Rehmannia glutinosa, or known as Sheng Di Huang in Pinyin, is such a common medicine in TCM that it has been considered as one in 50 fundamental Chinese herbs these days. Usually it is the fresh or dried roots that are used clinically. But it is often used in the prepared form too, which is called Shu Di Huang. At this point it’s better to mention that these are two herbs with quite different medicinal uses, from the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine. Today rehmannia is a really versatile drug that can be compatible with a variety of other herbs for the treatment of many other diseases, such as idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, dysfunctional uterine bleeding, rheumatism and arthritis, Sheehan syndrome, Eczema, Neurodermatitis, urticaria, Constipation, Diabetes, infectious hepatitis, infertility, menopause, acne, hair loss, Osteoporosis, Tinnitus, and so on.

Medicinally it mainly refers to the fresh or dried root of Rehmannia glutinosa Libosch., which is one of medicinal plants in the family Scrophulariaceae. Other common names of it include Chinese foxglove, radix rehmanniae, radix rehmanniae glutinosae, and the like. In China it is primarily produced in provinces of Henan, Hebei, Inner Mongolia and the Northeast. And it is also cultivated in most parts of China. It is generally harvested in autumn. The following steps are to remove the residual part of stem, fibrous root, and soil. It is normally used fresh or dried.

Rehmannia Glutinosa

SAMPLE REHMANNIA RECIPES ON HERBAL REMEDIES 
The fresh rehmannia is sweet and bitter in flavor, cold in nature, with functions of clearing heat, promoting fluid production, cooling blood, and stopping bleeding, which makes it an excellent herb for impairment of Yin in heat disease, purple tongue, polydipsia, rash, spitting blood, epistaxis, and sore throat. In comparison, the raw rehmannia is sweet in flavor and cold in nature, with clearing heat, cooling blood, nourishing Yin, and induce the production of body fluid, which is perfect for the treatment of purple tongue, fidget, and thirst due to fever, internal heat due to yin deficiency, hectic fever due to yin deficiency, consumptive fever, consumptive thirst caused by internal heat, vomiting blood, nosebleed, and eruption. Both of them go to meridians of heart, liver, and kidney. And recommended rehmannia glutinosa dosage is from 12 to 30 grams in fresh form and 9 to 15 grams in raw form in decoction. Besides, you can choose rehmannia glutinosa supplement, rehmannia complex, compound pills, rhizome extract, and more.

1) Qing Ying Tang from Wen Bing Tiao Bian (Detailed Analysis of Warm Diseases). It is formulated with Xuan Shen (Scrophularia), Lian Qiao (Forsythia), Dan Shen (Salvia Miltiorrhiza), etc. to treat heat entering nutrient-blood in warm-heat disease that manifest as high fever, polydipsia, coma, and purple tongue.

2) Da Huang San from the Shang Han Zong Bing Lun (General Treatise on Cold Damage). It is coupled with Da Huang (rhubarb) to cure vomiting blood and nosebleed.

3) Liang Di Dan from Shi Shi Mi Lu (Secret Records of the Stone Chamber). It is matched with Di Yu (Sanguisorba Officinalis) to heal blood in the stool and in the urine due to blood heat.

4) Di Huang Gao from Gu Jin Yi Tong (Ancient and Modern Medical Book). It is joined with Zhi Mu (Anemarrhena Rhizome) and Di Gu Pi (Lycium Barbarum Root Bark) to treat Yin asthenia generating intrinsic heat, hot flash, and steaming bone.