Cimicifuga, Sheng Ma, 升麻

Bugbane, Black Cohoch
Sheng Ma (TCM)
Rgya rtsi རྒྱ་རྩི་ (Tibet)
Cimicifuga heracleifolia
(Photo by Aka) (Wikimedia)

Botanical name:
Cimicifuga spp. (syn. Actaea spp.):
  1. C. foetida (syn Actaea foetida) Sheng Ma
  2. C. dahurica (syn Actaea dahurica) Xing An Sheng Ma
  3. C. heracleifolia (syn Actaea heracleifolia) Da San Ye Sheng Ma

Parts used:
Root

Temperature & Taste:
Cool, dry. Sweet, Pungent, Bitter

Classifications:
A. Clear Exterior Wind-Heat

Uses:
1. Clears Wind-Heat, Promotes Expression of Rashes:
-Fever, acute Cold or Flu
-acute Headache from Wind-Heat
-early stages of Measles; incomplete expression of Toxic-Heat Rashes
-skin disease with itching, Eczema (Tibet)
-prevents infection during Epidemics (Ming Yi Bie Lu)

2. Clears Heat and Toxin:
-swelling, pain, ulcers of the Mouth, Gums
-swelling and pain of the Throat
-Toxic Sores (topically and internally)
-'It neutralizes toxins of a hundred kinds' (Ming Yi Bie Lu)

3. Raises Yang Qi:
-shortness of Breath, Fatigue
-Prolapses due to falling Qi
-'stops vertigo due to sinking of Yang' (Li Shi Zhen)
-chronic diarrhea and dysentery, seminal emission, leukorrhea, metrorrhagia (Li Shi Zhen)
-raises clear Yang from the Stomach (Li Gao)
-Long-term use makes the person feel happy and enjoy a long life. (Ming Yi Bie Lu)

4. Externally:
-Carbuncles, Abscesses, Toxic Sores, Variola (decoction as a wash)
-Ulcers and Sores of the Mouth


DOSE:
Powder: 1–3 grams
Decoction: 3–9 grams

PREPARATION:
1. Carbonised, it is used to stop Bleeding

SUBSTITUTES:
It is not clear how similar Cimicifuga Sheng Ma is to the American Black Cohosh. Despite having different uses, they may be synonymous in effect. This remains to be seen however.

Main Combinations:
Used with Bupleurum Chai Hu to lead Qi upwards (as in Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang).
When Cimicifuga Sheng Ma is used with Ginseng or Astraglaus Sheng Ma, it helps them to move upwards to the upper part of the body.

1. Early stages or incomplete expression of Measles:
i. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with Pueraria Ge Gen
ii. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with Pueraria Ge Gen, Paeonia Bai Shao, Licorice (as in Sheng Ma Ge Gen Tang from Yan Shi Xiao Er Fang Lun [Yan’s Prescriptions for Infantile Diseases]).
iii. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with Burdock seed (Niu Bang Zi)
iv. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with Peppermint (Bo He), Burdock seed (Niu Bang Zi), Schizonepeta Jing Jie
2. Heat and Toxin:
i. with Fever, Cimicifuga Sheng Ma, Gypsum (Shi Gao)
ii. Sores, Swellings and Ulcers of the Mouth and Throat, Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with Coptis Huang Lian
iii. Fever, swelling and pain in the Head, Mouth or Throat, Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with Scutellaria Huang Qin, Coptis Huang Lian, Figwort root (Xuan Shen), Isatis root (Ban Lan Gen)
3. Swollen, painful Throat:
i. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with Burdock seed (Niu Bang Zi), Licorice
ii. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with Figwort root (Xuan Shen)
4. Wind-Cold Common Cold:
i. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with Saposhnikovia Fang Feng, fresh Ginger
ii. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with Ephedra Ma Huang, Perilla Zi Su Ye, Angelica Bai Zhi, Ligusticum Chuan Xiong (as in Shi Shen Tang from Tai Ping Hui Min He Ji Ju Fang [Formulas of the Peaceful Benevolent Dispensary]).
5. Toothache from Heat-Toxin:
i. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with Rehmannia Sheng Di Huang
ii. Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with Gypsum (Shi Gao)
6. Prolapse of the Rectum or Uterus, Cimicifuga Sheng Ma with Bupleurum Chai Hu and Astragalus Huang Qi
7. Skin diseases, Eczema, powder is mixed with Goat Butter and applied (Tibet)

Major Formulas
Bu Zhong Yi Qi Tang
Dang Gui Nian Tong Tang
Ji Chuan Jian
Ju Yuan Jian
Pu Ji Xiao Du Yin
Qing Wei San
Sheng Ma Ge Gen Tang
Tong You Tang
Xin Yi Qing Fei Yin
Xin Yi San
Yi Qi Cong Ming Tang
Zi Xue Dan

Cautions:
1. Not for Yin deficient Heat
2. Not for Spitting of Blood
3. Avoid overdose

Main Preparations used: