Rehmannia glutinosa is a flowering broomrape, and one of the 50 fundamental herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, where it has the name shÃÂng dì huáng (). It is often sold as gÃÂn dì huáng (), gÃÂn meaning "dried". Unlike the majority of broomrapes, R. glutinosa is not parasitic, and is capable of independent photosynthesis.
A number of chemical constituents including iridoids, phenethyl alcohol, glycosides, cyclopentanoid monoterpenes, and norcarotenoids, have been reported from the fresh or processed roots of R. glutinosa.