Chinese medicine stories 4:Codonopsis Radix (Dangshen)

Codonopsis Radix (Dangshen) Replenishing both Qi and blood

A long time ago in a mountain village, there was a rich owner of a herb shop ‘Ji Shi Tang’. He sold poor quality herbs or fake herbs to make profit. There was a poor young guy in the village named Lang Zhang. His mother died of eating the fake herbs from ‘Ji Shi Tang’. After his mother died, he lived with his father. Not long after, his father was ill and took some herbs from ‘Ji Shi Tang’, but he got worse after taking the herbs. Someone who knew the herbs said that this was because one herb ‘Dang Shen’ on the formula was replaced by grass root. Lang understood the fake herbs and decided to go to the mountain to pick up the herb himself. He looked for the herb all over the mountains; it was windy and cold; it was getting dark and the cliffs was everywhere and very terrifying. Lang was tired and hungry, finally he was too tired and fell in a cave. In his dream, he felt lying on the flower bed, soft and warm, very comfortable; a beautiful fairy stood in front of him. The gfairy asked him why he was her? He told her his story. The fairy told him that there was a big Dang Shen plant in the gorge; you picked it up and planted in your garden. Then you picked up a leaf and made tea to let your father drink it. He would recover. When he woke up and found out it was a dream. But he decided to act according to what the fairy said in his dream. Suddenly he found Dang Shen plant and he picked up the plant carefully. This Dang Shen plant was one foot high, like a small human being with arms and legs, nose and eyes just like the fairy said. He carefully put the plant in his basket and bring it home and planted it in his garden. He made tea with a leaf for his father. After drinking Dang Shen tea, his father felt much better. Since then, Lang watered the plant, gave it the plant food, and get rit of the grass around the plant every day. He cherish Dang Shen plant so much. Someday The girl from dream walked out from the plant tree and married Lang. They lived happily thereafter.

Codonopsis Radix (Dangshen) are the root of Codonopsis pilosula. They strengthen spleen and lung Qi and nourish blood and essence. They are sweet in taste and neutral in nature. They are attributed to spleen and lung meridians. Daily dosage is 9-30 g.

Dang Shen is used for replenishing qi (vital energy) deficiency and can be sometimes used as a substitute for Ginseng, so it is called poor man’s Ginseng.

Pharmacological effects of Codonopsis Radix are

1, strengthening the immune system, having anti-aging antioxidant effect and neuro protective effect and reducing fatigue to improve energy level;

2, improving lung function such as shortness breath, coughing.

3, improving gastrointestinal function, diarrhea, appetite and protecting gastric inner lining from ulcer.

4, other effects such as antidiabetic, anti-ischemia and reperfusion injury.

References

Jing-Yu He J Nat Med. 2015; 69: 1–21.