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The dried root of Glehnia littoralis (Apiaceae). Enters the Lung and Stomach channels. Sweet and slightly bitter in flavor, slightly cold in nature; a key herb to nourish Lung yin, generate Stomach fluids, and moisten dryness. Note: the 'sha shen' of the Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing refers to what is today called Nan Sha Shen (Adenophora, Campanulaceae); 'Bei Sha Shen' as a separate name appears later in Ben Cao Hui Yan.
养阴清肺、益胃生津
煎服常用5–12g；鲜品可用至15–30g。
Reference range for non-pregnant adults. Not a personalized prescription. Pregnancy, lactation, and pediatric use require specialist supervision.
Protective guidance only — when to avoid or use with caution. This block deliberately omits pregnancy, lactation, and pediatric dosing: any such use must be managed by a qualified TCM practitioner or appropriate specialist.
风寒咳嗽及脾胃虚寒、寒饮喘咳者忌服。反藜芦（十八反）。
属十八反，不宜与藜芦同用。性偏凉润，脾虚便溏者慎用。临床上北沙参（伞形科）与南沙参（桔梗科）功效相近但来源不同，本经所载沙参实指今之南沙参。
味苦，微寒。主血积惊气，除寒热，补中，益肺气。久服利人。
上品
@misc{bencaodian-sha-shen,
author = {{Bencaodian Editorial}},
title = {Běi Shā Shēn 北沙参 (Glehnia Root) — Glehniae Radix},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Bencao Dian: A Bilingual Knowledge Graph of Traditional Chinese Medicine},
url = {https://bencaodian.org/en/herbs/sha-shen},
urldate = {2026-04-17},
note = {CC BY-SA 4.0}
}© Bencaodian Editorial · Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
沙参有南北之分：北沙参（Glehnia）与南沙参（Adenophora）均含多糖与三萜/香豆素类，现代研究报道免疫调节、化痰、祛痰及解热作用，对应传统养阴清肺、益胃生津之功。
Sha Shen comes in Northern (Glehnia littoralis) and Southern (Adenophora) forms, both containing polysaccharides and triterpenoid or coumarin constituents. Preclinical work reports immunomodulatory, expectorant, and antipyretic effects consistent with its traditional lung-yin and stomach-yin nourishing use.
《中药学》（Bensky）强调沙参反藜芦（十八反），且风寒咳嗽与脾虚便溏者忌用。
Bensky notes Sha Shen antagonizes Li Lu (Veratrum, 'Eighteen Antagonisms') and is inappropriate in wind-cold cough or spleen-deficient loose stools.
Chen & Chen 综述北沙参多糖具免疫调节活性，并有镇咳祛痰动物实验报告。
Chen & Chen summarize immunomodulatory activity of Glehnia polysaccharides and animal evidence for antitussive/expectorant effects.
This section is provided for academic reference only and does not constitute medical advice.