san qi

Name: san qi
Creator: Bencao Index

三七·Radix Notoginseng

Notoginseng Root

About san qi

San Qi (三七) is the root of notoginseng, a plant of the ivy family, recorded as Radix Notoginseng. It enters the Liver and Stomach channels, and the catalogue files it among the herbs that regulate Blood and stop bleeding.

Names

Pinyin	san qi
Chinese	三七
Latin Name	Radix Notoginseng
English Name	Notoginseng Root
Japanese	sanshichi
Korean	samchil

Classification

Category: Regulate Blood, Stop Bleeding
Channels: Stomach, Liver
Part used: Root
Family: Araliaceae
Species: Panax Notoginseng
Tags: Chinese Herbs, Common

Actions and indications

Stops bleeding and transforms Blood stasis

Bleeding, internal or external, checked without leaving stasis behind
Blood in the vomit, nosebleed, hematuria or bloody stools

Reduces swelling and relieves pain

Falls and knocks (die da): bruised, swollen, painful areas where Blood has stagnated

Mild tonic (traditional use)

Convalescence and fatigue, as a folk remedy cooked into chicken soup

Combinations

bai ji

Cautions

pregnancy Pregnancy: do not use, as it moves Blood
caution Yin or Blood deficiency with no stasis
caution Bleeding with no element of stasis: a strong Blood mover, it needs careful pattern differentiation before use
caution Surgery: consider stopping it beforehand

Interactions

Drug interactions

Anticoagulant and antiplatelet medicines (aspirin, clopidogrel, warfarin): the combination may add to bleeding risk, so combined use should be overseen by a practitioner. In pooled trials, notoginseng preparations taken with aspirin reduced platelet aggregation further without a significant rise in bleeding events, which is reassuring, but the antiplatelet effect is real