Xuan Shen - Scrophularia ningpoensi

Professional Data
 Pin Yin
Xuan Shen
 
 Latin
Radix Scrophularia ningpoensis
 Introduction Back to Top
This herb is the dried root of Scrophularia ningpoensis Hemsl. (Fam. Scrophulariaceae). The drug is collected in winter when stem and leaves wither, removed from rhizome, bud, rootlet and soil, dried in the sun or baked to half-drying, piled up for 3-6 days, processed for several times until dried completely.
 Western medical Back to Top
This herb is often indicated in the treatment of infective diseases and viral myocarditis.

 Eastern medical Back to Top
  • Pattern: Clears Heat, nourishes yin, benefits the throat and dissolves lumps.
  • Properties: Bitter, sweet, salty, cold.
  • Channels entered: Lung, Stomach and Kidney.
 Chemical constituents Back to Top
The main chemical constituents in this herb are: alkaloid, L-agedoite, sterol, amino acid, fatty acid, essential oid, and carotene, etc..
 Pharmacological actions Back to Top
Effect of lowering blood pressure

Intravenous injection of small amount of fluid extract of xuan shen to anaesthetized rabbits could first slightly increase then decrease the blood pressure; large amount injection could only lower blood pressure. Water immersion fluid, ethanol-water immersion fluid and decoction showed obvious blood pressure lowering effect in anaesthetized dogs, cats and rabbits. Oral administration of decoction at the dosage of 2g/kg, twice daily to healthy dogs and dogs with renal hypertension both showed blood pressure lowering effect, the effect was stronger on the latter than the former; the effect would be delayed if the dosage was decreased. Small amount of fluid extract showed cardiotonic effect in toads and poisoning phenomenon would appear with the increasing of dosage but it would dilate the blood vessels of lower limbs of toads.

Others

Subcutaneous injection of fluid extract (5g/kg) to normal rabbit could slightly lower blood sugar. P-Methoxycinnamic acid extracted from the root of xuan shen showed antifebrile effects on rabbits with fever induced by typhoid bacterin. Water extract showed anti-fungus effect in vitro. xuan shen also had nerve center inhibitory effect, its extract showed sedative and anti-convulsive effect.
 Clinical Studies Back to Top
Lowering blood sugar

A famous doctor, Shi Jinmo, used cang zhu 10~15g and xuan shen 15~30g to lower blood sugar. Doctor Zhu Zhanyu used this method according to TCM differentiation to treat recessive diabetes and obtained satisfactory effect.

Infectious diseases

According to reports, xuan shen could be used to treat infective disease with high fever , deep red tongue and thirst etc.. It's often combined with sheng di, mai dong, jin yin hua, lian qiao and huang lian, and the effect was obvious.

Viral myocarditis

xuan shen 15g, jin yin hua 30g, dang gui 15g, gan cao 6g, mai dong 12g, ku shen 10g, ban lan gen 15g, water decoction, 1 dose every day, being taken in two times, obvious effect was obtained.

 
 References Back to Top

Except those noted, all references come from Weng Weiliang, et al., Clinical Chinese materia medica, Henan Science & Technology Press, 1998