Scrophularia
玄参 · xuán shēn
Cools blood heat, builds fluids, and disperses swollen nodes
Properties
CoolingCooling botanicalSalty, Sweet, Bitter
Concerns
What it does
Xuan shen clears heat from the blood level, nourishes yin, and disperses hard nodules by draining fire while softening phlegm accumulations. Its salty flavor is classical for softening hardness, making it key for scrofula, goiter, and swollen nodes from phlegm-fire. In Tonify the Heart (Tian Wang Bu Xin Dan), it supports rehmannia and asparagus root in building the yin foundation.
Safety
- Contraindicated in cold-dampness of the Spleen and Stomach; very cold and heavy.
- Do not combine with li lu (Veratri nigri Radix et Rhizoma).
- Not for loose stools or a pale, wet tongue; signs of Spleen yang deficiency.
How to take it
Decoct 9–15g of dried scrophularia root in 4 cups water for 30–40 minutes. Common in yin-nourishing and heat-clearing formulas.
Best used in a formula for sore throat with yin deficiency or lymph node swelling
Follow the product label for the formula containing xuan shen. Used in heat-clearing and yin-tonifying formula products.
Look for it in throat-soothing or yin-nourishing formula products
Where it comes from
Xuan shen translates as 'dark root,' for the black cross-section of the dried root. The character 玄 means black as well as mysterious, so the herb is also known as black root (hei shen). The 'shen' (参) character it shares with ginseng points to a root of substance, though classical commentators cautioned against reading too much tonic power into the name. Recorded since the Divine Husbandman's Classic, it treats heat from deep yin levels and disperses phlegm-heat nodules.