Danshen

Salvia miltiorrhiza · Salviae miltiorrhizae radix

Snapshot

Indications	Contraindications
Angina pectoris^{1, 2} Heart failure adjunct^{3, 4} Coronary heart disease^{2, 5–7} Post-infarction cardiac recovery⁸ Hypertension⁹ Diabetic kidney disease^{10, 11}	Pregnancy¹² Breastfeeding¹²

Danshen is the dried root of Salvia miltiorrhiza, a traditional Chinese herb used to improve blood circulation, whose tanshinones and phenolic acids act on oxidative stress and inflammation¹³. Supplementation is used for angina, heart failure, and coronary heart disease, and for blood pressure and diabetic kidney disease. Liver fat and urinary symptoms in men are studied less. Typical patients are adults with cardiovascular or kidney disease already on conventional therapy^{4, 11}.

Most trials test injectable or decoction preparations added to standard care.^{1, 3, 4} Meta-analyses report better cardiac function and angina outcomes, though the included trials are often low quality with publication bias^{1, 3, 4}. In diabetic kidney disease, meta-analyses report lower kidney and inflammatory markers^{10, 11}. In long coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID), a 2024 single-arm observational study of an Astragalus and Salvia miltiorrhiza extract recorded lower fatigue scores; no controlled trial has replicated it¹⁴. About 180 products list Danshen, as capsules, tablets, and powders, often in multi-herb formulas; see Form comparison.

Per United States (US) product labels, two of 30 ask for provider consultation before use with blood-thinning medication¹⁵. One review reports a favorable safety profile when combined with warfarin or aspirin¹³.

Last updated October 16, 2026. Read how we make monographs.

In the full monograph

62 sources, 53 studies

When to useThe situations practitioners use it for, each with the reason and the study behind it.
SafetyWho should avoid it, who needs extra care, and the side effects reported in studies.
InteractionsThe medicines and supplements it interacts with, the effect of each, and what labeling says to watch.
Protocol notesThe doses used in studies, how and when they were taken, and how the forms on the market compare.
How it worksWhat it is and how it works in the body, in plain terms.
Published studiesThe studies behind each use, popular claims checked against them, and trials still under way.
Word of mouthWhat patients and practitioners report online, kept separate from the clinical evidence.
Clinical perspectiveA closing read of where the evidence is solid, where it is thin, and what has not been studied.

Snapshot

In the full monograph

Sources