Scrophularia ningpoensis.  玄 参  Xuán shēn  Ningpo Figwort  Family: Scrophulariaceae   
In North-Eastern China S. buergeriana. is used as this herb. This plant has been known to traditional Chinese medicine for as long as 2000 years. Its root is harvested in autumn in Zhejiang province and neighboring areas, then dried for later use.
PART USED: Roots- Collected in Winter when its stem and leaves become withered. 
Nature: Cool, cold   FLAVOR: Sweet, bitter, salty  CHANNEL: Lung, Stomach, Kidney.
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Clearing Internal Heat- Cool Blood
1. Clears Heat and cools the Blood.[5]
2. Nourish Yin.[1,2,3,4,5] Moisturises Heat Dryness.[1] Promotes salivation.[1] Descend deficient Heat-[4] since Heat rises and goes to upper part of body.
3. Drains Fire and relieves Toxicity.[5] Quell Fire. Counteract toxic effects.
3. Strengthen Heart[4]- Dilating blood vessels- decreasing blood pressure which can involve Kidney disease.
4. Soften hardness and dissipates nodules.[5]
ACTIONS
INDICATIONS
1. Epidemic febrile diseases with Heat invasion of the Ying and Blood levels: fever, thirst, restlessness, unconsciousness and delirium, bleeding, dry mouth, T-purplish.[5]
2. Rising up of deficient Heat: swollen and sore throat, scrofula, subcutaneous nodules.[1,4,5] Scrofula- swollen lymph nodes around neck.[4] Lympatic tuberculosis, and gangrene of fingers or toes.
3. Exopathic Wind Heat: swollen and sore throat.
4. Maculas and eruptions caused by excessive noxious Heat.
5. Recovery from fevers: constipation and irritability.[1,5]
5. Burning urination.[1]
PATENT COMBINATIONS
COMBINATIONS
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Cold deficiency conditions in the Spleen and Stomach: poor appetite and loose stools.[5] Cold Damp conditions. It is incompatible with Veratrum nigrum- Li lu . According to some traditional sources this herb antagonises Astragalus propinquus- Huang qi, Alpinia officinarum- Gan jiang, Ziziphusjujuba- Da zao, Cornus officinalis- Shan zhu yu.
PREPARATIONS: Decoction.  Roots 10-20 g.[1,3] Used in bolus and powder.[3] 6-12 g.[2] 12-30 g.[4] 9-30 g.[5] Dry fried in salt enhances it's Yin nourishing properties.[5] Good quality is big, thick, and hard with a thin skin and a black color.
    

HABITAT: Grows mostly in gullies, thickets or wet places along stream edges.
DESCRIPTION: Perennial herb. Roots; cylindrical, lower section frequently branching, greyish yellow. Stem; erect, 4 angled, Leaves; opposite, ovate or ovate-ellipsoid, apexes acuminate, bases rounded or truncate, margins crenate, Flowers; in autumn, purplish-red terminal or axillary flowers forming cymose arrangement evolving into panicle inflorescence. Capsule- ovate-rounded.
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents
Research

Effects of Scrophularia ningpoensis Hemsl. on Inhibition of Proliferation, Apoptosis Induction and NF-κB Signaling of Immortalized and Cancer Cell Lines
Xiao Shen, Tolga Eichhorn, Henry Johannes Greten, and Thomas Efferth
Abstract
Scrophularia ningpoensis has been used in China for centuries as a herbal tea to treat various diseases. Based on the numerous animal studies on its pharmaceutical effects and the long time clinical experiences, we studied the molecular and cellular mechanism underlying the bioactivity of aqueous extract of Scrophularia and its isolated compounds. Seven isolated compounds, unlike Scrophularia extract, failed to induce cytotoxicity on HaCaT cells, but their combination improved the effect of extract. Tumor cell line selectivity was not observed, when we studied its cytotoxic effect on melanoma cell lines. The apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects of Scrophularia extract have been demonstrated on HaCaT cells. The extract induced those effects potentially through affecting the MAPK pathway and inhibition of the NF-κB pathway, Microarray-based bioinformatical analyses on the compound acetoside from Scrophularia revealed a gene expression profile which confirmed our findings with the extract on proliferation inhibition, anti-inflammation and apoptosis. With DNA alkylation as major proposed mechanism of action, we assume acetoside as one of the active compounds in Scrophularia. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2012 Feb; 5(2): 189–208. Published online 2012 Feb 14. doi: 10.3390/ph5020189. PMCID: PMC3763631 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov