Shēng Má (升麻), known in English as Cimicifuga rhizome (Cimicifuga heracleifolia), is a cool, acrid and sweet Chinese herb from the Release exterior (Heat) category. It enters the Lung, Spleen, Stomach and Large Intestine channels. Its main action: releases exterior, vents rashes (early stage).
| Pinyin | Shēng Má (Sheng Ma) |
|---|---|
| Chinese | 升麻 |
| English | Cimicifuga rhizome |
| Botanical name | Cimicifuga heracleifolia |
| Category | Release exterior (Heat) |
| Nature | Cool |
| Flavour | Acrid, Sweet |
| Channels | Lung, Spleen, Stomach, Large Intestine |
| Dosage | 3–9g |
| Cautions | Measles fully erupted; Yin deficiency with Heat rising; use cautiously with ascending conditions |
Actions
- Releases exterior, vents rashes (early stage)
- Clears Heat, resolves toxicity — head and face
- Raises Yang qi, lifts prolapse
Indications
- Early measles with poor eruption
- Gum and throat ulcers from Stomach Fire
- Prolapse of organs
- Haemorrhoids
How to remember Shēng Má
Release exterior (Heat) herbs are mostly cool or cold, acrid and sweet, and most enter the Lung and Liver channels.
- You can work these out
- Cool, Acrid, Sweet: like most Release exterior (Heat) herbs
- Lung channel: from its action “Releases exterior”
- Stomach channel: from its use for “gum and throat ulcers from Stomach Fire”
- Learn by heart
- Spleen and Large Intestine channels: nothing in its group or its actions points to them
Formulas containing Shēng Má
Other Release exterior (Heat) herbs
Test yourself
What is the nature and flavour of Shēng Má?
Shēng Má is cool and acrid and sweet.
Which channels does Shēng Má enter?
Shēng Má enters the Lung, Spleen, Stomach and Large Intestine channels.
What are the actions of Shēng Má?
Releases exterior, vents rashes (early stage); Clears Heat, resolves toxicity — head and face; Raises Yang qi, lifts prolapse.
What is Shēng Má used for?
Early measles with poor eruption; gum and throat ulcers from Stomach Fire; prolapse of organs; haemorrhoids.
Which formulas contain Shēng Má?
Bǔ Zhōng Yì Qì Tāng and Qīng Wèi Sǎn.
Practise Shēng Má and the other 290 herbs
Recognise each herb from its picture, recall its nature, flavour, channels and actions, and review it again just before you would forget it.
Try the 5-question herb quizShen Study is a study tool. Doses and cautions are as taught in standard Chinese materia medica texts; they are not prescribing advice.