Botanical Name: Salvia miltiorrhiza

Common Name:

English: Red Sage
Also, known as: Chinese sage, Danshen, and Tan Shen, Ch'ih Shen, Chinese Red Sage, Chinese Salvia, Dan Shen, Dan-Shen, Huang Ken, Pin-Ma Ts'ao, Racine de Salvia, Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, Radix Salvie Miltiorrhiae, Red Rooted Sage, Red Sage, Sage Miltiorrhiza, Salvia bowelyana, Salvia miltiorrhiza, Salvia przewalskii, Salvia Przewalskii Mandarinorum, Salvia Root, Salvia yunnanensis, Salviae Miltiorrhizae, Sauge Rouge, Sauge Rouge Chinoise, Shu-Wei Ts'ao, Tan Seng, Tan-Shen, Tzu Tan-Ken.

Origin: China

Harvested: Wild

Parts Used: Root

General Information:

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, also known as red sage or Danshen (Chinese Pinyin name), is a perennial plant in the genus Salvia of the mint family, Lamiaceae.

To this date, this herb has more than a 2000-year history of the mature application. And it is also one of the important commodities in the international medical market. In China, it is better known as Dan Shen, which was initially documented and classified as top-grade herbs in Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica), one of the classics and oldest works on Chinese Herbalism. As a matter of fact, there are tons of herbs that are named after “Shen” in Chinese. But it is so wrong to think that they are the same thing and it is dangerous to abuse them for the sake of treatment or simply supplementing. For example, Dan Shen (Salvia), Ren Shen (Ginseng), and Dang Shen (Codonopsis) are so different if viewed from the perspectives of ingredients, pharmacology, and efficacy.

Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge is a perennial herb, 30 to 100cm high. The whole plant is covered with dense yellowish pubescence and glandular hairs. Roots are long, thin, cylindrical, and covered with earthy red skin. Stems have four prisms and branches on the upper part. Leaves are opposite and with odd-pinnate. Small leaves are from ovate to broadly ovate and both surfaces are covered densely with white pubescence. It blooms in summer. The inflorescence is terminal and axillary verticillaster, with 3 to 10 flowers each round and an alienated raceme arranged by many rounds of flowers. Nutlets are oblong, dark brown or black when ripe, and wrapped in the persistent calyx.

How to use:

Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water. Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes. Strain and squeeze out as much as liquid as possible and enjoy!

Tips:

You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with a bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder and or licorice root powder.

Precautions:

You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.

All information on this website is for educational purposes ONLY.

This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.

This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Red Sage Root Whole