根长尺余。皮丹肉紫。（卖家多染色。须辨之。）冬采者良。去芦用。
气味苦平。微温。入手足少阴手足厥阴经。（心之所主者血也。心虚则邪气客之。为烦
满结气。肝虚则热甚风生。气血凝滞。为症瘕寒热积聚。肾虚而寒。湿邪客之。则腰脊强脚
痹。入三经而除所苦。诸证自平。）主心腹邪气。肠鸣幽幽如走水。去心腹痼气结气。通利
关脉。益气养血。养神定志。治寒热积聚。破症除瘕。疗冷热劳。骨节疼痛。腰脊强脚痹。
除风邪留热。风痹足软。（渍酒饮）调妇女经脉不匀。胎产血崩带下。及血邪心烦。久服多
眼赤。（故应性热）方书治中风发热。水肿吐血。胁痛着痹。痫悸健忘。消瘅。活血。通心
包络。治疝痛。（濒湖）一味丹参散。功同四物汤。以其破宿血。补新血。安生胎。落死胎。
止崩带。调经脉故也。（又）入天王补心丹则补心。同牛膝地黄黄 黄柏。能健步。同鳖甲
牡蛎丹皮青蒿延胡牛膝干漆水赤蓼子。主心腹痼疾结气。寒热积聚。破症除瘕。同麦冬沙参
五味子甘草青蒿栝蒌。止烦满。同牛膝萆 木瓜 杜仲续断。主腰脊强脚痹。除风邪留热。
同人参麦冬枣仁地黄。益气养血。独用一两为末。热酒每服二钱。主寒疝。少腹及阴相引痛。
自汗出欲死。丹参散。治妇人经脉不调。（或前或后。或多或少。）产前胎不安。产后恶血不
下。兼治冷热劳。腰脊痛。骨节烦疼。用丹参洗净切晒。为末。每服二钱。温酒调下。落胎
下血。丹参十二两。酒五升。煮取三升。温服一升。日三服。亦可水煮。
〔论〕 丹参皮丹肉紫而味苦。为火之用药。据其奏效。似通利关脉一语足以概之。然
别录谓其养血。本经且谓益气。而先哲又以养神定志归之。其义何若。盖此味水火之二气具
足。其开花成穗。自三月以至九月。正经所谓夏月蕃秀使气得泄者。而采根必以冬时。岂非
反
死胎宜落。自有合于天然之生化。而不戾其所宜者。（血原于水。而成于火。此味由生血化
血之全功。而通利关脉。其通利不可与破气之味同论。）夫水中有火而气生水。上合于火而
气化。气化即化血。火中有水而血生火。下合于水而血化。血化即化精。（要本于肺气下归
命门。然后血化精。）此品水中有火。而水至于火以达其气化。气之所化。则血之滞者行。
枯者生。能化能生。政通利关脉之本也。人身之先天。惟此阴阳具于肾。人身之后天。惟此
气血主于心。气血一息不周。则阴阳之元化病矣。惟心主实握由气化血之权。故其变化而赤
者。虽属于中焦气化。实主于心及包络。是主血之地乃为血所生化之先天。然则流贯一身而
无微不彻。无气不随者。可不寻绎其生化之先天。而漫言何脏统血何脏藏血哉。明乎此则益
气养血。皆可得其主脑。而善用以奏功矣。
缪氏云。妊娠无故勿服。
The root is more than a chi (approx. 33 cm) long. The skin is red-dan, and the flesh is purple-black. (Sellers often dye it; one must distinguish carefully.) Those harvested in winter are superior. Use after removing the rhizome (Lu).
