Red Peony Root (Chi Shao) Extract Powder 10:1, 20:1, 50:1 TLC
【Other names】: Chi Shao, Radix Paeoniae Rubra, Red Paeony Root
【Botanical source】: Paeonia lactiflora Pall or Paeonia veitchii Lynch
【Part used】: Dried roots of Paeonia lactiflora Pall or Paeonia veilchii Lynch in the Ranunculaceae family. Excavate in spring and autumn, remove roots, fibers, and sediment, and dry in the sun.
【Specification】: 10:1, 20:1, 50:1 TLC
【Appearance】: Brownish yellow fine powder
【Particle size】: 95% pass 80 mesh size

Red Peony Root (Chi Shao) Extract Powder Production Flowchart
Red Peony Root (Chi Shao) raw materials – natural air drying–Coarse powder(40 mesh) -Low temperature water extraction – 1^st Reflux Extraction(10 times water,2 Hrs) – 2^nd Reflux Extraction8 times water,1.5 Hrs) – 3rd Reflux Extraction(6 times water,1 Hrs) – Extraction Solution-combine&Filtrate-Concentrate-Extractum-spray drying – screening – packaging – detection of physical and chemical indicators – warehousing

Specification Sheet of Red Peony Root (Chi Shao) Extract Powder

Extended Reading
Red Peony Root (Chi Shao) Function and Efficacy Recorded in TCM
Red peony is the dried root of peony or Sichuan red peony in the Ranunculaceae family. It and Paeonia lactiflora are typical representatives of “same origin but different functions”. Although both come from Paeonia lactiflora, their efficacy differs significantly due to differences in processing methods and medication concepts.

The core difference between red peony and white peony:
White peony root: After scraping and boiling, it is dried in the sun. Its functions are mainly focused on nourishing blood, nourishing yin, softening the liver, and relieving pain.

Red peony root: sun dried directly, retaining the outer skin, with a focus on clearing heat, cooling blood, dispersing blood stasis, and relieving pain.

Red peony has a bitter taste, slightly cold, and belongs to the liver meridian.

1.Clear heat and cool blood
Mechanism of action: Paeonia lactiflora has a cold nature and is specifically infused into the blood, which can clear heat toxins in the blood. Its ability to clear heat and cool blood is stronger than that of raw Rehmannia glutinosa, and it also has the property of promoting blood circulation, making it cool blood without leaving blood stasis.

Indicative symptoms:
Warm disease heat entering the bloodstream: manifested as severe body heat at night, faint rashes, and a deep red tongue. Often used in combination with water buffalo horn, raw rehmannia root, peony bark, etc., such as the famous formula “Rhinoceros Horn Rehmannia Decoction” (now replacing rhinoceros horn with water buffalo horn).

Blood heat bleeding: Vomiting, nosebleeds (nosebleeds), rectal bleeding, etc. caused by excessive blood heat. Due to its ability to cool blood and disperse stasis, it is particularly suitable for bleeding accompanied by stasis.

2. Relieve blood stasis and relieve pain
Mechanism of action: Paeonia lactiflora has a bitter taste and can promote blood circulation and relieve stasis. It is good at promoting blood circulation, dispersing blood stasis, and unblocking blood vessels, thereby eliminating pain caused by blood stasis obstruction.

Indicative symptoms:
Pain caused by liver stagnation and blood stasis: Pain in the ribs due to emotional instability, qi stagnation, and blood stasis.

Menstrual dysmenorrhea, accumulation of pathological conditions (such as uterine fibroids and ovarian cysts): Used for menstrual disorders, amenorrhea, abdominal masses, etc. caused by blood stasis. Often used in conjunction with blood activating herbs such as Angelica sinensis, Chuanxiong, peach kernel, and safflower, such as “Peach Blossom Four Ingredient Soup”.

Injuries from falls, bruises, and pain.

Ulcer, abscess, swelling, and toxin: It can clear blood heat and disperse blood stasis, which helps to dissipate the abscess. Often used in combination with honeysuckle, pollen, and white atractylodes.

