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TCM Treasures - Danshen 丹参
May 4, 2012, Friday
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DANSHEN, literally red ginseng, is a TCM herb with purple flowers and red roots. It is widely used to help blood circulation, to relieve problems such as irregular menstruation and cardiovascular issues.
Apart from indicating the red root of the plant - the medicinal part of the herb - the name of danshen also refers to the danxin - the red/loyal heart - of a son to his mother.
According to legend, to save his mother from serious gynecological problems, a son traveled to an unknown island to find the plant. He returned safely and saved his mother, leading to the herb being called danxin, and later becoming danshen, due to mispronunciation as the name spread.
The earliest record of danshen is found in "Shennong Bencao Jing" (Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica) in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). TCM believes that it can help activate blood and energy circulation, remove stagnation, relieve pain and irritation, as well as cool blood and relieve inflammation.
Modern research has found it to be especially effective in relieving heart-related problem.
Apart from indicating the red root of the plant - the medicinal part of the herb - the name of danshen also refers to the danxin - the red/loyal heart - of a son to his mother.
According to legend, to save his mother from serious gynecological problems, a son traveled to an unknown island to find the plant. He returned safely and saved his mother, leading to the herb being called danxin, and later becoming danshen, due to mispronunciation as the name spread.
The earliest record of danshen is found in "Shennong Bencao Jing" (Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica) in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220). TCM believes that it can help activate blood and energy circulation, remove stagnation, relieve pain and irritation, as well as cool blood and relieve inflammation.
Modern research has found it to be especially effective in relieving heart-related problem.
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