Roots: Salvia miltiorrhiza (Red Sage) Root Extract

Question 1

What is it?

Answer 1

• red sage or Dan Shen
• mint family, similar to common sage
• Native to China and Japan
• traditionally used for treatment of inflammatory diseases

Question 2

What are the bioactives?

Answer 2

• Salvianolic acid B
• Salvianolic acid A
• Magnesium lithospermate
• Tanshinones

Question 3

What are the clinical effects?

Answer 3

• anti-inflammatory
• antioxidant
• antibacterial

Question 4

How does it treat eczema / psoriasis?

Answer 4

• alternative to corticosteroids which are not suitable for use for long periods as it can lead to severe side effects such as skin thinning and ulcers
• Salvianolic acid B and A have potent anti-inflammatory effects useful in reducing symptoms of atopic dermatitis in mice, reducing symptoms like ear skin hypertrophy (scarring) when applied to ears, and decreased mast cell infiltration that causes inflammation into skin lesions
• Salvianolic acid A, significantly inhibited inflammation pathways that led to psoriasis, demonstrating that it can be developed for treatment of psoriasis

Question 5

How does it treat acne?

Answer 5

• Tanshinones (TAN) improve condition of facial skin by helping to reduce scarring, through improving blood circulation and promoting cell turnover
• TAN also has an anti-acne effect, with inhibitory activity on acne-causing P. acnes bacteria
• TANs have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects, all of which are effective for acne treatment

Question 6

How does it contribute to anti-aging?

Answer 6

• Changes in collagen suggested as cause of clinical changes observed in aging skin
• One major pathway of wrinkle formation is associated with collagen degradation in skin. * Magnesium lithospermate enhances antioxidant defense mechanisms, significantly increase types I and III collagen in skin aging models, demonstrating that it has anti-aging effects against natural skin aging, and UV-induced photoaging