Herb module
Dan Shen
Red SageSalvia miltiorrhiza
Red Sage root cools and moves the Blood, and it is valued for calming the Spirit and soothing irritability.
Dan Shen is the root of Red Sage, a relative of the sage in your kitchen. It appears in four Zoi formulas: Pain Release™, Brain + Mood | Xýlo™, Longevity | The Zoi™, and Heart Meridian™. It is prized because it moves stagnant Blood while also nourishing it, and it cools Heat and settles a restless Spirit.
Best functions
- Invigorates Blood and dispels Stasis
- Clears Heat and cools the Blood
- Nourishes the Blood
- Traditionally used to calm the Spirit and soothe irritability
- Research has looked at its support for the heart, the circulation, and mood
Fascinating facts
- Dan Shen means roughly 'red root.' The root has a striking brick-red skin, which also gives the plant its English name, Red Sage.
- A traditional Chinese saying holds that Dan Shen, one single herb, equals four. It's a warm tribute to how much this one red root is thought to do.
- Zoi's fact sheets note that pharmaceuticals containing Dan Shen have been developed in China and are widely used in clinical practice there.
- Zoi's Brain + Mood | Xýlo™ sheet notes research suggesting that Dan Shen can cross the blood-brain barrier without toxic effects.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine
Dan Shen is slightly cold, with a bitter flavor, and is a Blood-regulating herb. It enters the Heart and Liver meridians, and the Brain + Mood | Xýlo™ sheet adds the Pericardium meridian.
Biomedical deep dive
Dan Shen Red Sage
From the Zoi Medicinals fact sheets’ Biomedical Details, with lines from Noa’s herb notes marked “Noa’s notes”.
On the fact sheet
- Dan Shen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) is slightly cold and enters the HT and LIV meridians; invigorates Blood and dispels stasis, clears Heat, cools the Blood, nourishes Blood, and calms the Spirit. Pain Release sheet
- Dan Shen (Red Sage, Salviae miltiorrhizae) is slightly cold and enters the HT, PC and LIV meridians; invigorates Blood and dispels stasis, clears Heat and soothes irritability, cools the Blood and reduces abscesses, nourishes the Blood and calms the Spirit. Brain + Mood | Xýlo · Longevity | The Zoi · Heart Meridian sheets
Key active constituents
- Tanshinone IIA and cryptotanshinone (Dan Shen compounds named in the titles of mouse studies the Heart Meridian sheet cites)
Pharmacology and mechanisms
- Along with Bai Shao, Du Huo and others in Pain Release, Dan Shen impacts pain by modulating NF-κB (a master switch for inflammation).
- With Ji Xue Teng, it supports healthy circulation by protecting the vascular endothelium (the delicate lining of blood vessels) from inflammatory and oxidative damage.
- It has been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier without toxic effects.
- Reviews highlight arterial-protective, anti-atherosclerotic (artery-plaque-limiting) and cardioprotective (heart-protecting) effects.
- Tanshinones (key compounds) are cardioprotective and inhibit platelet aggregation and thrombosis (clotting). · Noa’s notes
- Neuroprotective; supports nerve-cell survival by raising BDNF (a brain growth factor). Noa’s notes
- Anti-inflammatory; inhibits NF-κB and lowers IL-6 and TNF-α (inflammation messengers). Noa’s notes
What the research says
- In China, medicines containing Dan Shen have been developed and are widely used in clinical practice (Li et al., Acta Pharmacol Sin 2018).
- A 2017 review described heart effects including lower blood pressure and studied benefits in arteriosclerosis and heart ischemia-reperfusion injury (Wang et al., Curr Pharm Des 2017).
- Clinical trials of Dan Shen alone or in formulas were associated with fewer angina attacks and better cardiac function and blood pressure (Wang et al., Curr Pharm Des 2017).
- With hawthorn, wolfberry, schisandra, Polygala and Acorus, Dan Shen showed anti-anxiety and antidepressant effects in animal studies (Jiang et al., Phytother Res 2022; Wang et al., Transl Neurosci 2021).
- Dan Shen is reviewed as a source for anti-Alzheimer's drug research and crossed the blood-brain barrier without toxic effects (Zhang et al., Pharm Biol 2016).
- The Longevity sheet lists Dan Shen among herbs with anti-tumor functions in research and among herbs that benefit the cardiovascular system.
Safety, interactions and cautions
- Every Zoi fact sheet: do not use if pregnant or breastfeeding unless directed by your health care practitioner.
- The Pain Release fact sheet cautions that the formula contains multiple blood-moving herbs, so use caution with anticoagulant or antiplatelet medicines (warfarin, aspirin, clopidogrel), as effects may be stronger.
- Avoid in pregnancy. Noa’s notes
- Use caution with anticoagulant or antiplatelet medicines. Noa’s notes
- Significant interaction with warfarin: it can strengthen the blood-thinning effect. Noa’s notes
- Use caution with digoxin. Noa’s notes
In these Zoi formulas
- ★ Pain Release (#3 on the fact sheet)
- ★ Heart Meridian (#2 on the fact sheet)
- Brain + Mood | Xýlo (#4 on the fact sheet)
- Longevity | The Zoi (#8 on the fact sheet)
