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TCM Herbal Story

 

Rehmannia (Radix Rehmannia; Di Huang)

 

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According to legend, there was one year when plague took countless lives in the downstream area of the Yellow River.  Hoping to put a stop to the disease, the magistrate visited the temple of the Herb God in Shen Nong Mountain to seek for blessing and received a root like herb in return.  The man who delivered the herb told him that the herb was called “God of Earth”, meaning that it was a gift from God, and there were a lot more in the north of Shen Nong Mountain.

 

The magistrate then sent his people to gather the herbs for the people and successfully ended the plague.  After knowing the curative effects of this herb, people started to plant this herb in their own farms, and renamed it “Yellow Earth” due to its yellow color.

 

 

Rehmannia is the root of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch.  Its properties are sweet, bitter, and cold.  It enters through the heat, kidney, and liver.

 

Actions & Indications:

• Clears heat and cools the blood
• Nourishes the yin and generated fluids
• Cools the upward-blazing of heart fire
• Wasting and thirsting disorder

 

Caution & Contradiction

• Contraindicated in cases of spleen deficiency with dampness, yang deficiency, and in pregnant women with blood, spleen, or stomach deficiency.