Sheng Di Huang
English Name: rehmannia
Pharmaceutical Name: Radix Rehmanniae
Medica Category: Heat-Clearing and Blood-Cooling Herbs
Properties: Sheng Di Huang enters the Heart, Liver, and Kidney channels; it is sweet and bitter in nature and cold in temperature.
What is Sheng Di Huang?:
The Chinese Herb Sheng Di Huang is the unprocessed root tuber of the rehmannia plant (Rehmannia glutinosa).
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Therapeutic Actions of Sheng Di Huang:
Sheng Di Huang clears heat, nourishes yin, and promotes the generation of body fluids and is used when internal heat is damaging body fluids, a condition characterized by irritability, thirst, dry mouth and dry tongue with cracks, night sweats, and tidal and/or high fevers.
safety/clinical note: Sheng Di Huang (unprepared/fresh rehmannia) and Shu Di Huang (prepared/cooked rehmannia) have different properties and actions. While Sheng Di Huang does tonify yin and blood to a degree, it is used primarily to cool heat in the blood that is injuring body fluids. By contrast Shu Di Huang is slightly warming and used primarily to tonify jing (essesnce), yin, and blood when they are deficient.