The flavor is bitter, the nature is neutral-ping, slightly warm. It enters the Hand-Shaoyin Heart Meridian, Foot-Shaoyin Kidney Meridian, Hand-Jueyin Pericardium Meridian, and Foot-Jueyin Liver Meridian. (The Heart governs Blood. When Heart Blood is deficient, pathogenic factors lodge, causing irritability, fullness, and Qi stagnation. When Liver Blood is deficient, excessive heat generates wind, causing Blood and Qi to coagulate and stagnate, forming masses (Zhengjia), alternating chills and fever, and accumulations. When the Kidney is deficient and cold, dampness lodges, causing stiffness of the waist and spine, and numbness/obstruction in the feet. By entering these three meridians to relieve their suffering, various syndromes naturally resolve.) It primarily treats pathogenic factors in the Heart and Abdomen, deep intestinal murmurs sounding like flowing water. It removes chronic Qi stagnation and Qi knots in the Heart and Abdomen, unblocks the Guan Mai (關脈 - likely referring to pulse vessels or specific meridian pathways), tonifies Qi and nourishes Blood, calms the Spirit and stabilizes Willpower. It treats alternating chills and fever with accumulations, breaks down masses (Zheng), eliminates flaccid lumps (Jia), cures cold and hot Lao (consumptive disease), joint pain, stiffness of the waist and spine, and foot numbness/obstruction. It dispels wind-pathogens and lingering heat, treating wind-bi with softness of the feet. (Soak in wine and drink.) It regulates irregular menstruation in women, postpartum bleeding, metrorrhagia, leukorrhea, and heart vexation caused by blood pathogens. Long-term use may cause red eyes. (Thus its nature is considered hot.) Medical texts state it treats stroke with fever, edema, hematemesis, hypochondriac pain with fixed bi-syndrome, epilepsy, palpitations, and amnesia, xiao-dao (wasting-thirst), invigorates Blood, unblocks the Pericardium Collateral, and treats hernia pain. (Li Shizhen) A single-ingredient Danshen Powder has the same efficacy as Siwu Tang because it breaks old blood, supplements new blood, secures a living fetus, expels a dead fetus, stops metrorrhagia and leukorrhea, and regulates the menses. (Furthermore,) when added to Tianwang Buxin Dan, it tonifies the Heart; combined with Niuxi, Dihuang, Huangqin, and Huangbai, it strengthens walking; combined with Biejia, Muli, Danpi, Qinghao, Yanhusuo, Niuxi, Ganqi, and Shuichiliaozi, it treats chronic diseases and Qi knots in the Heart and Abdomen, alternating chills and fever with accumulations, breaking down masses and eliminating flaccid lumps; combined with Maidong, Shashen, Wuweizi, Gancao, Qinghao, and Gualou, it stops irritability and fullness; combined with Niuxi, Bibo, Mugua, Duzhong, and Xuduan, it treats stiffness of the waist and spine, foot numbness/obstruction, and dispels wind-pathogens and lingering heat; combined with Renshen, Maidong, Zaoren, and Dihuang, it tonifies Qi and nourishes Blood. Used alone, one liang ground into powder, two qian taken per dose with hot wine, it treats cold hernia, pulling pain in the lower abdomen and genitals, spontaneous sweating leading to a sense of impending death. Danshen San treats irregular menstruation in women. (Either early or late, either heavy or light.) It treats fetal restlessness before delivery and failure of lochia to discharge after delivery, and also treats cold and hot Lao, waist/spine pain, and bone/joint vexation/pain. Wash Danshen, cut, and dry, then grind into powder. Take two qian per dose, mixed with warm wine. To induce abortion and expel blood: Twelve liang of Danshen, five sheng of wine, boil to obtain three sheng. Take one sheng warm, three times daily. Water decoction is also acceptable.
[Discussion] Danshen has red skin and purple flesh with a bitter taste, making it a herb for the Fire element. Based on its efficacy, the phrase "unblocks the Guan Mai" suffices to summarize its action. However, *Bencao Jing Jie* states it nourishes Blood, *Shennong Bencao Jing* even states it tonifies Qi, and ancient sages attribute calming the Spirit and stabilizing Willpower to it. What is the rationale? Essentially, this herb possesses both Water and Fire energies. It flowers and forms spikes from March to September, corresponding to the *Neijing* description of "Summer flourishing beauty, allowing Qi to vent." Yet the roots are harvested in winter. Does this not align with the principle that dead fetuses should be expelled, conforming to natural generation and transformation without violating appropriateness? (Blood originates from Water but is formed by Fire. This herb performs the complete function of generating and transforming Blood, thereby unblocking the Guan Mai; its unblocking action cannot be compared to herbs that break Qi.) Fire exists within Water, and Qi generates Water; combining upwardly with Fire leads to Qi transformation, and Qi transformation becomes Blood transformation. Water exists within Fire, and Blood generates Fire; combining downwardly with Water leads to Blood transformation, and Blood transformation becomes Essence transformation. (Crucially, Lung Qi must descend to the Mingmen, then Blood transforms into Essence.) This product contains Fire within Water, and Water reaches Fire to achieve Qi transformation. What the Qi transforms results in the movement of stagnant Blood and the regeneration of withered tissues. Its ability to transform and generate is precisely the root of unblocking the Guan Mai. In the human body, the Pre-heaven (Constitution) resides only in the Kidneys where Yin and Yang are complete. The Post-heaven (Nourishment) resides only in the Heart where Qi and Blood are governed. If Qi and Blood fail to circulate even for an instant, the primordial transformation of Yin and Yang will become diseased. Only the Heart actually holds the power of transforming Qi into Blood. Therefore, although the change of blood into red is attributed to Middle Jiao Qi transformation, it is essentially governed by the Heart and Pericardium. This place governing Blood is the Pre-heaven of Blood's generation and transformation. Given this, how can one casually discuss which Zang organ governs Blood or stores Blood without tracing back to this Pre-heaven of generation and transformation, which permeates the entire body without exception and follows every Qi? Understanding this allows one to grasp the core of tonifying Qi and nourishing Blood, enabling skillful application to achieve therapeutic effects.
Miao stated: Do not take during pregnancy without cause.