Rehmannia is a long-standing star of Traditional Chinese Medicine. The benefits of rehmannia make it a promising therapy in conditions of the vascular, immune, endocrine and nervous systems, (R) with some 140 compounds found to date. (R)
Read on to learn what rehmannia, and its most potent compound, catalpol, have to offer in optimizing health.
The rehmannia I take
Starwest Botanicals Rehammaniae Root Raw Sliced (Amazon)
Preparation: Steep 1-2 teaspoons of the root in hot water 5-10 minutes.
The tea has a medicinal taste roughly like licorice. I don’t find it unpleasant, but it may take some getting used to. Rehmannia is also available in pill and tincture forms.
Most studies on rehmannia are conducted in China and use the raw root.
Rehmannia changes immune system function
In mice, catalpol increased Th2 (allergic) immunity and decreased Th1 (infectious) immunity. (R)
Catalpol inhibited production of inflammatory proteins Il-6, Il-8, and MCP-1. (R)
Rehmannia lowers levels of inflammatory proteins IL-4 and TNF-alpha. (R)
Catalpol prevented expression of many inflammatory substances, including IL-1b, Il-6, Il-8, COX-2, and iNOS, in colon cancer cells. (R)
Rehmannia inhibits the enzyme COX, (R) which is involved in many conditions associated with pain and inflammation. (R)
Rehmannia improved memory in amnesiac rats treated with the root for 14 days, reducing levels of the inflammatory proteins IL1-beta and TNF-alpha in the hippocampus, the region of the brain responsible for memory. (R)
Catalpol inhibited the inflammatory protein complex Nf-KB. (R)
Rehmannia benefits skin conditions
Rehmannia contains compounds with wide-ranging immunlogical and anti-inflammatory benefits useful in the treatment of psoriasis. (R)
A review of studies found that rehmannia shows potential in the treatment of psoriasis. (R)
Rehmannia was shown to stimulate melanocytes and may have use in the treatment of vitiligo. (R)
In an animal study on dermatitis, rehmannia lowered histamine levels and reduced skin thickening. (R)
In human cells exposed to UV light, rehmannia mitigated cellular and mitochondrial damage. (R)
Rehmannia benefits diabetes
A combination of astragalus and rehmannia (in a 2:1 ratio) promoted the healing of diabetic foot ulcers. (R)
In a small human trial, diabetic patients treated with rehmannia for six months saw ulcer reduction at a rate more than twice as fast as placebo. (R)
Rehmannia made fibroblasts (collagen-producing cells) more viable in diabetic foot ulcers – even in those unresponsive to insulin treatment. (R)
Rehmannia benefits the liver and kidneys
Rehmannia protected liver cells from damage. (R1, R2)
A combination of rehmannia and Asian ginseng prevented kidney and liver damage. (R)
Pre-treating liver cells with rehmannia before a toxic insult prevented programmed cell death and had other protective effects. (R)
Rehmannia shows promise in reducing proteinuria and erythrocyturia (conditions in which excess protein and red blood cells are excreted via urine) in kidney inflammation. (R)
The combination of rehmannia and the drug irbesartan proved more effective in reducing proteinuria than irbesartan alone. (R)
Rehmannia inhibited liver inflammation and fibrosis in rats. (R)
Rehmannia benefits the vascular system
Researchers concluded that one derivative of rehmannia has the potential to trigger formation of new blood vessels via activation of related genes, including VEGFR3 and MMP9. (R)
Catalpol resolved bacteria-induced vascular damage and hemorrage. (R)
Rehmannia fights osteoporosis
Researchers concluded that rehmannia possesses bone-protecting features. (R)
Rehmannia prevented bone loss in rats. (R)
An animal study found that rehmannia can enhance bone formation in osteoporosis, and that rehmannia reduces bone loss in rats that have had their ovaries removed. (R)
Rehmannia is an antioxidant
Extracts of rehmannia may be great sources of antioxidants for treatming heart disease. (R)
Derivatives of rehmannia showed many antioxidant effects in mice, reducing oxidative stress, increasing levels of the master antioxidant glutathione, and reducing production of the liver-damaging MDA (malonaldehyde). (R)
Extracts of rehmannia prevented oxidative cellular damage. (R)
Catapol suppressed oxidative damage. (R)
Cells treated with catalpol were protected from hydrogen peroxide-induced programmed cell death. (R)
Additional benefits
Rehmannia had an anti-anxiety effect on animals treated with MSG. (R)
Rehmannia boosts both sympathetic (“fight or flight”) and parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) activity in the nervous system. (R)
Obese women treated with rehmannia for eight weeks trimmed their waists and had positive shifts in the species of bacteria in the colon, suggesting rehmannia may be a prebiotic. (R)
A combination of the herb astragalus and rehmannia in a 2:1 ratio was demonstrated effective in wound healing. (R)
Rehmannia boosted levels of a key hormone in the production of red blood cells and may be useful in the treatment of anemia. (R)
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