https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphar.2019.00202/full
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Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge belongs to the genus Salvia of the Lamiaceae family, which is a perennial erect herb. Its dry root is used as Danshen and has the effects of promoting blood circulation, relieving pain, regulating heat, and calming the nerves.
Wild S. miltiorrhiza generally grows in central and northeastern China. Environmental and soil conditions affect the quality of Danshen and the content of active ingredients. The Chinese Flora reports that there are two varieties in the S. miltiorrhiza species, namely, the original variety (S. miltiorrhiza var. miltiorrhiza) and S. miltiorrhiza Bunge var. charbonnelii. The original variety can be divided into two forms, namely, the original form (S. miltiorrhiza var. miltiorrhiza f. miltiorrhiza) and S. miltiorrhiza var. miltiorrhiza f. alba. These forms mainly differ in plant morphology and geographical distribution. For example, the flower color of S. miltiorrhiza var. miltiorrhiza f. alba is white, and it originates from Shandong, China.
In recent years, due to the excessive harvesting of wild S. miltiorrhiza, the resources are already on the verge of extinction. With the reduction in wild resources, artificial domestication cultivation of S. miltiorrhiza has been carried out since the 1970s. The main producing areas of the current cultivated S. miltiorrhiza are Linyi Shandong Province, Jiaozuo Henan Province, Wanrong Shanxi Province, Shangluo Shaanxi Province, Zhongjiang Sichuan Province and other places. To date, S. miltiorrhiza from Sichuan Province is still considered to have the best quality. Due to the low yield of secondary metabolites and the long growth cycle of cultivated plants, the production of tanshinones from cultivated S. miltiorrhiza can no longer meet the rapidly growing market demand. It is essential to use modern biotechnology methods to increase the yield. Therefore, various in vitro culture systems of S. miltiorrhiza, including suspension cell, callus, adventitious root and hairy root, as well as new techniques such as using endophytic fungi, can be used to accumulate tanshinone production.
