Used raw, powdered or encapsulated.

Rehmannia is commonly used in clinics in the orient and is called di-huang, or 'yellow earth.' It is used to regulate hormones, reduce cramps, and provide iron, helping with urinary tract problems, anemia, dizziness, and regulating menstrual flow.

It is protective to the liver and helps prevent the depletion of stored glycogen, which can make it beneficial for hypoglycemia.

Clinical trials in China have demonstrated that it is effective in treating hepatitis. The raw root, sheng di huang, is the part used. Not suitable in decoctions for treating liver conditions since cooking changes its value in treatment. The raw root may be chewed or powdered and encapsulated.

A report published in the Chinese Medical Journal indicates that raw glutinous rehmannia has been shown to be effective in the treatment of rheumatic and rheumatoid arthritis. Also, glutinous rehmannia and licorice have been shown to be a good combination. A report published in the New Pharmacological Journal indicates obvious improvements in cases of contagious hepatitis treated by injections of raw glutinous rehmannia and raw licorice.

Overuse can lead to abdominal distension and loose stools.

http://www.itmonline.org/arts/rehmann.htm:

Subhuti Dharmananda, Ph.D., Director, Institute for Traditional Medicine, Portland, Oregon:

It has been reported that simple sugars are present in very large amounts in the decoction made from cooked rehmannia (the more cloying form): more than three times as much as in decoctions made from raw rehmannia (the less cloying form). Presumably, the steaming process that yields cooked rehmannia breaks down the ordinary starches in the root to simple sugars.

The combination of raw rehmannia, anemarrhena, plus licorice was fed to rats who were administered dexamethasone for two months (20); this drug impairs adrenal function. The herbs promoted growth, lowered plasma glucose, decreased plasma-free fatty acids, and increased plasma cortisone, suggesting a protective effect for the adrenals.

The two forms that are generally available to practitioners everywhere are dried rehmannia root (gan dihuang or gansheng dihuang, commonly referred to as sheng dihuang, and, in English, usually called raw rehmannia), and cooked rehmannia root (shu dihuang). Raw rehmannia root has been dried—in the sun or using an oven—to the point that it preserves well, and cooked rehmannia root is currently prepared by soaking it in a solution of water and rice wine (30%) and steaming it for eight hours (sometimes a full day).

The effects of rehmannia can be explained in relation to the iridoid glycosides, which are currently the only known active ingredients for the dosages of rehmannia that are used (rehmannia also contains some immune-modulating polysaccharides, but the amounts present appear to be small). These iridoids probably function via the adrenal glands to yield changes in the level of anti-inflammatory adrenal hormones and to form a basis for the production of sex hormones (in menopausal women, the adrenal cortex is a significant source of estrogens). The iridoids may also reduce bleeding, stimulate bile production, protect the liver from damage, and reduce elevated blood sugar.

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