3. Clearing and eliminating liver fire
Mechanism of action: Paeonia lactiflora belongs to the liver meridian, with a cold nature that can clear fire, and is good at clearing the excess fire or suppressing fire of the liver meridian.

Indicative symptoms:
Redness and swelling in the eyes: red eyes, swelling and pain, and shyness (fear of light) caused by liver fire inflammation. Often used together with liver clearing and eye improving medicines such as chrysanthemum, summer grass, mint, etc.

Headache and dizziness caused by liver fire inflammation.

Modern Pharmacological Effects of Red Peony Root (Chi Shao)
The traditional efficacy of Paeonia lactiflora is “clearing heat and cooling blood, dispersing blood stasis and relieving pain”. Modern pharmacological research has deeply revealed the mechanism of its effects from a scientific perspective, and confirmed its significant activity in the fields of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, liver, etc. The main active ingredients of Paeonia lactiflora include monoterpenes and their glycosides (such as paeoniflorin and oxidized paeoniflorin), tannins, phenolic acids (such as gallic acid and catechins), and polysaccharides.

1. The effect on the blood system
This is the most prominent and distinctive pharmacological effect of Paeonia lactiflora, directly corresponding to its “dispersing blood stasis” effect.

Antiplatelet aggregation: Paeonia lactiflora and its active ingredients (such as total paeoniflorin and gallic acid) can significantly inhibit platelet aggregation caused by various inducers such as ADP and collagen, which is the key mechanism for preventing thrombosis.

Antithrombotic: Red peony can effectively prolong thrombus formation time and reduce thrombus weight by antiplatelet and enhancing fibrinolytic activity.

Improving hemorheology: It can reduce blood viscosity, enhance the deformability of red blood cells, thereby improving microcirculation and providing more adequate blood perfusion for tissues.

2. Effects on the cardiovascular system
Protecting the heart and resisting myocardial ischemia: Paeonia lactiflora can dilate coronary arteries, increase coronary blood flow, improve myocardial blood supply, and have a clear protective effect on experimental myocardial ischemia and ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Anti atherosclerosis: Its multiple functions of anti inflammation, anti-oxidation, lowering blood lipid and protecting vascular endothelial cells jointly endow it with the potential of anti atherosclerosis.

Reduce pulmonary arterial hypertension: Studies have shown that red peony can effectively alleviate experimental pulmonary arterial hypertension and inhibit pulmonary vascular remodeling.

3. Liver protective effect
Function: Red peony is an essential medicine in traditional Chinese medicine for treating jaundice, liver depression, and rib pain. Modern research has confirmed that it has protective effects on various liver injuries.

Mechanism:
It can significantly reduce serum transaminase levels in chemical liver injury (such as caused by carbon tetrachloride and D-galactosamine) and immune liver injury.

Inhibit the activation of hepatic stellate cells and resist liver fibrosis.

Promote bile secretion and have a choleretic effect.

Its hepatoprotective mechanism is closely related to anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune regulation.

4. Antitumor effect
Numerous in vitro and animal experiments have shown that extracts of Paeonia lactiflora and total glucosides of Paeonia lactiflora have inhibitory effects on proliferation and induce apoptosis in various cancer cell lines.

Cancer involved: including liver cancer, stomach cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, etc.

Mechanism: Inducing cell cycle arrest, activating apoptotic signaling pathways, inhibiting tumor angiogenesis, and regulating the body’s immune system.

5. Neuroprotective effect
The main active ingredient paeoniflorin has been proven to have significant neuroprotective activity.

Potential benefits:
Reduce cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury.

It has an improving effect on animal models of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, possibly through anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti apoptotic mechanisms.

6. Anti inflammatory and antioxidant properties
Anti inflammatory: Paeonia lactiflora can inhibit the production of various inflammatory mediators, such as prostaglandin E2, leukotrienes, tumor necrosis factor – α, etc., and has inhibitory effects on acute and chronic inflammation models.

Antioxidant: The phenolic acid components in Paeonia lactiflora can effectively eliminate free radicals and alleviate oxidative stress damage.

7. Other functions
Sedation, analgesia, and spasmolysis: It has central sedative and peripheral analgesic effects, and can alleviate intestinal smooth muscle spasms.