Glehnia Root Bei Sha Shen: A TCM for Nourishing, Healing and Yin Deficiency
- Health Lab
- Jun 11
- 5 min read
Updated: Jun 20
Glehnia Root, also known as Bei Sha Shen, Laiyang Sha Shen, or Sea Sha Shen, is the dried root of the plant Glehnia littoralis, a member of the Apiaceae family. Renowned for its gentle yet effective properties, it has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for centuries to nourish yin, clear lung heat, and promote fluid production in the stomach. This article explores the characteristics, uses, and modern applications of North Glehnia Root in a simple and easy-to-understand way.
Glehnia Root has been documented in ancient Chinese medical texts for its nourishing effects.
In early herbal records, it was often confused with South Glehnia Root, but over time, practitioners distinguished the two based on their unique properties. Historical texts like Bencao Congxin (New Compilation of Materia Medica) praise North Glehnia Root for its ability to "nourish lung yin, clear lung heat, promote stomach fluids, and relieve dry coughs with little phlegm, dry throat, and thirst." Similarly, Depei Bencao highlights its role in moistening the lungs, nourishing the stomach, clearing deficiency heat, and stopping night sweats. Another text, Yaoxing Qieyao, emphasizes its benefits in "nourishing the lungs, clearing heat, and promoting stomach fluids."
These ancient insights underline North Glehnia Root’s primary role in treating conditions caused by yin deficiency, such as dry lungs and insufficient stomach fluids.
Characteristics of North Glehnia Root Bei Sha Shen
Taste and Properties
North Glehnia Root is sweet with a slightly bitter taste and has a mildly cold nature. In TCM, it is associated with the lung and stomach meridians, making it ideal for addressing issues in these systems.
Origin and Harvesting
This herb is mainly grown in northern China’s coastal regions, including Shandong, Liaoning, and Hebei provinces. It is harvested in spring or autumn by digging up the roots, removing the stems and fine roots, washing them, and drying them in the sun.
Appearance
The root is long and cylindrical, sometimes branched, measuring 15–30 cm in length and 0.4–1.4 cm in diameter. Its surface is pale yellowish-white, smooth, with faint wrinkles and small lenticel-like marks. One end is slightly thicker, tapering toward the other. The root is brittle, easily broken, revealing a white cortex and pale yellow core. It has a mild aroma and a slightly sweet taste.
Preparation
North Glehnia Root is typically used in its raw form but can also be honey-fried to enhance its lung-moistening and cough-relieving effects while reducing its cold nature.
Clinical Uses: Addressing Yin Deficiency and More
North Glehnia Root Bei Sha Shen is widely used to treat conditions related to yin deficiency and dryness. Its key applications include:
Lung Yin Deficiency: Symptoms like dry cough with little or bloody phlegm, dry throat, hoarse voice, and night sweats are alleviated by its lung-moistening properties.
Stomach Yin Deficiency: It helps with dry mouth, poor appetite, mild stomach pain, and constipation, often accompanied by a red tongue with little coating.
Post-Fever Yin Damage: After a fever, it relieves lingering low-grade fever, dry mouth, and restlessness.
Chronic Bronchitis: It eases dry cough and scanty phlegm in chronic bronchitis cases.
Diabetes: It can improve symptoms like thirst, frequent drinking, and excessive urination in diabetes patients.
Key Benefits
Nourishes Lung Yin: Its polysaccharides and amino acids moisten the lungs and relieve dry coughs.
Promotes Stomach Fluids: It supports stomach yin, aiding digestion and relieving dry mouth.
Clears Deficiency Heat: It helps reduce internal heat caused by yin deficiency.
Boosts Qi: It supports both qi and yin deficiencies.
Herbal Combinations for Enhanced Effects
North Glehnia Root is often combined with other herbs in TCM formulas to boost its effectiveness. Some common prescriptions include:
Sha Shen Maidong Decoction: Combines North Glehnia Root with Ophiopogon, Polygonatum, licorice, mulberry leaf, and pollen to nourish lung and stomach yin, treating dry cough and throat.
