red sage

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• Chinese salvia
• redroot sage
• Astral Sage
• Chinese sage
• red sage

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae within the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. It is further classified under the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Lamiales, falling into the family Lamiaceae. Finally, its taxonomic identity is defined by its placement within the genus Salvia.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a broad geographical distribution across several key regions in Asia. Within China, its presence is noted in the South-Central, North-Central, and Southeast territories. Moving beyond mainland China, the species is also found throughout Eastern Asia, specifically in Korea. Additionally, its range extends into the Indo-China region, where it is documented in Vietnam. Collectively, these locations highlight the diverse environmental settings where the plant thrives.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Life history

The life history of Salvia miltiorrhiza is characterized by a distinct developmental strategy where its lifecycle is classified as annual, meaning it completes its entire biological progression from germination to seed production within a single growing season. In terms of its structural survival strategy, the plant exhibits dual life form characteristics depending on the environmental context and stage of development, functioning as both a hemicryptophyte and a therophyte. As a hemicryptophyte, it possesses perennating buds located at or just below the soil surface, which allows it to navigate seasonal shifts, while its classification as a therophyte highlights its tendency to complete its life cycle through the production of seeds that ensure survival through dormant periods.

Life form :

hemicryptophyte

Life form :

therophyte

Lifecycle :

annual

Morphology

The morphology of Salvia miltiorrhiza is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb. It functions as an independent organism rather than a parasite and maintains a terrestrial lifestyle, growing in soil rather than as an epiphyte. While it exhibits certain climbing tendencies, it is classified as a self-supporting plant, possessing a growth habit that does not require external structures for support like an obligatory vine or liana.

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Parasite :

independent

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Salvia miltiorrhiza is characterized by a highly efficient metabolic framework designed to support its rapid growth and the production of bioactive secondary metabolites. As a member of the Lamiaceae family, its primary carbon fixation mechanism follows the C3 photosynthetic pathway, where atmospheric carbon dioxide is initially fixed into a three-carbon compound through the action of the enzyme RuBisCO during the Calvin cycle. This C3 pathway is integrated into a complex physiological system that manages water use efficiency and light interception through its specialized leaf morphology. Beyond carbon assimilation, the plant exhibits specialized physiological processes related to the biosynthesis of tanshinones and salvianolic acids, which are synthesized through complex enzymatic pathways in the roots and leaves. These secondary metabolites are physiologically regulated by environmental stressors, such as light intensity and soil nutrient availability, which influence the plant's overall metabolic flux and antioxidant defense mechanisms.

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Salvia miltiorrhiza has 6 reported plant parts identified across 105 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include root, leaf, rhizome, stem, flower.

Root

1. Journal of proteomics
2. Applied biosciences
3. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica
4. Ecotoxicology and environmental safety
5. PloS one

Leaf

1. Ecotoxicology and environmental safety
2. Fitoterapia
3. PloS one
4. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials
5. Food chemistry

Rhizome

1. Plant cell reports
2. Plant physiology and biochemistry : PPB
3. Biochemical genetics
4. Phytochemical analysis : PCA
5. Plant methods

Stem

1. Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
2. Fitoterapia
3. Food chemistry
4. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
5. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Flower

1. Journal of chromatography. B, Analytical technologies in the biomedical and life sciences
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

Seed

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
2. International journal of molecular sciences

Chemicals

Salvia miltiorrhiza has 288 reported phytochemicals identified across 105 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Tanshinone IIA, Salvianolic acid B, Cryptotanshinone, Tanshinone, Tanshinone I.

Tanshinone IIA

1. Redox biology
2. Chinese journal of natural medicines
3. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
4. Plant cell reports
5. Frontiers in immunology

Salvianolic acid B

1. Ecotoxicology and environmental safety
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Frontiers in plant science
4. PloS one
5. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica

Cryptotanshinone

1. Dr. Duke
2. Redox biology
3. Journal of natural products
4. Plant physiology
5. Plant cell reports

Tanshinone

1. Plant science : an international journal of experimental plant biology
2. Ecotoxicology and environmental safety
3. PloS one
4. Chinese journal of biotechnology
5. Plant cell reports

Tanshinone I

1. Dr. Duke
2. Redox biology
3. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
4. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
5. Frontiers in pharmacology

rosmarinic acid

1. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
2. Journal of proteomics
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Planta
5. PloS one

Dihydrotanshinone I

1. Journal of natural products
2. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
3. Journal of integrative medicine
4. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Fitoterapia

