Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) in Medicine Xijun Yan Editor Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) in Medicine Volume 3. Clinical Research 123 Editor Xijun Yan Tianjin China ISBN 978-94-017-9465-7 ISBN 978-94-017-9466-4 (eBook) DOI 10.1007/978-94-017-9466-4 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg New York London Library of Congress Control Number: 2014950646 © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht and People’s Medical Publishing House 2015 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publishers, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed. Exempted from this legal reservation are brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis or material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Copyright Law of the Publishers’ locations, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Springer. Permissions for use may be obtained through RightsLink at the Copyright Clearance Center. Violations are liable to prosecution under the respective Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. While the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors nor the editors nor the publishers can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may be made. The publishers make no warranty, express or implied, with respect to the material contained herein. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com) Foreword Danshen was originally recorded in Shen Nong’s Classic of the Materia Medica, and detailed information on the herb was also recorded in Thor- oughly Revised Materia Medica and The Grand Compendium of Materia Medica in later ages. Danshen is bitter in taste and slightly warm in nature, and is a commonly used but important drug with the function of activating blood circulation and dissipating blood stasis. Danshen has wide applications and good therapeutic effects, is neutral in nature and non-venomous, and its source is widespread and inexpensive, so it is worthy of research and pro- motion in clinical settings. Based on other researchers’ and our own long-term clinical experience in the application of Danshen, we have found that Danshen has extensive pharmacologic actions and its unique therapeutic actions can be obtained by flexible combination with other drugs. Clinically, Danshen can be used alone to treat various diseases, and pharmacologic actions can be obtained by combination with other drugs. It can ascend and descend along the channels, and has good therapeutic effects on deficiency syndrome and excess syn- drome; thus it can be applied extensively in the clinical treatment of various diseases. Based on a summary of the clinical experience with Danshen of prominent TCM doctors, we propose the following principles and methods which could be used as a reference for clinical medical professionals. Invigorating Blood and Dissolving Stasis, Treating Upper and Lower Diseases, as Well as the Syndromes of Deficiency and Excess Treating Upper Diseases Anemarrhena, Phellodendron, and Rehmannia Decoction combined with Danshen, magnetite, cicada moulting, and cyathula root can be used for treatment of patients with symptoms of sudden deafness or hearing loss caused by deficiency in the liver and kidney and stagnation of blood, which has not been cured by long-term use of western medicines. The combination v vi Foreword of Danshen, magnetite, chrysanthemum flower, common self-heal fruit-spike, rehmannia root, Chinese gentian, and cyathula root can be used to treat hyperpyrexia of the liver to eliminate liver fire and to dissolve stagnant blood and promote blood circulation, and good therapeutic effects have been obtained. Danshen and magnetite can be used to treat hypertension according to the differentiation of the symptoms, and excellent therapeutic effects have been achieved. Danshen combined with almond, platycodon root, and Sichuan fritillaria bulb etc., has the function of diffusing the lung, activating blood circulation, depressing qi, and stopping coughing. Treating Lower Diseases Danshen has the functions of unblocking blood vessels and meridians, acti- vating blood circulation, and removing obstruction in collaterals, and the drug is bitter in taste and acts in lower meridians, so it is especially suitable for chronic diseases of the lower part of the body. For example, when combined with asper-like teasel root, double teeth angelica root, cyathula root, and Chinese taxillus herb belongs, Danshen can be used to treat rheumatic arthralgia in the lower limbs. Combined with honeysuckle stem, swordlike atractylodes rhizome, cyathula root, amur corktree bark, red peony root, cortex moutan, and Chinese pine nodular branch, etc., Danshen can be used to treat beriberoid pyretic arthralgia with the symptom of red swelling joint. Com- bined with Chinese angelica, suberect spatholobus stem, figwort root, reh- mannia dride rhizome, Japanese honeysuckle flower bud, cassiabarktree twig, and pangolin scales, etc., Danshen can be used to treat vasculitis in lower limbs. Combined with Chinese angelica, nutgrass galingale rhizome, common motherwort herb, Danshen can be used to treat menoxenia, menischesis, or blood stasis and abdominal pain after childbirth, and marked effects can be obtained. The same effect can be achieved using Danshen alone: just take Danshen powder with white spirit. Danshen can be combined with rehmannia dride rhizome, prepared rhizome of rehmannia, common anemarrhena, cyathula root, amur corktree bark, hindu lotus stemen, tremolite, fructus corni, wenchow turmeric root tuber, incised notopterygium rhizome and root, and white peony root, etc., to treat liver kidney yin insufficiency or heat accumulation and impotence and prospermia. The above formula is called Essence-Securing and Yang-Raising Decoction (固精启阳汤), with significant therapeutic effects. Treating Deficiency Syndromes The symptoms of deficiency syndromes include asthenia of healthy energy due to long duration of disease, weakness of blood circulation, prolonged deficiency, and excessive stasis. Danshen has the functions of removing Foreword vii blood stasis and producing new blood, promoting blood circulation but not disintegrating blood stasis. It was described by the ancients that the effect of Danshen is equivalent to that of Four Substances Decoction. Although the effect of Danshen might be exaggerated, Danshen does activate blood cir- culation and dissipate blood stasis. According to The Grand Compendium of Materia Medica, Danshen’s function is to nourish the blood. Yishen Dingxuan Decoction (益肾定眩汤), which is Lycium Berry, Chrysanthe- mumm, and Rehmannia Decoction with the addition of Danshen, magnetite, szechwan lovage rhizome, tall gastrodia rhizome, can be used to treat diz- ziness due to deficiency syndrome, especially kidney deficiency combined with blood stasis with the symptoms of dizziness, soreness, and weakness of waist and knees, gloomy tongue, deep thin and unsmooth pulse, etc. Danshen is usually combined with stir-baked semen ziziphi spinosae, Chinese angelica, rehmannia dride rhizome, and Chinese magnoliavine fruit, etc., to treat palpitation due to deficiency of blood and insomnia, which was called “cultivating the spirit and calming the mind” in The Materia Medica of Ming Dynasty 《( 大明本草》). Danshen can be combined with mongolian milk- vetch root, Chinese angelica, tuber fleeceflower root and medicinal morinda root to treat deficiency-consumption diseases with symptoms of extreme deficiency of qi and blood, deficiency of kidney qi, and stagnant blood. Treating Excess Syndromes The six pathogenic factors and the seven emotions can hurt the body, and eventually will cause the stasis of qi and blood and show the symptoms of qi stagnation and blood stasis. Danshen has the functions of activating blood circulation and eliminating stagnation, thus it has been used to treat excess syndromes with certain therapeutic effects. For example, Danshen Beverage is usually combined with sandalwood, villous amomum fruit, and turmeric root tuber to treat patients with hepatogenous gastralgia caused by the depression and stagnation of qi and stagnation of blood; thus it can benefit the patients by regulating vital energy and activating blood circulation. Also, these drugs can complement each other very well. Henoch-Schonlein purpura can be treated with the combination of Danshen, suberect spatholobus stem, Indian madder root, redroot gromwell, and red date. It is called “disinte- grating stagnated blood, producing fresh blood”; thus the blood escaped from blood channels could return to the meridians. Patients with mania usually suffer from excessive fire, stagnation, and phlegm, and they can be treated with large doses of Danshen based on the