huang, is used for thirst, exanthesis and bleeding; the dried root, Gan Di Huang, is used for bleeding from Blood Deficiency and to nourish vital essence.
- Its pain-relieving effect is stronger than that of Rx. Aconiti Preparata Zhi Chuan Wu, Agkistrodon/ Bungaris Bai Hua She and Rz. Atractylodis Cang Zhu.
- Sheng Di Huang and Cornu Bubali Shui Niu Jiao both cool Blood and clear Heat. Sheng Di Huang nourishes Yin more effectively, whereas Shui Niu Jiao is superior at resolving toxicity.
- Sheng Di Huang and Rx. Scrophulariae Xuan Shen both clear Heat, cool the Blood, enrich Yin and generate fluids. Sheng Di Huang has the stronger action in cooling Blood, as well as in enriching Yin and stopping bleeding; it works mainly at the Blood level and regulates disorders of the Heart, Liver and Kidneys. Xuan Shen centers on the Yin, directs Fire downward, resolves toxicity, disperses clumps, cools the Lungs and benefits the throat, with an emphasis on regulating the Lungs and Kidneys.
- For generating fluids, Big Rehmannia Da Sheng Di Huang is less effective when unprepared and dried than when fresh.
- Small Rehmanniae Xiao Sheng Di Huang is gentler on the digestion, thin and soft, and harmonizes the Ying Qi. It nourishes the Yin without being cloying.
- Fresh Rehmannia Xian Sheng Di Huang is colder, and when its juice is extracted it is stronger at cooling the Blood and generating Body Fluids to relieve thirst. It is best for high fever and bleeding. The dosage is 20-60g.
- Wild-crafted Rehmannia Ye Sheng Di Huang tastes slightly more bitter and less sweet.
- Dry-fried Rehmanniae Chao Sheng Di Huang is less cooling and less greasy, and its ability to nourish Blood is enhanced.
- Charred Rehmannia Sheng Di Huang Tan cools the Blood and stops bleeding more effectively.
- Wine-fried Rehmannia Jiu Chao Sheng Di Huang no longer harms the Stomach. It is chosen when there is concern that the herb's usual coldness will injure the Yang of the Stomach and Spleen.
- Also known as Sheng Di.
- Dosage: 9-15g (Secondary source)