Danshensu

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
2. Medicinal research reviews
3. Journal of environmental management
4. Plant biotechnology journal
5. Journal of AOAC International

Phenolic acid

1. Metabolic engineering
2. International journal of molecular sciences
3. International journal of biological macromolecules
4. Food chemistry
5. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

Salvianolic acid A

1. Dr. Duke
2. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Fitoterapia
5. Pharmaceutical biology

Activities

Salvia miltiorrhiza has 182 reported activities identified across 105 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antibacterial, Anticancer, Anticoagulant, Antifibrotic.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Histology and histopathology
3. Pharmaceutical biology
4. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
5. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
3. Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Scientific reports
5. AMB Express

Anticancer

1. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
2. Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England)
3. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
4. BioMedicine
5. Cancer letters

Anticoagulant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Chinese medicine
3. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
4. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity

Antifibrotic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Chinese journal of natural medicines
4. ACS applied materials & interfaces

Cardioprotective

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of separation science
3. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity
4. Medicine

Analgesic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
3. Phytotherapy research : PTR

Antithrombotic

1. Food science & nutrition
2. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
3. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie

Hepatoprotective

1. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
2. International journal of biological macromolecules
3. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Neuroprotective

1. BioFactors (Oxford, England)
2. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
3. Chinese journal of natural medicines

Conditions

Salvia miltiorrhiza has 180 reported investigations on conditions identified across 105 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported conditions include cardiovascular diseases, cancer, oxidative stress, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular diseases.

Cardiovascular diseases

1. Plant science : an international journal of experimental plant biology
2. Journal of ethnopharmacology
3. Expert opinion on therapeutic patents
4. Metabolic engineering
5. Frontiers in immunology

Cancer

1. Bioorganic chemistry
2. Cell death discovery
3. Medical oncology (Northwood, London, England)
4. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie
5. Pharmacological research

Oxidative stress

1. Biological & pharmaceutical bulletin
2. Archives of pharmacal research
3. Acta cirurgica brasileira
4. Polish journal of veterinary sciences
5. Frontiers in pharmacology

Cardiovascular disease

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
3. Genes
4. Bio-medical materials and engineering
5. FEMS microbiology letters

Cerebrovascular diseases

1. Journal of natural products
2. The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology
3. The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology
4. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
5. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition

Atherosclerosis

1. Frontiers in pharmacology
2. BMB reports
3. Metabolic engineering
4. PloS one
5. Chinese journal of natural medicines

Hypertension

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Phytotherapy research : PTR
3. Metabolic engineering
4. PloS one
5. Frontiers in pharmacology

Myocardial infarction

1. Frontiers in pharmacology
2. Phytotherapy research : PTR
3. Acta cirurgica brasileira
4. Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM
5. Journal of ethnopharmacology

Breast cancer

1. Bioorganic & medicinal chemistry
2. International journal of oncology
3. Bioorganic chemistry
4. Natural product reports
5. Cancer letters

Inflammation

1. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association
2. Pharmacological research
3. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
4. Journal of periodontology
5. Biomedicine & pharmacotherapy = Biomedecine & pharmacotherapie

Preparations

Salvia miltiorrhiza has 113 reported preparations identified across 105 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported preparations include hairy roots, dried root, extracts, hairy root cultures, roots.

Hairy roots

1. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica
2. Biochemical and biophysical research communications
3. Scientific reports
4. Plant communications
5. Plant cell reports

Dried root

1. International journal of molecular sciences
2. Phytochemical analysis : PCA
3. Chinese medicine
4. Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity
5. PloS one

Extracts

1. Archives of pharmacal research
2. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Przeglad lekarski
4. Fitoterapia
5. FEMS microbiology letters

Hairy root cultures

1. Applied biosciences
2. Applied microbiology and biotechnology
3. Plant physiology and biochemistry : PPB
4. International journal of biological macromolecules

Roots

1. Journal of natural products
2. Metabolic engineering
3. Phytochemistry
4. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Salvia miltiorrhiza injection

1. Yao xue xue bao = Acta pharmaceutica Sinica
2. Acta pharmaceutica (Zagreb, Croatia)
3. PloS one

Hairy root

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
2. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Root

1. Zhongguo Zhong yao za zhi = Zhongguo zhongyao zazhi = China journal of Chinese materia medica
2. Acta pharmaceutica (Zagreb, Croatia)
3. Zhong yao cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese medicinal materials

Danshen

1. BioMedicine
2. Pharmacological research

Salvia miltiorrhiza extract

1. Phytotherapy research : PTR
2. Pharmacognosy magazine