''Salvia miltiorrhiza'' (), also known as red sage, Chinese sage, tan shen, or danshen, is a

perennial plant A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

in the genus ''

Salvia ''Salvia'' () is the largest genus of plants in the sage family Lamiaceae, with nearly 1000 species of shrubs, herbaceous perennials, and annuals. Within the Lamiaceae, ''Salvia'' is part of the tribe Mentheae within the subfamily Nepetoide ...

'', highly valued for its roots in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logica ...

. Native to China and Japan, it grows at elevation, preferring grassy places in forests, hillsides, and along stream banks. The specific epithet ''miltiorrhiza'' means "red ochre root".

Chemical constituents

Chemical compounds isolated from ''Salvia miltiorrhiza'' include salvianolic acid (or salvianolic acid B),

dihydrotanshinone Dihydrotanshinone I (DI) is a naturally occurring compound extracted from '' Salvia miltiorrhiza'' Bunge, also known as Chinese sage, red sage root, and the Chinese herbal Dan Shen. It belongs to a class of lipophilic abietane diterpenoids and ...

, miltirone,

tanshinone I Tanshinones are a class of chemical compounds. Examples include dihydrotanshinone, tanshinone I, or tanshinone IIA. These compounds are all naturally occurring and can all be isolated from '' Salvia miltiorrhiza''. Dihydrotanshinone I has be ...

, and tanshinone IIA. Tanshinone IIA is one of the most abundant constituents of the root of ''Salvia miltiorrhiza''.

Description

''S. miltiorrhiza'' is a deciduous perennial with branching stems that are tall, with widely spaced leaves that are both simple and divided. The inflorescences are covered with hairs and sticky glands. Flowers grow in whorls, with light purple to lavender blue corollas that are approximately long, with a dark purple calyx. ''Salvia miltiorrhiza'' prefers well-drained soil, with about half a day of sunlight. It is hardy to approximately . Most ''Salvia'' seeds have a higher germination rate when exposed to light, though it is not required.

Drug interactions

Danshen may potentiate the effects of the

anticoagulation Anticoagulants, commonly known as blood thinners, are chemical substances that prevent or reduce coagulation of blood, prolonging the clotting time. Some of them occur naturally in blood-eating animals such as leeches and mosquitoes, where they ...

drug

warfarin Warfarin, sold under the brand name Coumadin among others, is a medication that is used as an anticoagulant (blood thinner). It is commonly used to prevent blood clots such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and to prevent ...

, possibly causing bleeding complications. Other

adverse effect An adverse effect is an undesired harmful effect resulting from a Pharmaceutical drug, medication or other Surgery#Definitions, intervention, such as surgery. An adverse effect may be termed a "side effect", when judged to be secondary to a main ...

s may include

allergic reaction Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derm ...

dizziness Dizziness is an imprecise term that can refer to a sense of disorientation in space, vertigo, or lightheadedness. It can also refer to disequilibrium or a non-specific feeling, such as giddiness or foolishness. Dizziness is a common medical ...

, headache, or gastrointestinal upset.

Traditional Chinese medicine

Alone or combined with other Chinese herbal medicines, ''Salvia miltiorrhiza'' has been used in China and, to a lesser extent, in other countries as a treatment for various

cardiovascular The blood circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the entire body of a human or other vertebrate. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, tha ...

and

cerebrovascular diseases Cerebrovascular disease includes a variety of medical conditions that affect the blood vessels of the brain and the cerebral circulation. Arteries supplying oxygen and nutrients to the brain are often damaged or deformed in these disorders. The m ...

. A 2007

Cochrane review Cochrane (previously known as the Cochrane Collaboration) is a British international charitable organisation formed to organise medical research findings to facilitate evidence-based choices about health interventions involving health profes ...

of the use of danshen for acute ischaemic stroke found that the quality of evidence was poor, and there was no evidence of benefit. Similarly, a 2008 Cochrane meta-analysis found the

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human subject research, human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel v ...

s on danshen were low in quality, and were insufficient to make any judgment about its efficacy for people with

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...

. Meta-analyses of oral and injectable forms of danshen in people with

angina Angina, also known as angina pectoris, is chest pain or pressure, usually caused by insufficient blood flow to the heart muscle (myocardium). It is most commonly a symptom of coronary artery disease. Angina is typically the result of obstruc ...

concluded that the effects of the treatment were inconclusive because the studies were low in quality and the conclusions were not based on strong evidence.

References

External links

''Salvia miltiorrhiza'' List of Chemicals (Dr. Duke's Databases)
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1000854 miltiorrhiza Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine Flora of China Flora of Japan Taxa named by Alexander von Bunge