History
Sheng ma was first found as an upper grade drug in ‘The Herbal Classic of Shennong’ (Shennong Bencao Jing) in the version published around 500 A.D.by Tao Hongjing (456-536 A.D.) ”.
In his famous work, ‘Treatise on the Spleen and Stomach’ (Pi Wei Lun ), Li Dong Yuan (1180 – 1251CE) used the combination of Astragalus (huang qi) and Actaea (sheng ma) as a base for many of the formulas including ‘Ginseng and Astragalus’ (Bu zhong yi qi tang ).
Botanical outline
Actaea belongs to the family Apiaceae which has 60 genera and 2500 species found worldwide, with 38 genera and 921 species in China. The three species used as ‘sheng ma’ in Chinese medicine are foetida, dahurica, heracleifolia. Although Black Cohosh, commonly used in naturopathic medicine for relief of the symptoms of menopause, is from the same genus, it refers to a different species, Actaea Racemosa.
Actaea foetida: A perennial shrub, growing to 1.5m to 2m tall, the flowers form a panicle ( much branched cluster), white or greenish white, 3mm, bi-sexual, flowering in the summer. All leaves are petiolate.The lower stem leaves are tripinnatisect with a serrate margin, the upper leaves are uni or bipinnatisect. They resemble the hemp leaf, thus the name sheng ma, ‘ascending hemp’.The fruit has 3 to 8 seeds in an oblong follicle covered with membranous wings, fruiting in the autumn. Habitat: Actaea foetida prefers moist humus rich soil and semi-shade such as grasslands and forest clearings. It grows successfully up to 4000 metres in the northern and western provinces of China and is frequently found in Tibet and the fir forests of Kashmir. The rhizome is irregular, harvested in the autumn and used fresh or dried.
Actaea dahurica: A perennial shrub, growing to a height to 1m and above, Actaea dahurica has similar dark green lobed leaves to foetida but the flowers are unisexual, male and female borne in panicles, on separate plants. The winged follicle contains 3 to 4 seeds. It flowers in summer and fruits in autumn. . The rhizome collected in autumn and dried in the sun. Habitat: Actaea dahurica prefers a similar habitat to foetida and is native to East Siberia, Mongolia, China and Japan.
Actaea heracleifolia: A perennial shrub, to a height to 1m and above. Leaves similar to foetida. Flowers in a panicle 2 to 9 branched. The winged follicle is oblong containing 2 seeds. It flowers in summer, fruiting in autumn. The rhizome collected in autumn and dried in the sun. Habitat: It grows on grassland or scrub slopes in north eastern China.
Source: An Illustrated Atlas of the Commonly Used Chinese Materia Medica People’s Medical Publishing House 2007
Medicinal properties
TCM:
Listed under Herbs that release the Exterior, in ‘Cool, Acrid Herbs’, it clears Wind-Heat, raises the Yang Qi (useful in the treatment of middle Qi deficiency leading to fatigue, prolapse and dragging sensations in the lower body, diarrhea and vaginal discharge) and expresses rashes eg measles.
Cautions and contraindications: Because of its ascending nature, avoid when there’s rebellious Qi or floating Yang with Yin deficiency.
General:
The Actaea root is analgesic, antibacterial, antiviral, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic, febrifuge, sedative, tonic. It is useful in addressing rheumatic complaints, coughs, colds, headaches, sore throats and gum diseases and feverish infections such as measles.
Both the growing and the dried plant is used as an insect repellent in Siberia.