Fresh Rehmannia Root
Rehmanniae Radix
Gan Di Huang

About

Properties in Traditional Chinese Medicine

Cold; sweet; bitter

Part(s) used

Potential toxicity/side effects

Functions/effects it is traditionally believed to have

Treatment of exogenous heat invading at the nutritive and blood levels manifested as dry mouth and deep red tongue proper with scanty coating. fresh rehmannia root (shengdihuang) is used with scrophularia (xuanshen), rhinoceros horn (xijiao) and ophiopogon root

Conditions/symptoms it is traditionally used to treat

1. its decoction exerts a protective effect on experimental hepatitis of mice induced by carbon tetrachloride.2. gastric feeding or injection of its decoction, water infusion or alcoholic extract can lower the blood sugar level in rabbits (this result is controversial in the recent years).3. intravenous injection of its extract exerts a hypertensive and diuretic effect in rabbits and dogs.4. its alcoholic extract shortens the blood coagulation time in rabbits.5. its water infusion inhibits the growth of some pathogenic fungi.