Are Yuanshen and Xuanshen the same?

Yuanshen is the root of the herb Scrophularia ningpoensis, which is a Chinese medicinal material with great medicinal value; Scrophularia ningpoensis is shaped like a carrot and is also a very precious Chinese medicinal material. In modern life, many people pay more and more attention to health care, and Scrophularia and Radix Rehmanniae are very popular Chinese herbal health products. Most people don’t know the difference between Yuanshen and Xuanshen. Below we will explain to you what the difference is between Yuanshen and Xuanshen, as well as their medicinal value.

1. Yuanshen and Xuanshen are the same. The more common name is Xuanshen. Yuanshen, Zhejiang Xuanshen and Heishen are all aliases of Xuanshen, but many old Chinese medicine practitioners are accustomed to writing Xuanshen as Yuanshen. Scrophularia has the effects of cooling blood and nourishing yin, purging fire and detoxifying. It is usually used to treat fever in febrile diseases and blood circulation, fever, thirst, red tongue, spots, bone steaming and fatigue cough, restlessness and insomnia, constipation due to loss of body fluid, blurred vision, sore throat, scrofula, phlegm nodules, carbuncles and sores.

2. Effects: 1. Clearing heat and cooling blood Yuanshen is cool in nature, bitter and salty in taste. It has the effects of clearing heat and cooling blood, purging fire and detoxifying. It can be used for warm-heat diseases, heat entering the blood, thirst, red tongue, irritability, restless sleep, unclear consciousness or body rashes. It is often used together with fresh Rehmannia, Ophiopogon japonicus, Coptis chinensis, Forsythia suspensa, Honeysuckle, Bamboo Leaf Roll Heart for the above symptoms; for lung heat cough, yellow and sticky sputum, dry nasopharynx, often used with Phragmites australis and Scutellaria baicalensis; for poison attacking the blood, high fever forcing blood to run wild, coma and delirium, often used with rhinoceros horn, Rehmannia glutinosa, and Cortex Moutan; for intense stomach heat, dry mouth and tongue, burning pain in the stomach, often used with Taraxacum mongolicum, Coptis chinensis, and Evodia rutaecarpa

2. Nourishing kidney yin: Yuanshen is a salty and cold product with a moist and fluid texture. It enters the kidney meridian and has the effect of nourishing kidney yin. It is often used together with Rehmannia. However, Yuanshen is bitter and can laxative, clear away heat, detoxify and relieve sore throat. It has a wide range of clinical applications and is generally not used as a long-term tonic. Rehmannia root is specifically used to nourish the kidney and yin, and can be used as a long-term yin-nourishing medicine. 3. Antibacterial and antimicrobial effect: 50% decoction of Yuanshen has an inhibitory effect on Staphylococcus aureus using the plate dilution method. The fresh Yuanshen leaves are processed by the flat plate punching method, which has an inhibitory effect on Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The extract was diluted by test tube method at 1:160, which had an inhibitory effect on Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum woolly. The antibacterial effect of Yuanshen leaves is stronger than that of roots, especially effective against Staphylococcus aureus, followed by diphtheria and Salmonella typhi, and poor against Group B Streptococcus, but weaker than Coptis chinensis. 4. Antihypertensive: When Yuanshen fluid extract is injected intravenously into anesthetized rabbits, a small amount can cause a slight increase in blood pressure first and then a decrease; a large amount can only cause a decrease in blood pressure. The aqueous extract, ethanol-water extract and decoction have a significant antihypertensive effect on anesthetized dogs, cats, rabbits, etc.