Baihe Gujin Decoction: Includes lily bulb, rehmannia, Ophiopogon, and other herbs to nourish lung and kidney yin, relieving cough and hemoptysis (coughing blood).
Yiwei Decoction: Made with North Glehnia Root, Ophiopogon, rehmannia, Polygonatum, and rock sugar to nourish stomach yin and address fluid deficiency.
Comparing North Glehnia Root with Similar Herbs
North Glehnia Root shares similarities with other yin-nourishing herbs like South Glehnia Root, Ophiopogon (Maidong), and Polygonatum (Yuzhu), but each has unique strengths:
South Glehnia Root: Similar in nourishing lung and stomach yin but milder in effect and also helps clear phlegm.
Ophiopogon (Maidong): Nourishes lung and stomach yin while calming the heart, making it suitable for insomnia and thirst.
Polygonatum (Yuzhu): Focuses on nourishing yin and relieving dryness, ideal for lung and stomach yin deficiency symptoms like dry mouth and poor appetite.
North Glehnia Root stands out for its balanced action in nourishing lung yin and stomach fluids while clearing heat.
Modern Research and Applications
Modern studies have uncovered several pharmacological benefits of North Glehnia Root, thanks to its polysaccharides, alkaloids, and amino acids:
Immune Support: Its polysaccharides enhance immune function, boosting the body’s resistance to illness.
Antioxidant Effects: Extracts help neutralize free radicals, slowing aging.
Anti-Tumor Potential: Some studies suggest it may inhibit certain tumor cells.
Blood Sugar Regulation: It can lower blood sugar, aiding diabetes management.
Modern Uses
Respiratory Conditions: It is used for chronic bronchitis and asthma.
Digestive Health: It supports treatment for chronic gastritis and gastric ulcers.
Endocrine Support: It helps manage diabetes symptoms like thirst and frequent urination.
Precautions
While North Glehnia Root is generally safe, it should be used cautiously in certain cases:
Avoid in Wind-Cold Cough: Its cold nature may worsen coughs caused by external cold.
Not for Spleen-Stomach Deficiency: Those with weak digestion or loose stools should avoid it.
Avoid with Excessive Phlegm: It is unsuitable for those with abundant, thin phlegm.
Incompatible with Veratrum: It should not be used with Veratrum (Lilu) due to potential adverse interactions.
Conclusion
North Glehnia Root Bei Sha Shen is a versatile and time-honored herb in TCM, valued for its ability to nourish yin, moisten the lungs, and promote stomach fluids. From treating dry coughs and stomach issues to supporting modern applications like diabetes management, it remains a cornerstone of herbal medicine. As research continues to uncover its benefits, North Glehnia Root is poised to play an even greater role in promoting health and well-being.
Chinese Name | 北沙參 |
Chinese Pinyin | Beishashen |
English Name | Coastal Glehnia Root |
Latin Pharmaceutical Name | Glehniae Radix |
Category | Roots and rhizomes |
Origin | The dried root of Glehnia littoralis Fr. Schmidt ex Miq. (Apiaceae). |
Production Regions | Primarily produced in Chinese provinces of Shandong, Jiangsu, Hebei, Liaoning. |
Macroscopic Features | Long cylindrical, some with branches. Externally pale yellowish-white, some with remnants of outer skin; whole herb has thin longitudinal wrinkles and longitudinal grooves, with brownish-yellow thin root scar spots. Apex often had remnants of brownish-yellow rhizome base, top is relatively thin, middle is relatively thick, base is relatively thin. Brittle texture, easily to break; fractured surface has pale yellowish-white phloem and yellow xylem. Distinctive odor; slightly sweet taste. |
Quality Requirements | Superior medicinal material is thin and long, cylindrical, consistent, and firm, with white outer skin. |
Properties | Sweet, slightly bitter; slightly cold. |
Functions | Nourishes yin, clears the lung, boosts the stomach, and engenders fluid. Apply to lung heat and dry-cough, pulmondeficiency due to long term cough with blood, hydrodipsia due to heat and fluid-damage. |
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