I have been having trouble sleeping lately and a friend of mine told me that Danshen can help with insomnia. I wanted to ask if this is true?
Can Danshen treat insomnia?
Danshen has a certain auxiliary effect on sleep, but it cannot completely cure insomnia.
Danshen has a bitter taste and slightly cold property. It has the functions of promoting blood circulation, removing blood stasis, regulating menstruation, nourishing the heart, and calming the mind. It can be used not only for diseases caused by blood stasis, such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, and irregular menstruation, but also for its active ingredients that have a sedative and analgesic effect on the central nervous system of the human body. It can improve sleep to some extent and assist in the treatment of insomnia caused by neurasthenia. However, it cannot completely cure insomnia.
How to use Danshen for insomnia?
Danshen steeped in alcohol
Ingredients: 30 grams of Danshen, 500 milliliters of rice wine.
1. Wash the Danshen and soak it in clean water until soft.
2. Cut the Danshen into thin slices and put them into the container for steeping in alcohol.
3. Pour in the rice wine, seal the container, and shake well.
4. Shake the bottle once a day.
5. Soak for about 2 weeks before drinking.
6. Take 10 milliliters before bedtime.
Danshen and jujube porridge
Ingredients: 100 grams of glutinous rice, 15 grams of Danshen, 10 grams of jujube, and an appropriate amount of rock sugar or honey.
Instructions:
1. Put Danshen in a pot.
2. Boil it with water for about 30-40 minutes, remove the residue, and keep the juice.
3. Put the cleaned glutinous rice and jujube into the medicinal juice, and add a small amount of water.
4. Continue to cook for about 30 minutes until the porridge is cooked.
5. Finally, add rock sugar or honey to taste.
What should be noted when using Danshen for insomnia?
1. Do not use excessive amounts
It is generally recommended to use 10-15 grams of Danshen medicinally, and excessive amounts should be avoided. Danshen has a strong blood circulation effect, and taking a large dose of Danshen may cause gastrointestinal bleeding.
2. Supplement potassium during long-term use
Long-term use of Danshen may cause potassium loss and decrease in blood potassium levels. Therefore, if you take Danshen for a long time, you should eat foods high in potassium, such as oranges, peanuts, and potatoes.
3. Avoid using it with Ligusticum
When taking Danshen, you should avoid taking it with Ligusticum. According to the "Eighteen Incompatible Medications" in traditional Chinese medicine, Danshen and Ligusticum have opposite properties, and using them together may produce toxic side effects that are harmful to the body.
4. Avoid using it with anticoagulants
Danshen has an antiplatelet aggregation effect. Taking it together with anticoagulant drugs such as aspirin and warfarin can enhance the therapeutic effect, leading to impaired blood coagulation function and possible bleeding.
Who should not use Danshen for insomnia?
1. Pregnant women should not take it
Danshen belongs to blood circulation promoting and blood stasis dissolving medicine, which has a certain stimulating effect on uterine blood vessels and can promote uterine contractions. Taking Danshen during pregnancy may cause miscarriage.
2. Allergic individuals should use with caution
Some individuals may have allergies to Danshen, resulting in nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, itching all over the body, rash, and even serious consequences such as chest tightness, palpitations, fainting, and shock. If you are unsure whether you are allergic, you can take a small amount first, observe for about 1 hour, and continue taking Danshen if there are no adverse reactions.
3. Patients with bleeding should avoid taking it
Danshen has a strong blood circulation effect and can stimulate blood vessels. Therefore, patients who have bleeding, especially gastrointestinal bleeding, should not take Danshen, as it may increase bleeding.
Other dietary methods to treat insomnia
Guiyuan Lotus Eight Treasure Porridge
Ingredients: 50 grams of Guiyuan meat, 50 grams of lotus seeds, 100 grams of rock sugar, 30 grams each of coix seed, adzuki beans, goji berries, and honey dates, and an appropriate amount of sugar osmanthus and wet starch.
Instructions:
1. Put lotus seeds, coix seed, and adzuki beans in a pot.
2. Add an appropriate amount of water and cook until soft.
3. Add Guiyuan meat, goji berries, honey dates, rock sugar, and sugar osmanthus to the pot and bring to a boil.
4. Finally, thicken with wet starch.
Effect: Nourishing Qi and blood, invigorating the spleen, and calming the mind.
Poria Cakes
Ingredients: 100 grams of Poria, 250 grams of flour, 150 grams of candied fruit, 2 eggs, 20 grams of white sesame seeds and pine nuts, and an appropriate amount of sugar and refined vegetable oil.
Instructions:
1. Grind Poria into powder.
2. Mix Poria powder with flour, eggs, oil, and water to make a dough.
3. Cut the candied fruit into small pieces and mix with pine nuts and sugar to make a filling.
4. Shape the dough into small balls, wrap the filling, and coat the surface with white sesame seeds.
5. Finally, bake in the oven until golden on both sides.
Effect: Invigorating the spleen, calming the mind, and soothing the nerves.
