Salvia, also known as Dan Shen or Salviae Miltiorrhizae, is commonly known in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) as a heart tonic, circulation stimulant and has been used to strengthen and tone the heart by helping it to beat in a steady, regular rhythm.

It is also widely used in TCM to support the relaxation of the smooth muscles that support the coronary arteries and increase circulation to the heart, making it beneficial to people with cardiac (heart) and vascular (blood vessel) disorders such as atherosclerosis ("hardening" of the arteries with cholesterol plaques) or blood clotting abnormalities, angina (chest pain or discomfort that occurs when your heart muscle gets insufficient blood), atherosclerosis (disease affecting arterial blood vessels), and stroke (a cerebrovascular accident or “CVA” is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood vessels).

This herb has been frequently used in TCM in combination with other herbs to promote improved healthy heart function which can lead to preventing the formation of clots in the bloodstream and reduce blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels. It has also been used to enhance the beneficial heart-health effects of unsaturated fatty acids and protect heart and nerve cells from free-radical damage.

This herb contains a substance called tanshinones, which may have beneficial effects on healthy coronary circulation. Tanshinones may also help the body by slowing the transmission of nerve impulses within the heart and slowing the pulse down while increasing the heart's ejection fraction (% of available blood that the heart’s main chamber can pump into the blood vessels).

Other TCM uses are to strengthen the liver and stimulate the production of bile, stimulate, improve, and support the thyroid gland, prevent pain,