Red sage
Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge
Red sage (Salvia miltiorrhiza) is a perennial mint-family herb 30–60 cm tall whose red root is a celebrated medicine that invigorates the blood, removes stasis, calms the spirit and treats chest pain, insomnia and cardiovascular disease.
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Red sage — sliced medicinal rootRed sage — whole plant
Red sage — plant (close-up)
Red sage — flowers
Red sage — roots
Red sage — sliced rootRed sage — sliced medicinal rootRed sage — whole plantOverview
Salvia miltiorrhiza — red sage, Chinese sage or danshen — is a deciduous perennial herb in the mint family (Lamiaceae), genus Salvia, 30–60 cm (sometimes to 80 cm) tall. The stems are square and branching, covered with long hairs and sticky glands, with widely spaced leaves that are both simple and pinnately divided; the leaflets are ovate to elliptic-ovate with rounded teeth and hairs on both surfaces. The inflorescence is a terminal and axillary false raceme of whorled flowers, covered with glandular hairs; the two-lipped corolla is light purple to lavender-blue, about 2.5 cm long, with a dark purple bell-shaped two-lipped calyx. The fruit is a small elliptic nutlet. In China it flowers from May to August and fruits in August–September. The medicinal part is the taproot (known as danshen), whose outer bark is brick-red — the epithet miltiorrhiza means 'red ochre root'.
Updated by lebachungtdh@gmail.com · 10/12/2026
Salvia miltiorrhiza is native to China and Japan, growing at 90–1,200 m elevation in grassy places in forests, on hillsides and along stream banks; in China it is widely cultivated (Sichuan, Shandong, Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui). The roots are harvested in late autumn–winter, when yield and active constituents are highest, then dried and usually sliced as medicine. In traditional Chinese medicine danshen is bitter and slightly cold, entering the heart and liver meridians: it invigorates the blood, removes stasis, cools the blood and calms the spirit, and is used for irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhoea, chest pain (angina), insomnia, hepatitis, cirrhosis, boils and cardiovascular and coronary disease. Its active constituents fall into two groups — water-soluble (caffeic acid, rosmarinic acid, salvianolic acid B, protocatechualdehyde) and lipid-soluble (the tanshinones, e.g. tanshinone IIA and cryptotanshinone) — with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, coronary vasodilator, antiplatelet, cardiac and neuroprotective effects. Note: danshen may potentiate the anticoagulant warfarin and cause bleeding; caution is advised in pregnancy and in patients on anticoagulants.
Updated by lebachungtdh@gmail.com · 10/12/2026
Life cycle
From seed to productPlant
Perennial herb 30–60 cm tall with square branching stems and hairy compound leaves, in grassy streamside places.
Flower
Whorled cymes in a terminal false raceme, lavender two-lipped corolla ~2.5 cm.
Root
Thick taproot with brick-red bark — the medicinal part, harvested in late autumn–winter.
Sliced root
Dried root sliced, red-brown inside, used in decoctions or further processed.
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- China (native & cultivated)55%
- Japan15%
- Korea & Northeast Asia10%
- Taiwan10%
- Other cultivation/research areas (trial in Vietnam, research in Europe)10%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- Tanshinones (diterpene quinones: tanshinone IIA, cryptotanshinone)Give the root its red-brown colour; cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory30%
- Phenolic acids (salvianolic acid B, rosmarinic acid)Antioxidant, vascular protection25%
- Caffeic acid & derivativesAnti-inflammatory, antioxidant15%
- FlavonoidsAntioxidant10%
- Essential oil & other diterpenesAroma, biological activity10%
- Sugars, minerals & vitaminsSupporting constituents10%
Uses
- Invigorate blood and regulate menstruation: irregular periods, dysmenorrhoea, blood stasis and swelling/pain from trauma.
- Cardiovascular: chest pain (angina), coronary disease, hypertension, stroke prevention support (usually in compound formulas).
- Calm the spirit and clear the heart: insomnia, palpitations, hepatitis, cirrhosis; famous in the formula Sheng Mai San.
- External use and combinations: boils, mastitis (with honeysuckle), psoriasis (studied).
- Warning: potentiates warfarin and anticoagulants (bleeding risk) and interacts with digoxin; avoid in pregnancy; use 5–15 g daily.
Properties
- Form
- Perennial herb 30–60 cm tall with square branching stems
- Hallmark
- Hairy compound leaves; lavender two-lipped flowers; taproot with brick-red bark
- Pharmacology
- Invigorates blood, dilates coronary arteries, antioxidant/anti-inflammatory, antiplatelet
- Safety
- Bitter, slightly cold; interacts with warfarin (bleeding risk); avoid in pregnancy; dose 5–15 g daily
Habitat & conservation
Red sage prefers light and well-drained soil, growing in grassy places in forests, on hillsides and along stream banks at 90–1,200 m; it is hardy to about −10 °C. It is cultivated for its roots in many Chinese provinces.
Conservation
Red sage is native to China–Japan, fairly widespread and widely cultivated; it has not been assessed by the IUCN and is therefore listed as Not Evaluated (NE). Family Lamiaceae, genus Salvia. Value: a prized medicine (invigorates blood, removes stasis, cardiovascular disease).
References
- 1POWO — Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge — Plants of the World Online (Kew), 2026
- 2GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge — GBIF, 2026
- 3Wikipedia EN — Salvia miltiorrhiza (red sage / danshen) — Wikipedia EN, 2026
- 4Wikipedia VI — Đan sâm — Wikipedia VI, 2026
- 5Wikipedia ZH — 丹参 — Wikipedia ZH, 2026
- 6Ảnh: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz (CC BY-SA 4.0); François Nguyen (CC BY 2.0); 阿橋 HQ (CC BY-SA 2.0) — Wikimedia Commons, 2026
- 7Ảnh: Mao Chaihu (CC BY-SA 4.0); Fumikas Sagisavas (CC0); SZE XAIMMOOA HONGMIN (CC0) — Wikimedia Commons, 2026