Research progress in the quality evaluation of Salvia miltiorrhiza based on the association of ‘morphological features — functional substances — pharmacological action — clinical efficacy’

BACKGROUND: Salvia miltiorrhiza (Salvia miltiorrhiza Radix et Rhizoma) is the dried root and rhizome of Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge., a plant of the labiate family. It is a type of traditional Chinese medicine that can promote blood circulation for removing blood stasis. It is often used to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in a clinic. Aim of the study: High-quality Chinese herbal medicines are the premise of the safe and effective use of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in clinics. We aim to prove the rationality of the traditional identification method, namely, ‘the redder the root colour and the thicker the root, the better is the quality’, to use the morphological features of Salvia miltiorrhiza as the main index to quickly and directly evaluate its quality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: By referring to relevant ancient books, domestic and foreign literature, and academic papers, we summarised the research progress regarding the morphological features, functional substances, pharmacological action, and clinical efficacy of Salvia miltiorrhiza. RESULTS: The redder the colour, the thicker the root, and the denser the texture, the better is the quality of Salvia miltiorrhiza. In Salvia miltiorrhiza, tanshinone Ⅱ(A) and salvianolic acid B are the main functional substances that protect the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular functions. The higher the content of these two functional substances, the better is the clinical efficacy of Salvia miltiorrhiza. CONCLUSION: The research idea of the correlation between the ‘morphological features, functional substances, pharmacological action, and clinical efficacy’ can be applied to evaluate the quality of Salvia miltiorrhiza. This research idea and method can also be applied to more Chinese herbal medicines.